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Rapid Weight Loss

12K views 44 replies 11 participants last post by  TbLover 
#1 ·
So I moved in December and now I live 2 hours away from my horses. I was home on the 14th, and spent some time grooming both horses and changing blankets. Weight wise, Roma was fairly normal looking. I could just see the shadow of his ribs, but nothing alarming at any rate, especially because he has absolutely no muscle.

Today, I came home again and because the weather is nice all the horses blankets were taken off. Gypsy is at a normal weight, maybe a bit heavier than last time, and my friends horse had gained some weight as well. But Roma has dropped what I would call a fairly significant amount of weight. His topline is especially bad. Some of his ribs can be easily seen, even under all that winter coat.

I know that they are getting fed twice a day, 4 flakes total each (around 20-25 lbs maybe). Nothing that he is getting fed has changed since I was last home. He is eating normally and is the one that bosses the other horses around, so I know he isn't getting chased away from his food. There was a big snow/ice storm right after I left last time but he had a fairly heavy blanket and shelter the entire time.

What could cause this? I plan on getting some sort of grain/feed for him, but I'm not sure what I should get and how much to feed? I'm not used to him dropping this much weight.

If he doesn't start to gain weight, or continues to drop weight or starts to show any other issues I will find the money -somewhere- to take him to the vet (please don't get after me about this, I am a college student living off of student loans, and my parents can't help out right now).

I will post pictures soon.
 
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#2 ·
He could have any number of problems. Could be his teeth, he could have a infection, or the other horses could be keeping him away from the feed. You obviously know something is wrong. The other horses are fit and he is skinny. Does he act lethargic? Is he drinking? How old is he?

He should see a vet...
 
#5 ·
Even the "chasers" are experiencing stress, and stress can munch at weight so fast before you know it you can spot ribs away at a grand distance.

My horse used to lose weight because he thought I was going to abandon him like everyone else. Took months and months and months for there to be a huge difference, and slowly I went from seeing him everyday to seeing him every other day, now 3 times a week and he's happy and healthy.

It can be a number of things.. it's best to check with a vet.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I was hoping I could get some ideas on what to feed him, grain/concentrated feed wise? I don't really know what would be the best in this situation.

He was wormed early December, same as Gypsy. I was going to pick up wormer when I go to get grain though.

I know he probably needs to go to the vet, but I was hoping maybe you guys could give me some ideas about what could be wrong, and maybe some ideas to get weight on him until I can get him into the vet.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Pictures! Keep in mind he has a super long winter coat so its hiding some things, but most of the pictures are pretty accurate. What I am seeing is a lot of weight loss along the topline. His ribs are also most visible more towards the top than anywhere else.

Also the feeding situation hasn't changed in months (since this summer) so why would him being the "chaser" sudden cause enough stress to make him drop weight? (Not trying to be argumentative, just curious).

I also have more, or can take more if they are needed.





 
#8 ·
Poor guy.... :( what's going on with his hind end? (Near the base of his tail) ?

And you've had the vet check for everything that could cause weight loss?

I'd definitely consider talking to your vet about putting him on Probiotics and upping the hay..
 
#9 · (Edited)
No, I haven't had a vet check. Like I've said, I'm hoping he will put enough weight on that I can wait a few weeks for him to go to the vet. Money is tight right now, as I just moved out, and am living off of loans but haven't been able to get a job yet.

I think what your seeing is just dirt, or something. I didn't groom him well (or really at all), and his winter blanket is a little long in the back so he tends to get extra dirty back there with that blanket.

Also, obviously he hasn't been worked in awhile so no muscle tone, but I feel like I've been having harder time keeping muscle on him than usual in the last 6 months or so (I mean, usually there some muscle just from running in the pasture or whatever even if he sits for months, but before he lost weight he didn't have any either.)
 
#10 ·
Base as in the top, not the bottom, sorry.

Yeah he needs more fat and some kind of work as he's also losing muscle tone. Is there a way you could feed them differently? You say he chases the other horses off at dinner time.. is there a way to reduce that stress?
 
#12 ·
I guess I'm not seeing what your seeing with the tail? I thought you were talking about all the dirt/poop under it at the top. Unless you mean how hes holding his tail up? He pooped right before I took the picture so he still had his tail up a bit.

I don't really have a way to feed the hay separately, he HATES being locked in so that would cause more stress. And if I separated the paddock that would be worse because they are so herdbound. And what I mean by him chasing the other horses off is he decides he wants a different hay bag for whatever reason, so he leaves his stall and walks into the other and pins his ears back. No real chasing or running.
 
#14 ·
Temp read 98.1 the first time and 98.2 the second time. He has an appetite (he wasn't happy that I took him away from his food to take his temperature) and seems to be acting normally. But he looks not as perky as usual (does that make sense?).
 
#15 ·
Well, he doesn't have a fever. What was the last dewormer that he had? Do you rotate dewormers to make sure you cover a wider variety of worms?

He looks awful skinny to be a dominate horse during feeding time. Granted, not being worked is going to make him loose muscle mass, but not to that extent. Obviously it's best if you get a vet out right away, but we all know how money problems can be. Try giving him more hay, grain him, maybe a senior feed that has beet pulp/rice bran in it? A good diet will get him to gain weight but if he has under lying health issues, no amount of food is going to help.

Keep an eye on him and have the vet out when you can. :?

I had a mare that had a bacterial infection and dropped weight like that. She was lathergic, still had an appetite but no amount of food helped her. After 10 days of antibiotics from the vet, she was a new horse, and within 5 weeks, she was at a healthy weight again. It was in February she caught it. Vet was super confused by how but with a horse, anythings possible...
 
#17 ·
Well...Hmmm...LoL. I've exhausted my brain thinking about possible reasons...

Thank goodness I have a vet that I can make payments to if needed. I'd just call and get out and let her deal with it and worry about the bill later. LoL. That's what the degree is for. Of course she's been our vet for over a decade so we've built up a good system.
 
#19 ·
I have had him for around 3 years now I think. He has been healthy. The only non-routine vet visit was because of a minor injury to his suspensory ligament last winter. No colic or anything that would be related to weight loss. Normally his weight fluctuates, but not this fast and not to this extreme and it is usually related to changes in hay (when I get the new hay in), season changes, or when I fence off the "pasture" in the fall. He doesn't crib but he is a wood chewer. Maybe its related to that?

I was thinking of getting some senior grain tomorrow. Any brand recommendations? I think my feed store has triple crown, Purina, and LMF. Or any other feed (with it or something that would be better)? How much should I feed?

Unfortunately I know my vet doesn't take payments. They recommend the "Care Credit" card but I don't have any credit so that's out of the question. I would have to come up with the full amount or figure something out with my parents.
 
#20 ·
He could be deficient in something which may explain the wood chewing. It's worth looking into.

I think he has something missing in his diet. Maybe he isn't absorbing all of the nutrients in his feed and hay. I put my boy on probiotics and he's finally keeping weight on. It's worth doing though
 
#21 ·
I have put him on supplements (Quitt, and something else that I can't remember the brand name of, just a general supplement) before to try to fix the wood chewing (he has done this for a long time). It slows him down... maybe but its probably just hopeful thinking. I am fairly sure that's a boredom thing because he only does it when he is in the paddock or stalled.

What should I add as a supplement? Do you have any recommendations?
 
#22 ·
Unfortunately that's a part of horse ownership, to be ready and able to provide vet care when they need it (and they always do). There has been more than once that I went without food just so my horse could get the care he needed.

For a horse to suddenly start dropping weight like that, there is something much more going on than just needing different food.

He needs to be seen by a vet.
 
#24 ·
Well I was going to worm him and increase his food to see if that helps. Obviously there is probably another underlying problem but the vet is only open for regular hours Monday through Friday and I can't pay an emergency vet fee unless it is actually an emergency. So I am going to try to put some weight on him until I can get the vet out, and keep an eye (or actually have my friend keep an eye on him, but shes more experienced then I am) on anything getting worse for the next week or so. If not I can figure something out with my parents maybe. They might be able to get the Care Credit card and I can pay them or something.
 
#26 ·
I have been trying to care lease him but nobody wants to care lease a trail horse in winter...

I'm not going to let my horse go without care, but I just wanted advice on what to do until I can get him to a vet. It might take my parents a week or so to figure out how to get the vet money, and that would be after I convince them that he needs to go to the vet. They aren't horse people, and my moms response when I told her that he dropped weight was maybe that it was the snow/ice storm we had, and that I should give him extra until he puts weight on. If I can't convince them it will have to come out of my loan money, and I will have to figure out the -max- I can spend and have enough to pay rent and other essentials. Unfortunately my vet isn't the best at giving accurate estimates, which makes sense because things tend to add up, especially if they are unexpected.
 
#27 ·
I understand that it's not easy and I sure as heck don't have much or any (depending on the day) of an emergency fund. However I would call this an emergency. Your horse appears to be starving when he was previously doing well, and nothing in his diet has changed.

He will not put on weight before Monday, so you are basically watching to see if he gets worse. In my opinion, this is not the correct way to deal with the situation.

It looks like a boarding barn from the photos, did the barn owner/manager not give you any indication that your horse is wasting away?
 
#28 ·
It isn't a boarding barn, it is my parents place. He has been blanketed, so it wasn't noticeable.

My reasoning is that I don't think there is a difference if the vet sees him tomorrow or on Monday unless something changes. However, if there's a 200+ dollar difference in price (emergency and farm call fee, I normally haul in) that's 200 dollars I could have spent on treatment, when money is limited everything counts. Do you see my reasoning?

I will keep a close eye on eating, pooping, drinking, temperature and behavior and make a call based on that. If anything gets even a tiny bit worse I will call the vet this weekend. But as of right now he is in the barn, happily eating away with normal pooping and drinking. I spent some time with him and he seemed to perk up to his normal self as well.
 
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