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Newly adopted underweight horse

2K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  Gaer 
#1 ·
Hi! I am brand new here! Also brand new to owning horses. We just adopted a TB/QH? gelding. He was rescued from the slaughter yard. He is about 15yrs, a total love puppy, great manners etc. He was rated by our vet as a 2/6 or a 3to4 out of 10 on the skinny scale ... He has been vacc., dewormed, teeth/feet done.
My question is this: What do we feed? Right now he is on timothy/braum (sp?) bales (hand feeding) Alfalfa cubes, and beet pulp (2 cups when measured before soaking) and will be starting him on Step6 Senior this weekend.
Is there anything else I can do for him? And how long should I expect it to be before he starts to show some weight gain?
He is a big guy just under 17h.
Thanks in advance!
 
#3 ·
I think you'll see results pretty quickly-so take some pictures now. & maybe take more every week so you can see the progress. So glad you rescued this horse-he sounds like he may be a gem-good luck w/him. Hope you can post some pictures so we can be part of his journey back to usefulness.
 
#4 ·
You are "hand feeding" bales of hay? What does that mean? I would say that what you have going on is good but his hay should be as much as he wants. Always have hay in front of him. Add free choice minerals, salt and water must be always there for him as well.

Depending on other potential health issues you will see changes quickly. Definitely take pics.

Use this time to spend as much time as you can with the horse. If he tolerates grooming, fine; if not, pet him all over gently until he has a bit of meat over the bones. Daily walking on the lead and as he improves you can do more and more ground work. Stay on top of this because his personality may change once he is feeling better and you want him to know who's boss.

We'd love to see pics here too. :)
 
#5 ·
My friends/family call it 'hand feeding' when you feed twice a day... He doesnt run out of food ever and we were told not to throw him in with a round bale by the vet.
He tolerates grooming, like all over pets and light scratching, he leads well etc, though I think you are right, daily interaction and relationship building are a must to ensure his good manners continue.
So far I have pics of him 2 weeks ago, and now. Ill try to take a weekly shot from the same angle so I can see changes! As soon as I figure out how to load them here...:)
 
#6 ·
Have a talk with your vet on what he should be eating. Some horses lack certain minerals and whatnot so it's a good idea to include those in his diet so long as he needs them.

My horse was on Safechoice when I got him (patooey...) then I switched him to oats.. then finally he's on Triple Crown Senior (he's only turning 11) but being a hard keeper that's the grain that he does best on.

I wouldn't do anything to his diet without consulting your vet. But I agree, make sure that he's got a lot of hay so long as you cleared it with your vet. Water too.. lots of water.

Ask your vet if he needs a grain or if he'll be fine with hay (which type of hay?) and if you should add any kind of oil to his diet to help him gain weight.

Good luck :)
 
#9 ·
As an addendum to what was indicated here already :), you might want to add a pre and probitotic to his beet pulp. It helps digestion and will help the nutrition get to where it needs to go in a more efficient manner.

I use the Smartpak Digest Ultra and an equine nutritionist also recommended a product called Lifeforce by Alltech, Inc.
 
#10 ·
One of the first horses I bought was an OTTB, who had scars from pinfiring and was a very hard keeper. My Vet suggested ONLY give her all the hay she could eat until she'd covered her ribs. Everything is going to be sensitive on your horse for awhile. You do not want him to colic and hay is the best thing to feed. If you have a choice keep it to just grass hay. It is low protein and easy to digest.
We are all so fixated on rapid weight loss, that we don't consider that slow weight loss or gain is safest.
Agreed about rubbing all over. Buy a pair of stretchy winter gloves (now on clearance) with the pebbles on them. I still use those to groom my horse's faces and he won't be irritate by this.
Have your Vet check out this horse and give you advice. Since we cannot see him or handle him, our advice is 2nd to a Vet's exam and advice.
After he's gained enough weight to just look a little thin, you might try Purina Equine Senior feed. It has been tested on elderly horses with little or no teeth, can be mashed and these horses gained weight on it. I had great success with my Arabian "Corporal" (1982-2009, RIP) bc he was a hard keeper and gained weight on this.
Here's Corporal at 25yo:
 
#11 · (Edited)
Thanks for the replies and welcomes!
He already has more energy, and is looking a bit better. We had him out today, rubbed him down gently and took him for a walk. He was really good, Im sure happy to get out.
We have him on beet pulp 2x daily, as much hay as he will eat and are slow starting senior feed. Fresh water always available.
I HOPE THE PICS ARE ATTACHED! The photos are from today!!
Not sure if you can see, but he does have sutures on his nose. (long story) I had hired a horse hauler and somehow he arrived needing sutures. Anyway, it was taken care of immediatly and he is good now.
 

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