Horse has been losing weight after an infection. how can we put it back on?

Question

my horse was recently gelded, but a few days after we noticed an infection. we treated it and all that's fine, but he's lost a significant amount of weight. we've been giving him sweet feed and lots of grass, but it's not coming back very fast.

what would you suggest we feed him so that he's healthy again? I've seen some answers on other peoples questions similar to this... and it seems most suggest corn oil? anyone mind telling me what this is and how expensive it is.

thanks!

Answer 1

Try mixing in a supplement with his grain, also make sure he has free access to a mineral block this really helps alot, maybe let him free feed on a good quality alfalfa hay or alfalfa cubes,grass doesnt have as much protein as alfalfa, so it will take alot longer for him to put the weight on .sometimes after an infection it takes awhile for a horse to get back into shape,if you decide to use beet pulp make sure you soak it in warm water.(only one of my horses will eat beet pulp )

Answer 2

If your is on the mend you can sometimes help them out by giving them a B-12 shot.  It will increase their appetite. If you are not comfortable with injections, try a vitamin supplement called Red Cell. This can make them a little hot so be careful. I also feed rice bran it is great. The other thing I will add in is A and M (Ground up alfalfa and molasses) If one of mine is exceptionally thin I free feed it. They will devour it for a few days and after that they will back. I have never foundered one on it. If not give them about 8 to 10 lbs a day.  This will help considerably.

Answer 3

Corn oil is relatively inexpensive...how about top dressing his grain with that and keeping hay in front of him, 24/7 free choice?

When was the last time the vet drew blood to look for an continuing infection??  You might want to look into that again.

Answer 4

Okay, start feeding him all the hay he'll eat, mostly half alfalfa and half good quality grass.  Sweet feed is too high in sugar so switch to rolled oats and give at least 6 cups a day with 6 cups a day of rice bran.  Start slowly with the grain and rice bran to get him used to it.  If he's kept dewormed and on this feeding program, you should see a weight gain within a month.  Good luck.

Answer 5

Hi! :)

I would feed grass, a good quality hay or hay cubes, moderate treats, the sweet feed you are already feeding mixed with a high quality horse pellets or corn, bran mash sometimes works too, I would also ad the corn oil (but not to much), its pretty cheap and worth it.....  It may be something else going on.  Has the horse been wormed/had its teeth floated lately?  Hope this helps!

Answer 6

call a vet or feed him more

Answer 7

Feed him some rice bran. It has a higher fat content than any other feed, and you can feed it to them in bulk without having to worry about colic. It is about the only thing I've found that can put and keep weight on my old TB mare. (I feed 6lbs of it a day mixed with 6lbs of Senior.)

A lot of people like to feed beet pulp. It helps too but it's main function is as a source of digestible fiber. So it's almost like giving them more forage, like grass hay, it's just more digestible. But it's not necessarily that high in fat. Beet pulp can actually be used as a source of fiber/roughage when no hay or grass is available.

Rice bran, on the other hand, contains a lot of calories from fat to put the weight on a horse. It has 1/3 more calories than beet pulp, by weight. (i.e. you'd have to feed 1.3 pounds of beet pulp to get the same calories as you'd get from 1 pound of rice bran). This is a big reason why I prefer it...it's more cost effective. However, rice bran can have a mineral imbalance, so if you feed more than about 2 pounds of it, you should make sure a horse's diet is supplemented with a mineral block and/or a complete feed (hence why I feed Senior as well--since your horse isn't too old, I'd try Strategy.)

Answer 8

there are supplements that are supposed to help your horse gain weight. i dont know if they work, but it might be helpful to read up about them...

Answer 9

I too have free fed all in one (alfalfa/molasses) just stuck it in a plastic garbage can (bungied in their stall) and let a thin horse "have at it" - corn oil can be added (Mazola etc.) you have to be careful when it is hot, it can spoil if it isn't kept somewhere cool ... the corn oil needs to be added to their feed in small increments...and then gradually built up over several days.  Good Luck!

Answer 10

stick him out in the field to put the weight bak on him

Answer 11

this works wonderfully the corn oil thing.

it is an oil that you can buy simply at any grocery store. price $3 to $8. it puts fat on the horse fast. another thing i use is beet pulp to fatten up my horses. you can buy that at any horse supply store or farm store. :)

Answer 12

I have been feeding my horse corn oil for his weight and it has done good. It also help with their coat, it makes it really shiny. You can get corn oil at any grocery store for about $2.00. When you start giving it to him start small about 1/4 cup and work up to 1cup. Hope this helped you out

If you would like you could look at some of my post about weight issues with my horse

Answer 13

feed him more grain that is quite fatty, because thats what he needs, if you calll a vet, they can perscribe a new kind of health benefit pill that will help him to get meat on his bones back!!