Old Horse Very Skinny!! Help?

Question

We recently rescued a old horse a year ago. When we brought him home he was in horrible condition. Bad Skin, Bad Teeth, Skinny, etc. Now he recieves a scoop and a half of equine senior everyday and grazes 24/4. He is still incredibly skinny (his ribs are showing.) He is around 25 years old. ** Is there anything i can do for him?? maybe like some type of weight builder in his feed?? please any ideas will help. Thanks :)

Answer 1

I'm in California and if I have a horse who's starting to look a bit "ribby" or I've purchased some rack of bones,  I go out and buy a 50LB sack of A&M and free feed them (Ground alfafa and molasses) (In the mid west they use beet pulp BUT I've been informed that you HAVE to add water to it or it will swell in a horse's belly causing colic, but others say not to, so it's your choice.), dump it into a tub or feeder in the horse's stall, then top it with some rolled barley corn that is mixed with corn oil and apple cider vinegar. (I feed a 3LB coffee can of the barley corn mixture once a day.) The horse will normally devour the first couple of bags of A&M, but then they will slack off as they get used to it (Never had an issue with colic or founder)...

I haven't fed oats or any mixed feed in decades, basically because I've had running horses and TBs I'm trying to keep quiet, so I feed the rolled barley corn mixture to them for weight, NOT heat.

I also give my horses a hot bran mash twice a week with a 1/2 CUP of apple cider vinegar and corn oil (I can mix the barleycorn into it.).  I feed 1/2 a 3 LB coffee can of red wheat flakey bran and add enough warm water to it so that it looks like oatmeal in consistancy.

I make sure that they get 2 flakes of alfafa hay per feeding.

Answer 2

I have ridden thoroughbreds, and jumpers most of my riding career, and they get thin from riding, nerves, just pretty much anything, even the flies annoying them makes them lose weight.  We feed our horses beat pulp, you mix it with the grain, and it helps build weight, you can also add corn oil or olive oil to his feed, any of these things can be done realitively cheap, I would try those first, and then if he still won't gain weight, I would talk to your vet, find out if he needs any medical attention, and have your vet recommend a weight builder supplement.  

One last thought that may cause a little problem in the weight gain area.  How often do you worm him, in the summer I worm my horses once a month, and once every other month in the winter, also every couple months I give them a full parasite killer paste to ensure that they are healthy and can gain optimum weight.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

You say he did have bad teeth - has he had them floated now ?

Has he been wormed and has he been checked by a vet as there is always the possibility of an underlying reason for unthriftiness.

Answer 4

First of all, you should weigh the senior feed.  I don't know your scoop size, but my hard keeper 15.3 hh Arab gets 4 lbs a day in summer and 5 lbs in winter....thats 2 full scoops twice a day.  I also add rice bran...one cup a day in summer, and 2 in winter.  It provides extra fat.  He also gets free choice hay year round, and is out 24/7 on grass pasture.  He also has metabolic syndrome (he's 21) and gets Evitex for that, and Flaxseed meal (Horseshine) one oz a day.  This has him beautifully maintained...he hasn't been sick a day, no advance of  metabolic syndrome symptoms, and bloomy coat that sheds completely in summer and he chooses to stand outside in the coldest weather of winter, and doesn't need blanketing (he has a run in shelter, but likes being outside). He also used to colic, and hasn't since I changed his diet and got him out 24/7.  I'd buy a scale....mine is a little one with hooks on both ends.  I measured it into the scoop, then poured that into a grocery bag, hung the handles on the hook and weighed it so I knew how much senior was in a scoop.  You have to weigh each type of feed separately because they don't all weigh the same.  I use Purina Senior....it's the best regulated and the ingredients are the most consistently accurate (per my vet's research).   Good luck.

Add....I'd stay with senior feed since it is more digestible than other feeds, and best for older horses.

Answer 5

Try 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 18 year old TB mare. For weight gain, I have to 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).

If he has bad teeth, soak his feed for awhile before you give it to him, it will help him chew it better.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Try de-worming him.  I rescued an older mare a few years back, and she was also really skinny.  Excersise helps my mom's horse, who's 28, otherwise he tends to be skinny also.  Sometimes horses are just skinny when they get older, though.  Hope this helps!

Answer 7

First, have his teeth floated with a good equine dentist (especially if  he's dropping food when he eats). Then, I would do a PowerPak wormer. I would guess that he has not been on a good worming regimen; PowerPak (5 days in a row) kills all worms at all stages of larval development. Then, I recommend adding Wendland's One and Only to his diet. It's a free choice feed you can use in addition to the other feed. Better than beet pulp or anything for *safely* adding weight. Toss a cup of corn oil over it.  Works wonders with my thoroughbred.

And good for you for your kindness, I'm sure he appreciates it.

Answer 8

I know your frustration. My 15 y/o thoroughbred was ribby when I bought her and I've tried everything to fill her out. I started by worming her and having her teeth floated and then went on to supplements and playing with different feeds.  What I do now is mix my feed 1/2 and 1/2 equine senior and omolene 200. She gets 2 scoops of this a day . To this I also add 4 oz of weight builder and a handful of corn. But one of the biggest things that I've noticed will help her overnight is to add an electrolyte to her feed and or water. I live in the south where its sweltering hot and Incredibly humid. I supplement electrolytes alteast once a week to help her combat the heat. I will notice a difference the next day when I do this.

Answer 9

Like everyone else has said make sure he doesnt have worms and get his teeth floated. Technically you can feed a horse up to 3 lbs of senior feed a day... I would work my way up to this dont just start out with a bang or anything. Olive oil seems to work well too. There are a combination of things you can do. Go to your local feed store and they have specific weight gainers for malnutritioned horses. Some of the feed they have can even be mixed in with the senior feed. Shop around find what you think is best for the horse. If the horse is eating everything you are giving him and is still eating out in the pasture it is more then likely a worm problem. Hope this helps!

Answer 10

First of all get your veterinarian to run a complete physical, fecal flotation, CBC, chemistry panel to determine if this horse is healthy(baseline info.).  If his teeth are bad he will probably require floating.  If worms are present deworm and stay on a schedule.  Once you've taken care of those things then you can have your veterinarian run more specific tests if needed to determine the cause.

Answer 11

That's not enough feed!@ Give him two scoops of Equine senior TWICE daily. Also, get beet pulp. Soak it two parts water one part pulp and give him LOTS - you can't overfeed beet pulp, but make sure you soak it well first.

For seven days out of a month add a desanding agent (Metamucil works) with psyllium husk to his feed. That will get rid of any sand he may have in his intestines. You can take his manure, put it in a jar with water, shake it and when it settles, if there is sand you can see it.

A weight builder product won't hurt either.

Have his teeth floated if he needs it and adding corn oil will help his skin.

Beet pulp works wonders but you really need to increase that senior feed.

Answer 12

i have a horse he is 36 he looks like he has been starved to death we fed him twice a day 2 scoops of senior but no weigh gains so your horses just might look like tat forever lol u gan put vetiable oil in his food tat sometimes helps feed him three times a day with senor feed get his teeth floated

Answer 13

Have then teeth been floated since you got him, worming, maybe tapes worms are a problem, and weight give 1 cup corn oil daily for up to 1000 pound body weight. (over a couple wk time mix in slowly)   I would have a vet take a took and maybe some blood work.  Best of luck.

Answer 14

Hi there,

While I don't answer questions in this area often, yours was compelling to me.

There are so many reasons for an older horse to be underweight and in the condition that you describe. Since he was in just poor condition when you bought him home, and I commend you highly for rescuing him, and giving him a chance at a good life for the remainder, it is generally an uphill battle to put weight back on a horse of his age, but it can be done. Senior diet is an excellent food, as it contains the right balances of essential vitamins, minerals, etc.

Weight loss may be associated with poor teeth, digestive problems,kidney disease or other medical conditions which need to be checked out first. It would be prudent for your vet to thoroughly check him out with appropriate blood tests, and exam to find the source of the problem. Once any serious medical condition is ruled out, then proceeding to a diet change makes sense.

Of course, poor dental condition can make it difficult for a horse to chew their food, and thereby making it impossible for them to get the right nutrition intended. A dental check is prudent as well, to rule out any dental conditions, such as lose teeth, mouth ulcers, etc.

Check for parasites, of course, and provide appropriate treatment.

One of the best articles I have seen about senior horse nutritional requirements and physical care is presented below. I thought it answers all of your questions, really well.

http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/he...

      

Good luck with your senior, and again, thank you so much for giving him a home and a place in your heart. Hope the article helps you.

Troublesniffer

Former horse owner

http://frequentlyfeline.blogspot.com/

Answer 15

I to rescued an old horse that was half starved, and in about 6 months she was fat and sassy again! I to like to give my horses corn oil, its great stuff just be sure not to give her too much at one time, and if her stool starts getting lose, then giver her some vitamin E supplements, that will help absorb the unsaturated fat. You could also try a weight builder; you can find lots at smartpack.com. Be sure not to give her too much fat at once, it may make her colic. So I would do either the corn oil or the weight builder, Red Cell would also be good to give her, to build up her cell count. Get her teeth checked if she is having a hard time eating and worm her every 4 weeks till she fattens up than switch to every 6 weeks. Good luck with the horse, hope every thing goes well!

Answer 16

you can try having his teeth floated and feeding hay that is more alfalfa then grass feed the hay about a half hour befor his grain this helps them digest the grain better weight builders electrolytes are good too

Answer 17

have his teeth been floated if not do that.have the vet do a blood screen on him to see if any thing is wrong feed it vitamins or a supplements.just because a horse is old its no excuse for it to be under weight