Monday, November 30, 2009

Rehabulitating Oldies-Advise?

This afternoon I am going to go get the old horse from my previous posts to bring him to the barn I board at. His vet has given the OK for the move though I am nervous what the stress will do to his already fragile state. The new barn is really close (20 mins away) though I am mostly afraid of how he will take to the change in environment. I will keep everyone updated on his progress but I would love for everyone to pipe in and give me your advise, experiences, and successes on fattening up old horses.
This horse is ancient (30 years or older) though his teeth are in good condition(the ones he still has) and his blood work was fantastic. I am planning on feeding Triple Crown Senior(soaked) and alfalfa pellets(vets orders). What are your experiences with feeding older, or under weight horses?

8 comments:

  1. We have three horses at our barn who are over 25 and one is over 30. Senior feed is a good idea - if he can chew hay, then that's good too. If he has trouble with hay, try soaked beet pulp -it can be soaked together with his senior feed - you have to use a lot of water as it expands quite a bit and it should be soaked for at least 20 minutes before draining. Also regular worming is important. If he is insulin resistant or Cushings, you may need to treat that for him to gain weight if he is thin. Good luck!

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  2. I don't think he is cushings as he was tested a while ago but it is something to consider if he does not start gaining his weight back. Right now I think the lack of food is his problem (and hopefully his only one!) Thanks for the advise, I will post some pictures of him. I hope to have some nice before/after photos before long.

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  3. You can also wet his senior feed a little if he has any trouble eating. I used to take care of a horse in his 30's that had no front teeth, but he had some back molars and we used to soak his senior and he would sort of slurp it up. Since he's so thin (saw the picture from today's post) I would just be careful to make sure that he puts weight on very slowly -- even though I'm sure your anxious to get him looking a little rounder. Fast weight gain, as I'm sure you know, can lead to all sorts of other problems. You might want to think about getting him a blanket if it is chilly at night, you don't want him wasting calories keeping warm.

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  4. Yep he has got a blanket, since he does get cold easily. Your right it is hard not to just feed him and feed him and feed him.... Kathy (the barn manager) and I are struggling with it. I feel like a grandmother always wanting to fuss over him and feed him things!

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  5. Ditto on the Pulp, IR/Cushings, worming. I would also put him on a multi vitamin like M-30 or mare plus.

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  6. M-30, Mare plus? I don't think I have encountered these-- What are they? Is it ok that he is a gelding? ;)

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  7. Mare plus is just a universal for horses. It's mostly formulated for pregnant mares, but, you can use it on any population to cover the basic vits and minerals.

    I feed M-30 to Sinari when she's not in work here are the details:
    http://www.mccauleybros.com/supplements/products/m30.aspx?catID=m30

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  8. Great thanks for the information Kelly :)

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