Any tips on putting weight on a really poor dooer!!

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niamhjennings00

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Hi, I'm looking for help on ways to help get weight on my boy. He's 23 years old, Andalusian X Connemara. He has very worn teeth so is unable to obtain the nutrients another horse would from it. This week I've gradually started to introduce veteran vitality into his feed however it seems to have made him drop weight (which really isn't good). I don't know whether it's making him feel fuller than usually so he isn't eating as much since he doesn't gorge himself. He's been out for a while now due to letting him graze is far more beneficial than keeping him in since his front teeth are still in good working order. However he's being kept in now to see if it helps. He'll be having a morning, lunchtime and evening feed with chaff and a little mix in the night to munch on as well as haylage. Is there anything else I could do? He's got a heavyweight rug on as well, thanks in advance.
 
Put him back out, less stress, and feed him four times a day with some grass nuts and a sugar beet type thing. Add a bit of micronised linseed too.
 
My 30ish Welsh Section C dropped weight earlier this year. She wasn't interested in hay and so I replaced it with Fast Fibre. Within a couple of weeks I saw a difference and now, about 5 weeks on, I am happy with her weight. She has Cushings and never seems to 'fill out' but I am no longer concerned with her weight.
 
It is that time of year where the golden oldies are winter worn and desperate for Spring and warmth. Before buying an array of conditioning feeds which may not work or he may not even like, I would be tempted to run a blood and cushing test to see if there are any underlying problems first. Then, armed with any relevant information, you can review his care and feeding needs.

I have a big picky feeder in his twenties and find linseed very useful as is Top Spec conditioning flakes. However the Top Spec flakes cannot be used as my horse has cushings, an example of why you need to know of any underlying problems before changing feeding regimes.
 
I have for several years had a big rangy TB who won't put weight on no matter what - more good grass than he can get himself outside of, Forage and Fibre, grass pellets, linseed (goes straight to his coat) so much haylage he never cleans up all winter - I suspect it is metabolic. Some just don't, so long as they are happy and have plenty of energy (he does!!!!) they are doing okay. Better too little than too much!
 
If you know he has a dental problem, then it is likely that he is not able to eat enough hay or haylage to supply enough calories to maintain condition. So you need to feed a form of fibre that he can eat easily to compensate - if he is not laminitic then soaked grassnuts are a good, cost-effective choice, but will need to be fed by the tub rather than the handful if grazing is poor.
 
How warm is he in a heavyweight rug? Some horses lose their appetite if they get too warm and older horses can have problems regulating temperature.

I have a 23 year old, poor-doer tb. He has been in a medium weight, no neck rug all winter (it has been mild down here), he has been warm enough throughout. His thermostat is definitely on the blink and he heats up very quickly, so I tend to keep him slightly on the cool side. If he does get too warm, he just picks at food and drops weight.

I have given up on getting his ribs covered, he is happy, shiny and full of energy so I just try to ignore the pointy bits!
 
Beausmate said:
How warm is he in a heavyweight rug? Some horses lose their appetite if they get too warm and older horses can have problems regulating temperature.

I have a 23 year old, poor-doer tb. He has been in a medium weight, no neck rug all winter (it has been mild down here), he has been warm enough throughout. His thermostat is definitely on the blink and he heats up very quickly, so I tend to keep him slightly on the cool side. If he does get too warm, he just picks at food and drops weight.

I have given up on getting his ribs covered, he is happy, shiny and full of energy so I just try to ignore the pointy bits!
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That's interesting, I tend to over rug mine thinking he can't afford to lose any more calories than he has to
 
It is tricky getting the balance right, but I have been erring a bit more on the cool side this year, due to him sweating up a bit last year and getting a skin problem. Result? Great skin, hardly any haylage left in the mornings and all feed gone when he used to always leave at least a quarter of it.
 
I haven't noticed him being too hot in it, he's never sweated under his rug and he eats all the feed given to him besides the hay (due to teeth) but gives it a good go.
Yeah I've realise that he's never going to show no rib plus if he did manage to put enough weight on to cover them all he'd be over weight! He also gets tucked incredibly easily, little bit of wind or a little drop in temp will cause it. He's still happy and perky tho!
 
Hello!

Here in NZ we have a fairly new product called the Hanley Formula, I'm wondering if you guys get it over there or have an equivalent. It's been a miracle worker for me to put weight on my horses and not add bulk to the feed as it's a whey protein powder. No problems about the taste and is a simple way to make their normal feed really fattening, and still have weight pile on. Noticed a huge difference within 3 weeks and now have it always on hand. Here to have a read: http://www.hanley.co.nz/uses/old-aged-friends/

Plus just being protein it's non-heating.

Good luck!
 
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