depressed pony

[lifewithflash]

What are her droppings like and how many piles every 24 hours. Worms?

when the vet came she said they were healthy. Im not sure how many every 24 hours tho.

 

[lifewithflash]

That horse is far too thin she needs as much hay she can eat and if she doesn't put on weight she needs a vet, there is obviously something seriously wrong with her you need to get your mother to understand that the horse looks like a welfare case.

I will be talking to her today. see if we can sort out the hay problem with field and when vet comes Wednesday going to get her bloods done.

 

[TinseLeneHorse]

OP it sounds as if you love your pony very much and are wanting to do whatever you can to make her happier and healthier. However you are very young and maybe haven't had the responsibility of caring for an older equine before.
I hope things go well with the vet on Wednesday but please have your mum with you. She will need to understand that the pony might need a whole change of management and feeding, and possibly even medication to bring her back to full health. None of these things come cheap.

My experience has been that it becomes more labour intensive and expensive when a horse becomes elderly. However the benefits are that you can spend a lot more time with your horse caring for their needs. My horse lost her long term best friend 18 months ago and has never really bonded with another. She still goes out with the herd but likes to come in early and spend time in the stable where she can eat in peace. Her needs and lifestyle have changed a lot in the last couple of years.I'm listening to what she says and adapting her routine to suit. One day she will have had enough and I hope I read the signs in time and do the right thing.

Sorry for the essay but I just thought it might help to hear from someone else who is trying to deal with managing an older much loved horse

 

[lifewithflash]

OP it sounds as if you love your pony very much and are wanting to do whatever you can to make her happier and healthier. However you are very young and maybe haven't had the responsibility of caring for an older equine before.
I hope things go well with the vet on Wednesday but please have your mum with you. She will need to understand that the pony might need a whole change of management and feeding, and possibly even medication to bring her back to full health. None of these things come cheap.

My experience has been that it becomes more labour intensive and expensive when a horse becomes elderly. However the benefits are that you can spend a lot more time with your horse caring for their needs. My horse lost her long term best friend 18 months ago and has never really bonded with another. She still goes out with the herd but likes to come in early and spend time in the stable where she can eat in peace. Her needs and lifestyle have changed a lot in the last couple of years.I'm listening to what she says and adapting her routine to suit. One day she will have had enough and I hope I read the signs in time and do the right thing.

Sorry for the essay but I just thought it might help to hear from someone else who is trying to deal with managing an older much loved horse

thank you. My mam will be there with me when the vet come. I love her very much and going to trying my hardest to help her even if it means to put her to sleep.

 

[CobsaGooden]

I had a pony come to me in January OP who was thin. Probably a condition score of 2 but not unwell. She had come from a dealer.

She was the bottom of the pecking order in the small herd of 5 mares ant the yard annd although ad lib hay in multiple places, she was shoed off the hay.

She’s been brought in twice a day with a huge pile of hay and I’ve been feeding soaked grass nuts (round Stubbs scoop) split over to feeds and she grazes on that whilst in her stable for at least an hour or two each time. About 3 weeks ago I added linseed meal at 200g per day (built up over a week) and it’s made so much difference! She’s looking really good now and is obviously feeling better in herself and has worked her way up to second in command with the herd.

It’s hard, you need the time or the help to allow her some alone time to eat and it needs to be mostly fibre, not a sugary mix.

If she were mine, I’d have her in overnight, unlimited hay, a couple of big buckets of well soaked grass nuts, specific mash for oldies with linseed in and a deep bed so she can relax and eat at her leisure.

I’d have the dentist ASAP, bloods by the vet and monitor her closely.

I hope she improves but please be aware it’s going to take effort, time and money. If you are at college. I assume you have a couple of weeks off now where you can really try and improve her condition and mood.

Good luck

 

[CobsaGooden]

thank you. My mam will be there with me when the vet come. I love her very much and going to trying my hardest to help her even if it means to put her to sleep.

That is lovely to hear that you’ll consider pts if it’s in her best interest. It’s the last act of love even though a heartbreaking decision.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

You have been given lots of good advice so I won't add anything, but I just wanted to say well done for asking for a bit of help OP and taking the advice so well, you clearly love the pony just have perhaps made a couple of mistakes along the way, it's all a learning curve. I hope the vet goes well Wednesday and a bit more fibre/warmth goes a long way to making her feel much better.

 

[AmyMay]

You have been given lots of good advice so I won't add anything, but I just wanted to say well done for asking for a bit of help OP and taking the advice so well, you clearly love the pony just have perhaps made a couple of mistakes along the way, it's all a learning curve. I hope the vet goes well Wednesday and a bit more fibre/warmth goes a long way to making her feel much better.

This x

 

[2 Dragons]

I have nothing to add to the good advice you have been given. You sound like you really care for your horse. Are there any other people at the yard who can help you by giving her additional feeds and hay when you at college ?

Also you can get a Cushing's blood test for free from here:

https://www.careaboutcushings.co.uk/

You will still need to pay for the vet to come out and take the blood.

 

[lifewithflash]

I have nothing to add to the good advice you have been given. You sound like you really care for your horse. Are there any other people at the yard who can help you by giving her additional feeds and hay when you at college ?

i can try but with her being out in the field they would have catch her and bring her in and i feel rude asking someone to do that for me while they have their own horses to look after x

 

[LadyGascoyne]

One of mine went on hunger strike when her friend left in Feb and has dropped a huge amount of weight. She doesn’t have an ounce of fat on her, and she isn’t well muscled because she has been out of work recovering from a tendon issue. She is thin, but she is still well.

If you have a look below, can you see what I mean about your horse when I mentioned muscle wastage? My horse (far too skinny for my liking) has softer lines than yours does, around the spine, her pelvis and around her tail.



The degree of loss of muscle would make me think that this wastage (even is covered by fat and fluff so not able to be seen) has been happening for longer than February when her friend died.

My horse is on three feeds a day, hay and haylage and is out in a field with some grass.

She eats:

Allen and Page, one level scoop Fast Fibre + D&H hedgerow herbs

One heaped scoop Dengie Meadow Grass chaff with oil, with a winter balancer

One large scoop Dengie Healthy Tummy.

My horse is very active, and has a quick metabolism. She has racing breeding on both sides, (quarter horse and arab) so she’s always going to be harder to keep weight on.

Metabolically, I’d expect your horse to be simpler and to require less - but it sounds like she’s not coping with reasonable management for cobs. At only 23 - and I’ve had horses in their mid thirties - I would be investigating a metabolic issue or some kind of pain. It doesn’t sound normal to me.

I’m very sorry, I know it must be hard to hear. I would be pretty certain that she’s not depressed, she’s unwell.

 

[CobsaGooden]

Can the YO not do it for a small fee? I would most certainly help a fellow livery if their horse was in need. Maybe stick a note up somewhere asking if anyone can help? If s always worth a try

 

[lifewithflash]

I had a pony come to me in January OP who was thin. Probably a condition score of 2 but not unwell. She had come from a dealer.

She was the bottom of the pecking order in the small herd of 5 mares ant the yard annd although ad lib hay in multiple places, she was shoed off the hay.

She’s been brought in twice a day with a huge pile of hay and I’ve been feeding soaked grass nuts (round Stubbs scoop) split over to feeds and she grazes on that whilst in her stable for at least an hour or two each time. About 3 weeks ago I added linseed meal at 200g per day (built up over a week) and it’s made so much difference! She’s looking really good now and is obviously feeling better in herself and has worked her way up to second in command with the herd.

It’s hard, you need the time or the help to allow her some alone time to eat and it needs to be mostly fibre, not a sugary mix.

If she were mine, I’d have her in overnight, unlimited hay, a couple of big buckets of well soaked grass nuts, specific mash for oldies with linseed in and a deep bed so she can relax and eat at her leisure.

I’d have the dentist ASAP, bloods by the vet and monitor her closely.

I hope she improves but please be aware it’s going to take effort, time and money. If you are at college. I assume you have a couple of weeks off now where you can really try and improve her condition and mood.

Good luck

yes i'm off 2 weeks so going to try be up as much as possible for her. She in the stable rn with lots of hay which shes eating and not quidding.

 

[lifewithflash]

what would u recommend for her arthritis? She doesn't seem to be struggling to bad with it (shes walking okay now, still a bit stiff but far better than she was a week ago) but her joints are starting to make a grinding noise and it has me worried x

 

[Snow Falcon]

Maybe have her in during the day to eat then turn her out at night so she's not cooped up for too many hours. Less time then to stiffen and plenty of time to fill up with food inside. Someone then could pop a bucket over the door for you at lunchtime?

To be honest there are that many supplements it can be difficult to recommend. You won't reverse the damage but no bute liquid (devils claw) is good.

 

[TinseLeneHorse]

I just wanted to say I'm thinking of you today. Hope the vets visit goes ok. Xx

 

[poiuytrewq]

I just wanted to say I'm thinking of you today. Hope the vets visit goes ok. Xx

Me too! Hope you get some answers. Get the vet to double check her teeth. She shouldn't be quidding if they are really fine. Hopefully they can also help you out feed wise. Two scoops of mix may is a lot in one go for a pony, there will be better options.

Hope it go's ok

 

[moorhillhorses]

my pony is 23. she's skinny maybe a 1 or 2 out of 5 on fat score chart (getting her weighted soon) and she's depressed, we've dealt with this before however we figured out it was cos she was separated from her friend (her friend is now dead). she's never liked been in a stable for the 6 years I've had her but recently she's been flat out refusing to go into the field (same field she ran to not even a month ago) and will stand at the gate for hours. we had vet out last week as she got stuck in her rug and she couldn't walk but the vet said she was just uncomfortable with having arthritis and was a bit stiff, said to keep her in for a night and put her out but I kept her in the rest of the week to make sure she was better. she's still not 100% but can walk ok. The only time she's actually happy is when she's eating her feed, and has actually been eating hay without quidding (which she's done pretty much the entire time I've had her(she's never had problems with her teeth)). She's not gaining weight and its awful seeing her so sad and sick of her life all the time. she doesn't like other horse, always by herself and I cant exactly keep her in cos I have no stable for her and her arthritis will get worse.

sorry if this all over the place(I cant be bothered to read through it) but how on earth do I help her??

i was going to attach photos of her weight but it wont let me so ur just going to have to imagine it lol

Test for Cushings! Our pony was so depressed! Within two weeks she was definitely back to her old self

 

[Gloi]

How did you get on with the vet. I hope it went well

 

[lifewithflash]

I just wanted to say I'm thinking of you today. Hope the vets visit goes ok. Xx

We had to change vets to Saturday so my mam can make it, it sucks but nothing i can do about it. thank you so much tho for saying this xx

 

[Melody Grey]

Did you manage to sort out something with your hay @lifewithflash

Is it going ok?

 

[lifewithflash]

Did you manage to sort out something with your hay @lifewithflash

Is it going ok?

Kinda but not really. Spoke to yard owner and he was basically useless saying “she will be eating, you just won’t see it”.
I've been bringing her in everyday to eat as much hay as she wants for a couple of hours and get her out of the cold and rain.

 

[Melody Grey]

Kinda but not really. Spoke to yard owner and he was basically useless saying “she will be eating, you just won’t see it”.
I've been bringing her in everyday to eat as much hay as she wants for a couple of hours and get her out of the cold and rain.

Well, that’s a start. has your yard owner seen your horse’s condition? I find their response odd given that they’re responsible for all livestock
On their land regardless of whether they own it or not.

 

[lifewithflash]

Well, that’s a start. has your yard owner seen your horse’s condition? I find their response odd given that they’re responsible for all livestock
On their land regardless of whether they own it or not.

I thinks he's seen but with her being fluffy its not that easy to see how skinny she is if aren't really looking at her properly if u know what I mean. The fields are really muddy and I don't really know what he could do to help. they where meant to be out in summer fields the 1st April but the rain has just been to bad.

 

[Melody Grey]

I thinks he's seen but with her being fluffy its not that easy to see how skinny she is if aren't really looking at her properly if u know what I mean. The fields are really muddy and I don't really know what he could do to help. they where meant to be out in summer fields the 1st April but the rain has just been to bad.

Is there any way to put yours out with a friend that won’t be too much competition for hay in a different field until you move on to summer grazing? I appreciate we’re all suffering the effects of the weather, but her situation is quite urgent.

 

[lifewithflash]

Is there any way to put yours out with a friend that won’t be too much competition for hay in a different field until you move on to summer grazing? I appreciate we’re all suffering the effects of the weather, but her situation is quite urgent.

Not really. They're no other field other than ones in use now and summer ones. I really wish I could, fingers cross it stops raining and they can go out next week

 

[Orangina]

I think at this stage given the yard owner isn't being helpful can you swap the hours around so she is only out for a couple of hours and in the rest of the time with ad lib hay? I'm the biggest fan of loads of turnout but for this horse I think she needs the dryness of a stable and constant forage.

 

[lifewithflash]

I think at this stage given the yard owner isn't being helpful can you swap the hours around so she is only out for a couple of hours and in the rest of the time with ad lib hay? I'm the biggest fan of loads of turnout but for this horse I think she needs the dryness of a stable and constant forage.

I only have one stable atm and my other horse is in there. but I will be keeping her in during the day or night when its free (which should be soon) and if not I'm going to use some else's stable.

 

[Orangina]

I only have one stable atm and my other horse is in there. but I will be keeping her in during the day or night when its free (which should be soon) and if not I'm going to use some else's stable.

Ah that's a shame but if you can keep her in for half the day it will help.
What was the problem with her being rugged? I know you said she got caught in it but was it maybe just because straps were too loose? Did she get her legs trapped in the surcingles?

 

[lifewithflash]

Ah that's a shame but if you can keep her in for half the day it will help.
What was the problem with her being rugged? I know you said she got caught in it but was it maybe just because straps were too loose? Did she get her legs trapped in the surcingles?

heres only 2 times she done it as don't have pictures of any other time. I don't want to put a rug on her as the risk is just to high especially as the last time she did it she was hopping on her leg and had to get vet out and they said to just leave her with out one.