Fat horse suddenly dropped underweight, WWYD?

Trouble is, there's working a horse, and working a horse. Horse could have been worked, but with poorly fitting tack and not in the correct way, developing muscle in the wrong places and none in the right. Saddle might have fit at the start on the rotund version, but I wonder if as the horse lost weight, the saddle fit deteriorated and caused muscle wastage? Just a pondering. FWIW I think the slimmer pictures are a much better place for you to start from than the others :)
 
amymay said:
Thanks lovely.

No mention of what the feed was though.
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True but since the horse has been home for 3 months and the weight has dropped in the last 2-3 weeks it is a bit worrying that after losing weight at a sensible rate of around 25kg a month its now on the better grass and has dropped around 25 kg a week plus the fact that its pooing very few times :(
 
The horse needed to loose weight and it obviously did (and at an appropriate rate) according to the time it was away and the amout it lost.

I'd be more concerned with the relatively rapid weight loss in the last 2-3 weeks, and whilst yes the horse is by no means an RSPCA case, for a poor doer that is an abnormal loss, let alone a good doer.

I would only echo Goldenstar - vet visit pronto - blood test to include tapeworm as a first step and closely monitor. 2 poos in 16 hours is not normal. I would echo concerns regarding the potential for internal melanoma. I wouldn't rule out GS but would expect the horse to present as unwell in addition to weight loss.
 
Snowysadude said:
Thanks again for the replies, to make it clearer (sorry was late last night, I had a long day) he was approx 625kgs when he came home, and was 730 before he left (which is a fantastic difference and lost over 4 and a 1/2 months of hard work, I did his feed and hay throughout as worked on the yard and it was ad lib and fed enough) and in the last 2-3 weeks has dropped to 550kgs (according to weigh tape which I know are not the most accurate). This is what is worrying me as averaging 25kgs a week loss is not normal and my fear.

QB I remember the horrific problems you had so am ringing my feed supplier who deliver today and 9 and getting those supplements! If they don't have them they will source and order. He was wormed for tapeworm (pancur 5 day then equest pramox(sp?)) when he came home just under 3 months ago and was on red cell and electrolytes at the time. Worm count was negative a month ago done by the vets. We are on a strict worming schedule at our yard as 2 years ago the worm counts were horrific and now all horses have to be negative before they get turned out in the herds and then are regularly checked. Will keep an eye and update when I know more :).
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I really cant rate the Haemavite and protexin highly enough OP. Also would really consider adding oil because of the stool issue. I got the Haemavite through my vet and the protexin through my local farm supplies but you can buy both online too if there is an issue with obtaining them locally. My primary concern would be identifying the issue that is affecting his stools, adding a high calorie feed to counteract the rapid weight loss, by the sounds of it at the moment, this would not cause the horse to gain weight, just slow the loss down or balance it out. Feed a feed that is soaked, a veteran feed with added calories, Allen and Page would be my choice because you feed it as a mush, therefore its much easier to digest. I would also feed from an elevated position, a door manger or something. Ill horses sometimes lose appetite and you do not want that, they also get swollen glands which make eating off the floor uncomfortable for them. How is he eating in the field? is he actually grazing? Is he rugged? It may be that if he is not and the issue continues, you will have to start rugging to conserve calories. I doubt bloods are going to be enough to be honest. The vet needs to do a proper exploration of this issue.

Good luck x
 
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OP- I think I'm right in saying that you've found he's now leaving hay, whereas he used to finish whatever you gave? How does he react when given bucket feed, does he eat it as he always has, or does he seem slower to finish, or stand back from it at all?

I ask, as my horse dropped a lot of weight within a short space of time, and started backing off his bucket feed- he had ulcers, and I wonder whether it might be worth investigating with yours?
 
For this horse he is thin and this really needs look at.

I would suspect that he may have a big worm burden - personally I would bomb drench him - worm weekly for three weeks then back to normal worming. I would use a wormer that gets everything - use the same wormer for all three wormings.

If he doesn't start to pick up them I'd definitely get teh vet to do some blood tests.
 
I'd look at his teeth first, then bloods just to rule out anything nasty. I'd also keep in mind that the hay/haylage was alot poorer last year nutrient wise than any other year we've ever had due to the crap 'summer' we had last year! Even my usualy fat friesians who I have to soak the hell out of forage to try and get the weight off, were fed add lib haylage from our usual supplier who we've used for 11yrs now and is normally top quality stuff, mine have lost the most weight they have ever lost over winter and they didn't even need it soaking and have been on it for 9 months this winter as we ran out of grass. So maybe the combination of forage with little in it and hard work has made him drop off the weight, plus with spring here now most horses prefer grass so will go off their hay/haylage - I know mine do and would rather starve than eat it just to wait for the grass!!

Also with your boy you say you've swapped yards etc, which means he'll have swapped buddies too so maybe feeling a bit more insecure so spending more time on alert than eating perhaps? He does look far better in the second pics and is a much more healthy weight, but as others have said he could do with more muscle which you would have expected from the kind of work he's been doing certainly in the saddle area - has his tack been altered as his weight has changed? Maybe a more appropriate hard feed might be the answer along with 24/7 turnout while he's in work?
 
Just to add- I agree with the others saying to check his teeth, as my horse also had issues eating his hay (before the ulcers), turned out he had several diastemas. Since having the gaps widened so food can't get stuck, and with daily syringing, he's back to eating his hay as normal.
 
That is exactly what happened to my TB in September, i thought it was the horrible constant wet, cold weather, as he was regularly wormed and eating well but weight just kept coming off. We had our vet out who checked his blood but nothing untoward.
I changed his diet to a more high calorie, added extra linseed you name it i tried it but NOTHING! still kept losing weight.

In February this year i sent worm count off as i normally do at the start of spring and it turned out he had a high count of encysted red worm which only Equest & Panacur Guard will kill.

I couldn't believe the difference in just two weeks after worming :D

I am not saying you are not on a worming program but if you have never had a worm count done it may be worth a go!

Hope you find the answer soon because i know whats its like, the worry, sleepless nights and expense x

ps.. after reading the updates on this post, my horse also went of his food, he even starting to get alot of choking bouts. Got the dentist out who said nothing should have been causing him pain or discomfort. Again down to WORMS!!!
 
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Thought I would put a quick update on here! Following on from this original post he has had his teeth re-done (by a highly recommended EDT who took loads off compared to the vet). Worm counts still negative. Upped everything feed wise. Had full bloods and cushings tested as it was free to test last month, it was negative and all okay.
So I contacted Protexin as recommended by some on here, they suggested giving the acid ease a go so I did (willing to try just about anything by this point and it was considerably cheaper than the scoping and vet route I was going to go down).
He started at 545kg..... this is him now:
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His whole temperament has changed, he is no longer so grumpy and is back to his cheeky self! Had Allen & Paige representative Nicola out and stuck him on the weigh bridge, hes now 688kgs (17hh very stocky built warmblood) which she has said is perfect! He seems to be happier in his work, happier in himself and his coat and weight look much better! So there is my update, thank you to everyone who has helped.
 
So nice to read a happy outcome. He looks brilliant, just keep an eye on his weight especially if we get a bit of rain after this hot weather as the grass will pick up.

What a relief it was nothing too sinister, out of interest are you keeping him on the acid ease or is it one course?
 
Get bloods done.
It will not be a waste if money.
If they find nothing at least your will know its just a case of building him up and managing feed etc.

If the bloods come back with something it can be sorted straight away before he gets worse or its too late.
 
that's great news he looks good, even quite round!

I love protexin, not tried the acid ease but sounds great! My haflinger does not hold weight as well as most and was sensitive and grumpy, and very sluggish to ride. I put her on dengie healthy tummy which has protexin combined and she is like a different horse too! Relaxed, cheerful, her weight is fine and she doesn't need a lot of it to maintain, she just seemed to need the extra gut support.
 
Hereshoping said:
And he has a topline again, hurrah! He looks good. You can do exercises to work that tummy and make it look more toned but he looks very much better to my eyes. Don't let him get any fatter, though!:)
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Thanks :). When under saddle he has no belly at all, he brings it up haha! He likes to let it hang low when chilling out. Even when skinny he had a droopy belly. You can still see his ribs (you can see in one of the photos) but they have a lot more covering. The biggest change though is all the dips and how tucked up he was! Hes no longer tucked up and the dips are filling in nicely. His neck is lovely and firm with lots of muscle and his bum is slowly getting there! He feels a lot stronger over his back when ridden and much more willing than he used to as well. But he won't be getting any fatter now!

Also just to confirm bloods were done they are fine, I am so relieved thanks again!
 
meesha said:
So nice to read a happy outcome. He looks brilliant, just keep an eye on his weight especially if we get a bit of rain after this hot weather as the grass will pick up.

What a relief it was nothing too sinister, out of interest are you keeping him on the acid ease or is it one course?
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I am keeping him on acid ease for now, I bought a large tub and that has just run out so have bought a new one and will re-assess after he finishes that! I would keep him on the protexin though even if it was just the cheaper stuff :).
 
Echo Bravo said:
Agree with Gingerwitch, he may have been large to start with but he should after a months work started to muscle up, not look like a rescue case, if any of my horses looked like this, I'd be spitting fire at myself as I break my own in and feed as needs be, have they over done him.
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I agree with this, yes it is better that he loses weight but some horses live on thin air! He should be showing more muscle if it was weight loss due to fitness!
 
Really interested in your predicament OP. We have a 19yo ID cross who has had a very complex medical history over the past 2years. He looked similar to your horse, not thin but despite good feeding and appropriate work, he still had a very poor topline and became increasingly lethargic and ill tempered. I won't bore you with the range of symptoms. Something is wrong with his metabolism for sure, but what? In the end we stopped trying to find out what was wrong, let him stay out as much as poss, give him some gentle undemanding exercise and started feeding protexin. He is now functioning quite well and has gained some weight but we await the winter with some trepidation. Hope you get a better outcome. We feel the protexin was pivotal to his improvement.
 
just read your update. Glad he's doing well. Cushings test keeps coming back borderline with our boy but all his symptoms indicate that there is where our problems lie.
 
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