Getting weight on an oldie!

[TheresaW]

I have a 27yo mare that has always been a very good doer. The last 3 or 4 winters, she has come out of it looking a bit poor, but easily put on weight once the grass came through. This year, she seems to be struggling to gain weight, despite being fed equerry conditioning mash. She lives out 24/7 all year round with 2 geldings. They have hay in the winter and she is rugged when needed. I desperately need some rain as my fields are just yellow and dusty. Her teeth are good, I just need to find the right thing to feed her. In an ideal world, I would separate her and give hay as a top up (the boys definitely don’t need it), but I know she wouldn’t be happy, even with them next door.

These pics were taken today.



Any help/ideas welcome. She has been known to choke in the past, but not done so for a few years if that’s important.

 

[meleeka]

I’d have any 27 year old who’s not keeping weight on tested for Cushings.
micronised linseed is great. You can give around a mug a day and always my first choice.

 

[TheresaW]

Thank you.

 

[AdorableAlice]

My 27 year old is cushinoid , he thrives on VV and added linseed if needed. Copra also helped him in mid winter but he isn’t overly keen on it.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

I looked after an ex-chaser years ago. He was a nightmare to keep weight on until he was put on soaked barley rings.

 

[TheresaW]

Thanks guys. I don’t want to mix about her feed too much, so would it be ok to keep with the conditioning mash, and then add either copra or linseed? My friend is using linseed meal for her oldie, is that the same or different than the micronised linseed?

 

[Ownedby4horses]

I can recommend grass nuts soaked and micronised linseed. I have a 30 yr old mini x who has been turned around by cushcare.

 

[meleeka]

Thanks guys. I don’t want to mix about her feed too much, so would it be ok to keep with the conditioning mash, and then add either copra or linseed? My friend is using linseed meal for her oldie, is that the same or different than the micronised linseed?

Probably yes. It looks a bit like shiny sand A 20kg sack is around £25 but it lasts absolutely ages.

 

[Auslander]

I've got an ancient skinny tb here, who has no front teeth, so he's even more difficult to keep weight on. He has veteran vitality and copra for breakfast and dinner, and a huge tub trug full of soaked grass nuts and the softest chaff we can find, which he has instead of adlib hay. he has hay as well, which he enjoys, but cant chew properly, so doesn't digest very well.

 

[MiniMilton]

My 29 year old came out of this winter looking very poor for the first time ever (usually a very good doer) I was feeding him equerry conditioning mash as that would normally be my go-to for weight gain but he still looked poor. I started feeding him lots of copra and beet pulp in a big mash and he looks amazing now (for his age!). The difference in a month is incredible.

 

[HashRouge]

My 27 year old was looking quite poor last year in May/ June. I wormed her as a just in case (she's always been a good doer), started giving her Allen and Page Veteran Vitality twice a day, and started letting her onto the long grass for a few hours a day (I strip graze my two as they're both lami risks so always have some long grass to play with). She doesn't like being separated from my gelding but this seemed to work okay. Looking at your grass, if you don't have any extra, I would make sure she gets a feed twice a day and, if at all possible, I would find some way of getting some hay into her. I know you say she wouldn't like to be separated from your boys - could she come in for a few hours to have a haynet? Would she tolerate being in an electric fence paddock within your field for a few hours? My oldie would not manage on your grass either - luckily I have loads of grass so I'm just strip grazing in larger amounts than usual.

 

[ester]

Is she on maximum of the mash?
I would certainly add linseed (and I will only buy charwoods)/copra.
At 27 and dodgy teeth we are still on weight control measures here.

iirc she has struggled a bit previously but was looking better? And you've said before she does have cushings which I wouldn't be feeding that mash with unless I really had to.
As she had her levels tested recently?

 

[TheresaW]

Is she on maximum of the mash?
I would certainly add linseed (and I will only buy charwoods)/copra.
At 27 and dodgy teeth we are still on weight control measures here.

iirc she has struggled a bit previously but was looking better? And you've said before she does have cushings which I wouldn't be feeding that mash with unless I really had to.
As she had her levels tested recently?

She has never struggled before, that was my old boy who I had PTS Nov 18. Although he tested negative for cushings, vet was happy to treat him as if he was on appearance alone. Her teeth are good. She does have cushings, but all levels are coming back normal on half a tablet a day.

My 29 year old came out of this winter looking very poor for the first time ever (usually a very good doer) I was feeding him equerry conditioning mash as that would normally be my go-to for weight gain but he still looked poor. I started feeding him lots of copra and beet pulp in a big mash and he looks amazing now (for his age!). The difference in a month is incredible.

Thank you. I think I will try the copra.

 

[milliepops]

My grazing in the retirement paddock looks similar, so mine are still getting ad lib haylage to top them up and look like shiny show ponies now they've lost their winter woollies. If her teeth are good then I'd try and get more forage into her.

 

[ester]

She looked similar in 2018 in May by my recollection, not talking about Mac, but I know I commented that she was looking well in March this year (on the basis that there had been times she had not looked so good previously).
So she was tested recently?

 

[Ownedby4horses]

I would highly recommend Cushcare. It has turned my wee chap's life around. He's got energy, a sparkle back that he had lost and we are no longer seeing issues. Vet has been so pleased that he said keep doing what we are doing, hes been on it now for the past 12 months.

 

[TheresaW]

She looked similar in 2018 in May by my recollection, not talking about Mac, but I know I commented that she was looking well in March this year (on the basis that there had been times she had not looked so good previously).
So she was tested recently?

She was last tested in October last year. Sorry if I’ve got confused.

 

[twiggy2]

With the grazing looking like that I would be feeding soaked grass nuts and micronised linseed.
I would add salt and check vet and mineral levels I what you are feeling.

 

[[145599]]

I have a 25 yr old retired mare and she had lost a lot of condition in the last winter and we have put her on easy conditioner. It’s prydes and she is now looking much better and has also perked up a lot. Sorry if it’s not available in UK, I live In Aus

 

[TheresaW]

A little update!

I put hay out in the field until the rain came, and have slowly switched her over to veteran vitality, with a cup of micronised linseed in it. Now the grass has come on, she isn’t interested in hay.

Pics taken today. She is very wet! I think she looks better, but could be wishful thinking.

 

[angrybird1]

I was going to say veteran vitality and micronised linseed. Also have you tried adding oil to her feed? It's difficult at the moment with Corona virus but some of the feed companies give good advice. They can do yard visits but that's probably a no go at the moment but might be worth ringing.
It's hard to tell from photos and being wet might not help but to me she looks worse in the second photos.
She's lost top line.
Hope you find something to help.

 

[ester]

I'd still be worried about her TBH.

 

[TheresaW]

Thanks. I think a vet visit will be in order then.

 

[Chinchilla]

Ditto what ester says. If she was mine I'd be getting vet and dentist out for bloods and teeth. Our shettie looked similar and needed his prascend dose upping; he's also fed all year round on grass nuts, alfa a oil and linseed as doesn't have great teeth for getting maximum benefit out of the grass.

 

[TheresaW]

Just thought I would update. She had a blood test in September, and her levels were fine. I have moved her to my friends field where my friend can feed her in the morning, and I do evenings as usual. I start work at 6am, mornings are hard. They’re all checked on of a morning by my friend, but getting Doll out away from the boys was too much to ask of her.

Doll is having 1/3 of a dry scoop of VV and cushcare morning and evening, plus hay as well as all the grass she has access to.

Taken today.

 

[TheresaW]

Just thought I’d post another update. She’s 28 now! These were taken today.

 

[splashgirl45]

shes looking good for 28, i used to feed mine fast fibre as she wouldnt always finish her hay and was losing weight. she was cushings and i used to get her tested twice a year so we could up the prascend when needed.

 

[TheresaW]

She’s a good eater thankfully, and at last check up her levels were good.

 

[NOISYGIRL2]

I would have her tested for PPID if not done already, you can add micronised linseed charnwood is a good make or omega equine. You can add 2 mugs a day to what she is currently on or you may want to look for a lower sugar/starch feed, the conditioning mash is 18%. Topspec ulsakind or cool condition cubes are both lower and good for weight gain about 8%. You cold also try adding speedibeet 5%. I think i must have tried most feeds on the market other weight gain feeds that come to mind are, but bear in mind the sugar/starch content

Solution mash 5.4%
Ready fibre mash 7.5%
Saracen Releve 14%
Fibre beet is really good 8%
Baileys ease and excel cubes 12%
Spillers speedy mash 10%
Spillers senior mash 10.5%
Spillers conditioning fibre chaff 12%
Soothe and gain 14%
Veteran Vitality 14.75%
Veteran light 8.5%

Then you could go down the route of conditioning chops like Dengie have a vast range

Thats all i can think of at the moment

 

[Clodagh]

Dolly looks amazing. A credit to your care.