Help! Horse looking rough!

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natalia

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Some advice needed please! I have a good friends horse in livery with me. About 3 weeks ago he just didn't seem himself, and had symptoms of mild colic. We called the vet out and over three days they came twice. Vet said treat as for ulcers and horse had two boxes of gastroguard. He is a cribber also but never effected him before. Horse is on adlib mixture of hay and haylege. Feed twice a day 1 scoop conditioning nuts, 1 scoop Alfa a oil, 1 scoop chaff and sugar beet. Plus linseed powder. Thing is he looks awful! And is continuing to lose weight. I've now split feeds to three times daily to try and get it on, but everything else looks really well on the yard and he just keeps getting thinner. Any experience of this? I have spoken to my vet who just said try upping his feed. I'm worried something more sinister is going on. Horse is 8 yr old SJ 17hh. Friend only comes up twice a week on weekends and its making me paranoid that he thinks I don't feed his horse!! He was also wormed with pramox start of December.
 
Could you get him blood tested to see if he has picked up a virus?
Has he done this before? I have known horses that just don't do well in the winter no matter how much you pump into them, but come spring they pick up again, what does the owner say? (I can understand your paranoia with what the owner thinks if he is loosing weight)
Is it worth trying a pre/pro biotic? Its good your talking to the vets, if in doubt keep bugging them, you know the horse and if its not right there is something wrong.
 
Had the horse in my care for nearly two years. He looked rough when he arrived but picked back up. Vet didn't scope the horse just treated the symptoms. He's on conditioning feed with probiotic in it already. Might get him a sack of blue chip too. I think blood test is the next step. I've never had a horse with suspected ulcers before .
 
if he is insured get him scoped, it may not be ulcers but maybe they need more treatment no point giving something as expensive as gastrogaurd without a diagnosis , also no point stopping unless the ulcers have gone completely or they will just worsen again

scrap that get him scoped anyway
 
Is he turned out with others during the day? If he is and hay is put out for them, it may be that he isn't getting his fair share if he is at the bottom of the pecking order.
If he does have ulcers I'm not sure haylage is the best food as it is quite acidic. Have his teeth been done lately?
 
Haylege is good adlib. He's 17hh and not out with more than 3 others all mates. All other horses look well. Poo is normal. Bloods being taken this week. He's had a week of intensive feeding and still looks rough.
 
Make sure the feeds you are giving him are the right for weight gain....ring up Dodson and Horrell they have a fab nutritionist that explain things lovely.
 
My Tb who has had probable hind gut ulcers was improving dramatically on a diet recommended by Thunderbrook. He has had a major blip since I wormed him in Dec with Pramox.
 
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