Help With Our TB, Always Lying Down, Not Eating/Drinking Much??

[coreteam1]

A good friend of mine rescued a TB last autumn. He is 3yrs old this time, not raced and was quite poor when she got him.

Since then he has put some weight on, however we are quite concerned about him. Overnight he is stabled. He hardly eats any hay and takes ages to eat his feed at night. The morning feed is the same, he takes ages to eat it.

He has had the dentist and there is nothing wrong with his mouth/teeth

He hardly has any droppings in his bed when he is mucked out and the droppings are small, very round/hard and almost look like they are covered in a white kind of mucus (this is what the owner told me this morning, I haven't seen it).

When he is turned out he is sound but spends quite a lot of the day lying down. The farrier has looked at his feet and they have been trimmed regularly.

When he had his injections the vet said she thought he had an irregular heart beat and perhaps a heart murmur? He was then scanned and they said he was fine. He has also had a blood test which showed nothing, however the vet did say that isn't always the best news?

Today he is lying down again and he has been in his stable all night? He is fed on a pasture mix, Alfa -A and hay.

I have suggested putting him on fast fibre or something similar and perhaps pink powders or a feed balancer.

I thought I remembered someone else on here posting about her TB that laid down a lot? can anyone remember or does anyone know of any horse that's gone or going through similar? He doesn't seem right to me?

Also in competition riders just in case it was posted there?

 

[LucyPriory]

I'd get the vet out again - have you asked about ulcers?

In the meantime will he eat micronised linseed? It is good for weight gain and the mucilage it produces in the stomach is thought to be soothing.

You can order online from Charnwood Milling (terrible website but it does work if you have patience) or you may have a local supplier.

RRP is around £24 for a large (25kg) sack. Some people repackage it in smaller bags but the price is usually !!! - and sometimes the product is stale.

I'd advise against using linseed lozenges as these have had the oil extracted and replaced with sugar.

 

[Nari]

I agree with LucyPriory, I'd wonder if there was an ulcer problem. The micronized linseed is a good idea & I'd drop the Pasture mix as that won't be helping. I'd also try him on Equine America's UlserGard pellets for now, but I'd be asking the vet to get him scoped & if he needs it get him on GastroGard (tell your friend to get him insured first, it isn't cheap!).

Hay wise can your friend try feeding him in different places, or in different ways? Does he eat any more if it's fed on the floor rather than a net? If it's by the door so he can look out or at the back where he's got peace & quiet? Can she try hay from a different supplier to see if that tempts him to eat? Or she could try leaving some big buckets of Alfa A or Readigrass to see if she can up his fibre intake that way.

 

[Orangehorse]

I would be worried about not eating very well, but not so worried about lying down. Young horses do lie down a lot.

Go with the suggestions of a change of diet, there sounds something wrong in the digestion area. The ulcer medicine sounds good, then contact Gobal Herbs or NAF, etc. and see what they can suggestion for a short term boost.