Horse has stopped eating hay

[blackcob]

...and I'm completely puzzled.

Welsh Cob mare, trace clipped, hacking 3 x per week, out by day, in by night. Generally fit and well in herself, very good do-er. Ad lib hay offered in field and stable. Hay is excellent quality - won first prize at county show this year and last - and the same as she's been fed for the past three years.

Over the past three weeks she has gradually been eating less and less of it. She's always been a bit picky with hay, from other suppliers that we've had in the past as well - won't eat last night's hay left over at the bottom of the net, only fresh stuff, 'dunks' each mouthful in her water buckets but won't eat it if I soak it for her.

Over the past two days she's eaten hardly a scrap of it, the nets are literally untouched. Still very keen for her token bit of hard feed, carrots etc.

Any ideas? Have spoken to vet and he said if she hasn't eaten any overnight to call him again and he'll come over tomorrow morning, but as I say she seems perfectly well in herself!

 

[Shilasdair]

...and I'm completely puzzled.

Welsh Cob mare, trace clipped, hacking 3 x per week, out by day, in by night. Generally fit and well in herself, very good do-er. Ad lib hay offered in field and stable. Hay is excellent quality - won first prize at county show this year and last - and the same as she's been fed for the past three years.

Over the past three weeks she has gradually been eating less and less of it. She's always been a bit picky with hay, from other suppliers that we've had in the past as well - won't eat last night's hay left over at the bottom of the net, only fresh stuff, 'dunks' each mouthful in her water buckets but won't eat it if I soak it for her.

Over the past two days she's eaten hardly a scrap of it, the nets are literally untouched. Still very keen for her token bit of hard feed, carrots etc.

Any ideas? Have spoken to vet and he said if she hasn't eaten any overnight to call him again and he'll come over tomorrow morning, but as I say she seems perfectly well in herself!

Sorry, no idea.
Might be an idea to take her temperature, as sometimes if they are a bit ill with a raised temp they go off their food a little.
You could also try giving her other things, or opening a different bale, just in case there is something (like a dead rabbit) in that bale.
If the vet is concerned, I guess running bloods might be a good plan.
Hope she recovers her appetite soon.
S

 

[SmilingMadly]

Just a thought, when did she last have her teeth done? If she's a foodie, then she'd still be keen on hard feed and carrots etc, but find the continual chewing motion of grinding hay more irksome/painful, for less yummy reward.

 

[SophieLouBee]

Could just be an off bale, some years back, all of the horses wouldn't touch hay, we unrolled the big bale and found a dead badger in it, no wonder they wouldn't eat it!

Also she could just be bored of it? My big lad goes through stages of not wanting hay, then the next week he gobbles it down.

Maybe have her teeth checked? Unlikely there is a problem if she is eating hard feed, but worth a shot if the vet can't find anything!

Hope it's nothing serious!

 

[appledoberman]

Recently changed fields?

 

[hessy12]

My horse did this but he was scouring too. Had bloods and feaces checked and all fine, horse sort of just started eating again by himself. I think teeth check would be good if you already haven't done so. Have you got access to more grazing - maybe she'd go for grass. I am sorry I am not much help, but I am sure you will get it sorted, best of luck.

 

[blackcob]

Teeth were last done Feb 2010 so due again next month I suppose but she has good mouth conformation and nothing much had to be done last time. Only 11 years old so no age-related teeth problems I would hope.

Same winter field as always, no other grazing available (no-one else at the yard has winter turnout, only us ), no change in routine at all really. I've tried wedges from three different bales now, as well as a net of last year's hay (meadow rather than seed as we have now) and even some of my neighbour's horrible dock-ridden dusty stuff that she usually wolfs down (why do I bother ).

On a whim I just rocketed off to the feed merchant's before they closed and bought a bale of blue Horsehage, she's just eaten two wedges of that as if her life depended on it.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I think I'd try to bring forward the teeth check. It could well be that as the haylage is softer it takes less chewing, if she happens to have a sore spot in her mouth.

 

[teasle]

Try a bale from a different source, I had some hay that looked and smelled ok but my horse,and a few other horses refused to eat it.

 

[Spottyappy]

There's not a yard cat, or other animal, who could've sprayed on the hay per chance? Our cat does do that, and understandably, the horses wont then eat the hay.
Another pony I had stopped eating, it was a gutsy thing normally and this was out of character,we had a blood test and turned out he had a virus. Given some sort of tonic or somthing similar and started eating again the next day.

 

[blackcob]

No yard cats and I have a bitch so no cocking of legs! It's stacked on a pallet in a stable, top and bottom doors padlocked, so nothing can get in when I'm not there.

If she hasn't eaten anything besides the haylage tomorrow I will give the vet a call I think, get teeth and bloods checked. I can't begrudge her that as she is a hale and hearty cob normally who never sees the vet beyond teeth and jabs.

 

[Dancing Queen]

probably worth getting teeth checked but my old fella would only ever eat hay from one particular place - NOWHERE else, i tried to confuse him by mixing hay from fave place with another random place - he would always leave the random place hay. He would never eat horsehage or haylage. He didnt develop this until he was about 16/17 so i guess he was being picky, but got to spoil them!
So try getting bales from different places and find out which one your horse prefers. I wouldnt have thought there is too much wrong with the teeth if eating hard feed without quidding.

 

[SO1]

if she is getting ad-lib hay in field have you seen her eating that hay? could she be coming in full up with hay from the field? hayledge is very tasty and they will probably eat this as much as they will eat hard feed.

my pony is very picky with hay as well, and some bales he won't touch even though they look and smell fine to me, open up a different bale and he wolfs it down often the bales he likes seem to be the poorer quality looking ones that look very pale and almost straw like. some of the very green looking hay may have been sprayed or fertilised and sometimes they don't like that.

 

[SmilingMadly]

Oh bless her! She sounds a real poppet! Good thinking on getting the blue horsehage for her and I agree, it could well be that it was softer and easier to chew.

Where I keep mine the farmer is a hay/straw contractor (amongst other things) and he had his hay analysed recently, as the horses (not just ours) were not eating the hay from one side of the barn. Turns out it's more bitter than the softer hay on the other side. They reckon that a fair bit of hay this year will be more bitter, due to the excessive growing conditions in 2010. Swamps after the snows melted, then no rain, then extreme dry heat. Apparently this has made some grasses stalkier and less sweet and therefore not so palatable to horses. So whilst the hay is from the same field as normal, it could be that. Might be worth getting it analysed, if it's not her teeth. You could sell the hay to a cattle farmer or similar, but then you'd have to find stuff she will eat. It's a good job we love our horses eh!

 

[chelebeau]

My 2 have stopped eating hay as well. I’m tld it was a bad batch but bought expensive haleage but they won’t eat that either . They’re never fussy eaters, I’m really worried, dropping weight , weather , all teeth vet checks up to date
Plz help

 

[ester]

My 2 have stopped eating hay as well. I’m tld it was a bad batch but bought expensive haleage but they won’t eat that either . They’re never fussy eaters, I’m really worried, dropping weight , weather , all teeth vet checks up to date
Plz help

You will get more responses if you start a new thread

 

[chelebeau]

Thank w. I’m not sure what to do on here. MY heads gone with worry as well

 

[JillA]

Teeth. I had a mare whose teeth seemed fine but she stopped eating long forage, in the days before EDTs - we just ran a thumb along the outside of the molars to feel for sharp edges. Turns out she had a HUGE hook digging in to the opposite gum - did you say not done since 2010, was that a typo????
If you are anywhere near, Mark Siddle DVM is EDT trained and has access to sedation, or GA if it is a serious dental problem

 

[splashgirl45]

teeth would be my first port of call. they need doing yearly as a minimum, hope that date is not right as that would be almost 8 years

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

teeth would be my first port of call. they need doing yearly as a minimum, hope that date is not right as that would be almost 8 years

This thread is 2011.... a new member bumped it 3 posts up....

 

[Ellietotz]

teeth would be my first port of call. they need doing yearly as a minimum, hope that date is not right as that would be almost 8 years

It's an old thread

 

[splashgirl45]

thats a relief