How to put weight on a 25yr old poor dooer

[debsey1]

A good friend of my has a 25yrs old TB gelding and has always been a poor dooer and it's always been a constant battle to keep weight on him even though he has only ever done light work. She has had him 13 years in her care and has always spent a fortune on appropriate feed to entice him to feed but to no avail. She ends up having to throw out whats left.

Even out at grass he just nibbles here and there and by the end of the summer there is hardly any change to his physic, he looks like something out of Belson! She says "it's embarassing to ride him in case of horrible comments"

When I asked her when his teeth were last checked, I was absolutely gobsmacked when she told she has never had them done!!! However, when she had her cattle TB tested the vet looked in his mouth and said they were okay, said his heart was still strong considering his age but will need to be blood tested to reveal any other underlying reason why he has such a poor appetite.

She now doesn't know what to do, given his age, she doesn't want to stress him and hopes he'll improve this summer with his additional feed and supplements.

What would you doing with an ageing TB (poor love)

 

[pip6]

In her later years (she lived to 29) I had my PBA on Blue Chip Pro. Expensive, but really kept condition on her. Someone at another yard who had a very skinny aged horse started to nick it (knew she was when I got through a bag in 2 weeks!), & even her poor, never had teeth done very old veteran bloomed & put weight on. Then I started to padlock my feed bin & it dropped off him again so definately the pro (which she then refused to buy for him herself). I mixed it with the Allen & Page OAP feed, which she loved.

 

[PC Steele]

Good grief!!! Get its teeth checked ASAP and not by a vet!!! Get a qualified equine dentist. Get bloods done. Once that is all sorted phone an equine nutritionist and talk to them about a feeding programme.

 

[joeanne]

Teeth need seeing to would be 1st port of call. Then she can start looking at diet. If he is a poor doer, perhaps look at things like oil based feeds (alpha oil maybe) and soya etc.
Allen and page do a good range of soakable feeds if thats what he needs.

 

[Girlracer]

Oh my god, tell her to get and equine dentist to him pronto!!! I can guarentee there will be issues, he may even want teeth out. I've found with my 17yo tbx poor doer is fibre is the key, he's fed on a feed called fast fibre as well as ultra grass. Build up is also very good and calm and condition.

But before she does anything else she needs to have an EDT to him, teeth are so important ESPECIALLY at that age.

 

[Queenbee]

Another vote for A&P fast fibre is excellent, add oil to it for extra oomph. Or copra which is another soakable but coconut based feed, lots of condition and oil in that but formulated so that the horse only uses the protein it needs and kicks out the rest (so I understand)