in foal mare dropping weight

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foxviewstud

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my dartmoor hill pony has never been fat but this yr she is worse, she is well in herself and not badly under weight but i am really struggling to put the weight on her.she has a feed of sugarbeet, stud mix, nuts and alfalfa, with cider vinager and cod liver oil and hay every night have tried to feed her more but she will not eat the extra, she is a very funny mare, she seems to have dropped more since she has been put with another in foal mare but she is the boss, she is rugged and lives out as cannot stable her she stresses too much and drops even more weight, any ideas on any different foods i could try to try and up her weight????
 
have you tried worming? Even if you worm your mare regularly you need to use the right wormer for the right time of year to kill some of the more resistant worms. A worm count done by your vet can help you there. Otherwise a blood test might be a good idea to see wether your horse suffers from any viral infections etc.
 
My mare dropped weight, & rather then assume it was because of the foal I had her blood tested & worm counted. Both came back clear so my vet advised feeding her 3 times a day on conditioning nuts, alfa A, sugarbeet/speedibeet. I can't manage the 3 a day feeds, but she was gradually put over from the stud mix to Bailey's no4, & the Alfa A was increased, along with the sunflower seeds (which is a good source of oil). She has improved no end without getting fizzy. The receptionist at my vets was a nutionalist for a feed co, so you could always contact one of them.
 

1)Worm
2)teeth
3)smaller feeds split up and then if no improvement - consider bloods.

Very often there is a tooth problem that we as humans do not see but is causing an underlying discomfort to the animal.Also consider that you may be feeding too much? If so it will quickly pass out of the gut without being absorbed.
 
I'm assuming she does not have a foal at foot (if she has, wean it!)

Otherwise, an if-foal mare should not be harder to keep weight on than a not in foal mare - at least until the last trimester. There are as many possible reasons for horses to drop weight as there are days in the year - but I'd start with:
1. worm again - including tape.
2. tooth check
3. vet check to include heart and bloods.

I have an 18 year old TB who started dropping weight very quickly during lactation - she has developed a nasty heart murmur suggesting her heart is failing - this impacts on everything else. We wormed again, did teeth, weaned the foal and upped the food and she is improving (slowly) - buyt obviously if she makes it through this pregnancy she won't be put in foal again.
 
some interesting points she is wormed to date but will worm again, she is more prone to wieght lose if her routine is disrupted or if another pony/horse is around, bless her thanks for all your advise will defo take on board and let you no of any improvement.
 
Maybe a silly point but could she be worrying her weight off. Maybe the changes of weaning foal, changing company and additional / change of feed are upsetting her, can you pin point the start of this issue? Just a though anyway?
 
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