Loosing weight on box rest

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BobbyMondeo

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My boy ( 6 yo anglo arab) Is currently on box rest and will be for atleast annother 3 weeks. He has been loosing weight over the past 4/5weeks he has been in. The vet advised to feed him as little hard feed as possible (just enough so he eats calmers and antibiotics) and give him ad lib hay which is what i have been doing. He is eating around 1/2-3/4 of a bale a day with a scoop of hifi and a handfull of spillers cool mix.

Just wondering if there is anything i can feed him that wont blow his brains out but still put a little bit more weight on him?
 
I had this problem with my lad but his was mainly due to box walking and stress at being confined...I found buckets of chaff and Dengie Healthy Hooves helped maintain his weight and was more interesting for him to eat than hay alone.
 
as much hay as he can eat, carrots, apples, swedes, turnips....?
go out and cut some grass by hand?
how badly is he loosing weight - ie. will he be ok for the next 3 weeks until he can have turnout?
 
I kept Ellie on D&H Build Up mix all through her box rest (about 10 weeks in total), and she has been fine. She's kept her condition really well - she's positively blooming, in fact!
 
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Yeah I hadnt thought of pink powder..Maybe when my funds go up a little bit i will get some, they are dangerously low at the moment

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Its not expensive and it will actually save you money than having to folk out and other feeds etc.

Cider vinegar, this increase the appetite.

Carrots not a good idea, full of suger and your horse will be climbing the walls.
 
Yeah he cant have carrots apples ect even if he is in work as he gets too fizzed up on them.

Peacelily- Hes lost a lot of weight(You can see all his ribs and his hip bones ect...really hate seeing him like that) and muscle tone in the 5 weeks he has been in (muscle is acceptable obviously) but the weight i am worried about. He may still not be able to have turnout in 3 weeks have to wait for xray results then and see wether the crack in his splint bone has healed.

I have spoken to vet again but they keep just telling me to give him more hay but hes not even eating everthing i put in at the moment.
 

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Carrots not a good idea, full of suger and your horse will be climbing the walls.

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Oh God I didnt realise this.... my boy is on box rest too for 2 weeks so far and has been very good, until today when his 5 min daily in hand walks began... I dont know how I am going to manage for another 6 weeks every day I am very nervous of horses going up when I am on the ground as I had a bad accident this way before, I will stop the 4 carrots a day I have been putting in his haynet for a start!!

Sorry to hijack the post but does anyone have any tips for being brave when leading said horse? I am leading him in a bridle with lunge line attached so I can keep fairly out of the way and obviously wearing a hat but he can probably sense I am nervous
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it might be contradictive with a higher sugar content - but what about wetting the hay with a diluted molasses solution?
so take a cap of molasses, chuck it in a big bucket of water, chuck water + molasses over hay
=yummy yummy hay gobble gobble gobble = fat pony
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as for leading horse, put in a chifney, get your gloves on and sort out your lunge line, and have a good walk out so he's thinking about going forward and not about divvying around,
think positive, be positive = positive results
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