need weight gaining advice!

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lolly10fi

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hi iv had my 16 year old 16.2hh warmblood for a few months now and we are getting on well, shes never moved yards before so she got very stressed and lost a lot of weight but she has now calmed down and she always seems happy here. i can see her ribs and her hip bones but i dont see why its not getting any better?!
she is in a field with PLENTY of grass (litualy up to your knees)
she has one haynet a day when i bring her in
in her feed i put 2 scoops of chaff, scoop of weight gaining mix and couple handfuls of bluechip
iv stopped riding her regualy now but nothing seems to be working?
:confused:
 
Have you asked the vet to have a look at her? Could be all sorts of things causing it and the vet may be able to help you narrow it down. Is she in at night? If so could she have adlib hay then?
 
she was kept in but since last week iv kept her out as she seems to be a lot more settled out there.
i havent spoken to vet just yet, hopefully ringing them tomorow to see if they can cheak on her, i thought i would post on here to get others opinions before
 
Hmmm, weight loss and being more settled out always make me think ulcers - but then I'm ulcer obsessed after having had my boy diagnosed with them recently with hardly any symptoms so suspect them everywhere! You vet will be able to run some routine bloods to check for anything obvious like a virus, or cushings etc.

Good luck :)
 
I would say the stress of the move has just taken it out of her and it will take her a while to put it back on - which is the safest way IMO. When she is in I would ensure she has as much hay as she can eat - Ideally fed off the floor.

I would take her off the weightgain mix - doesn't sound like it's doing much for her! and increase the blue chip to the recomended levels to ensure she is getting all the vits and mins she needs - 2 handfuls will not be doing ANYTHING! In addition to this, you could try her on a mug full of micronised linseed a day - this will help her gain weight and improve her overall condition.

I would ensure her worming is up to date and effective - perhaps start with a worm count and then give her a good dose of Equest Pramox if ANYTHING shows up on the count.

Other than this, just spend time with her and make sure she knows she is loved :)
 
Moving can be so stressful for a Horse. My girl dropped loads of weight when she came to me and it was the middle of winter. it took her ages to settle.

I highly recommend a high fibre diet. My girl is a poor doer but I've put her on fast fibre with the maximum amount of linseed they can have. She looks th best I've ever seen her in the to years I had her. Fast fibre has bits and mins. It takes minutes to soak and you can feed lots of it as its also a hay replacer. The linseed is absolutely brilliant fo condition, feet, skin and coat.
 
Have her teeth checked, and make sure her worming is up to date.

I would try adding oil to her feed, that is a relatively cheap thing you can do immediately and it won't hot her up. If she is stressy make sure she always has hay to munch on and go for a feed that is low sugar and low starch but has a good vitamin and mineral content.

I give mine pure condition and it has helped loads, plus it is dead easy, one bag no soaking or faffing.
 
Ditto the micronised linseed, our rescue mare was very ribby when she came, so I put her on 3 meals a day, our feed merchant reccomended the micronised linseed, we have had her 4 months now and due to the grass and feeds she is now on a diet, both of ours seem to have ballooned in the last month, so no more feeds, restricted grazing and hopefully with a bit more work will be at the ideal weight
 
thanks to everyone commenting
people with simular experiences deffently help! i will take everything in and mention it to the
vet
 
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