Only just stopped crying..please can someone give me advice

Thank you the MOT is booked!! And tears almost dried now, i honestly thought everyone would say how terrible i am for him being so thin. But was so desperate for advice, perhaps I have been rather unrealistic in thinking he will keep weight on at his age.
 
I'd get the vet out to take bloods as soon as possible. Then if there's nothing wrong then just experiment with different feeds.
 
My vet recommended blue chip for my oldie who wouldn't keep weight on and it made a difference within weeks.
 
have some bloods done have his teeth checked. AB lib haylage. IS he getting the right amount of the ready mash and the alpha a oil.? The neck looks like it could be rain scald! Please let us knoew how he gets on!
 
He has lost his top line and is getting a dippy back (does he have Arab blood as they seem to be very prone to this?) but he really isn't looking that poor - he certainly doesn't show his ribs. Two weeks in any age isn't very long - give him a couple of months at least. The rub is just where any itchy horse likes to have a good scratch. But get him bloodtested to see what his liver is doing, as being itchy can be a sign of liver problems.
 
I'd agree - get the vet to be on the safe side, and also don't think he looks that bad, tbh for his age and (I imagine) his breeding - remember that being slightly underweight is easier on old joints and an old heart than being overweight, and if he's happy and othewise healthy, just top up his food (blue chip worked with my boy when he suddenly dropped weight. He's not old, but has most obligingly turned right back into a tub of lard with a weight problem. Go figure !) and carry on loving him.
 
Well come to te club. I had to look twice at the 2nd photo, yours is the double of my boy.

I am geting hapier as his belly is nice and rounded and his bum now wobbles a little
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but his top line is exactly the same, I have noticed that it is looking a little softer over his hind quarters and where it was very sunken seems to be now filling in above his ribs. It has a been a long slow job, I have seen the most improvemtnsince putting him on a scoop of SB twice a day.

However like you I feel as if I am in a race to get him fat for the winter.

He was under a lot of stress last year, so hope that with tlc, we my not go through this one two badly, fingers croosed.

Please feel free to pm me, we may be able to swop ideas
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Yes he is a welsh x arab so maybe thats where the dip comes from. But if you compare him to my warmblood who has a very low dip its just so different. I don't like to see the bones on his back protruding, thats what has got me so worried that he's underweight.
 
I'd be hugely concerned if her were mine - he's dropped a lot of weight in a really short period of time.

What management do they have him on? Is he getting access to adlip haylage, and how many feeds a day is he getting?

From the photo's the grazing doesn't look brilliant (although of course it can be difficult to tell from a photo) and if he's not getting hay/haylage as well - it could simply be that he's not getting enough food.

But also, it could just be ano domini........

Can he come home to you??
 
He is currently on 24/7 grass turnout with two feeds a day consisting of Alfa Oil and Ready Mash extra, as he is retired he has no work and lives on grass for the rest of the time, where he was standing both times was very near the gate where there is little grass, but i assure you he has at least 10 acres of grass in all the fields behind him, he is always hiding in one of many fields when i go to see him.
No hay or haylage, they only get that in the winter, he can't come home to me which i really would like to happen (but have no grazing or stables)
I'll give you all an update when the vet has been, hopefully with better news of my boy. Thanks for your concern AmyMay
 
My OH's old TB ex racehorse/eventer always looked like that (summer and winter)as soon as he was retired from work (bony quarters and backbone). We put it down to lack of work and therefore muscle rather than lack of food.

He lived for 7 years (looking as skinny as your chestnut) before we lost him, was always happy and glad to get out in the mornings and ate a LOT of feed.

Best of luck with the vet visit.

Fiona
 
You haven't let him down, he's 31, some horses look like that at his age. Just stop beating yourself up and get the vet to look him over and see what he recommends.
 
You mention he is 31, well think about many old people and how they look when in their eighties (which in effect you could say he is), they lose weight, look frail etc and I think generally look thinner.
For 31 he is actually in good condition for his type and age.
I suspect he may have some or many loose teeth which means he can't eat as much, and if you can stable him more and feed him sloppy food he might pick up again.
Give him a good multivitamin .mineral supplement and make sure his feed contains some oil.
The mark on his neck is a rub by the look of things, he's probably had a midge bite that itched and has rubbed it on a post.
At 31 he is coming towards the end of his life which sadly you have to accept.
He might last another 5 years, or he may have such loose teeth you can't do enough for him to keep his weight up.
If I sound callous believe me I'm not: we have retired horses here who their owners understand when I consider them to be not enjoying their quality of life they agree we can give them a dignified end.
I don't think your horse is anywhere near that yet, you just need to rethink his way of living, get the vet to assess his teeth, make sure he's wormed well and then adjust his feed to suit.
It may be he won't put much weight on, the last thin one we had was in a field of lush grass with lots of fat horses, but because he physically couldn't bite the grass due to loose teeth his time had come, he would have loathed living in away from his long time herd friends, so we made the decision to let him go.
I have only just seen this post but do please pm me if you need further advice.
 
if he can not have hay personally i would stick to the ready mash extra and the alpha oil because these are very good for cnditioning and putting weight on put i would put him on a hay replacer something like ready mash thats very good!
 
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