Photo's of Ellie, reported to the RSPCA

hi i have a 16h 23 yr old gelding i have had trouble with his weight for 10 years he is in the exact same condition i have had blood tests the lot but he windsucks very bad so where he should be eating more hay and grass he chooses to suck the wood and crib bite hes also on 3 feeds a day weight gain old faithful and dengi twice a day and a big bucket of dried grass in the afternoon because he has worn his front teeth down from windsucking he finds it hard to pick grass from the ground he has 5 slices of hay a day the 2 feeds and the grass he does put on a bit this time of year but what at the moment he has torn a ligament in his leg and is in i would recommened the dried grass also since i have been giving it he looks alot better already for my horse its grass that puts the weight on there are lots of people in our situation i hae never had the rspca called on me though omg that would break my heart all the effort i put in to try and put weight on my horse i no exactly were your coming from xxx good luck xxx
 
xsummerholidayx said:
hi i have a 16h 23 yr old gelding i have had trouble with his weight for 10 years he is in the exact same condition i have had blood tests the lot but he windsucks very bad so where he should be eating more hay and grass he chooses to suck the wood and crib bite hes also on 3 feeds a day weight gain old faithful and dengi twice a day and a big bucket of dried grass in the afternoon because he has worn his front teeth down from windsucking he finds it hard to pick grass from the ground he has 5 slices of hay a day the 2 feeds and the grass he does put on a bit this time of year but what at the moment he has torn a ligament in his leg and is in i would recommened the dried grass also since i have been giving it he looks alot better already for my horse its grass that puts the weight on there are lots of people in our situation i hae never had the rspca called on me though omg that would break my heart all the effort i put in to try and put weight on my horse i no exactly were your coming from xxx good luck xxx
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Is it called READY GRASS?
 
Wow, I can't believe this post has provoked so many replies!

I am not in the least bit offended by any comments, I asked for opinions and I recieved them.

I rang the RSPCA after recieving the notice through the letter box and explained that Ellie was old and a tad stiff due to arthritis. The lady on the telephone said she would pass my contact number and the information I had provided onto the officer who came out to see Ellie and as yet I haven't heard from her.

There is no point putting a notice on a gate as the field is only visable from a few back gardens. I have a pretty good idea who reported me, someone I have had problems with previously and who would like the horses off the land.

Ellie is groomed daily but holds her coat. She has actually lost a fair bit more now and her summer coat is very very shiny and healthy looking. She hates having her mane pulled and I do trim it occasionly but with the other two being a gypsy cob and a fell long manes are all the rage in our paddock :)

I am sure she has put a little bit of weight on in the last week, but I will leave it another week before taking photo's. The vet is back tomorrow and farrier at the weekend.

Thanks again for all the comments, all are much appreciated.
 
Glad to hear she seems to be picking up :)

If she's holding onto her coat, and seems rather dropped in her back, have you had her tested for cushings? Only the medication and implications it has on their diet are quite significant. My old girl was diagnosed earlier this year, so I know how it affects them and how she's improved since I've been able to act on her diagnosis.

Best of luck with her. xx
 
Sorry, haven't read all replies!

Saracens Releve and Equijewel :). Small quantities that pack some good calories :D. They worked on the Dizz, who can be a complete pain to get weight on (tried everything else!), and Friend's TB (who's also had it cut back as he was starting to get a bit too much condition on :)). Speak to Saracens, worth a try :)
 
MrsElle said:
Wow, I can't believe this post has provoked so many replies!

I am not in the least bit offended by any comments, I asked for opinions and I recieved them.

I rang the RSPCA after recieving the notice through the letter box and explained that Ellie was old and a tad stiff due to arthritis. The lady on the telephone said she would pass my contact number and the information I had provided onto the officer who came out to see Ellie and as yet I haven't heard from her.

There is no point putting a notice on a gate as the field is only visable from a few back gardens. I have a pretty good idea who reported me, someone I have had problems with previously and who would like the horses off the land.

Ellie is groomed daily but holds her coat. She has actually lost a fair bit more now and her summer coat is very very shiny and healthy looking. She hates having her mane pulled and I do trim it occasionly but with the other two being a gypsy cob and a fell long manes are all the rage in our paddock :)

I am sure she has put a little bit of weight on in the last week, but I will leave it another week before taking photo's. The vet is back tomorrow and farrier at the weekend.

Thanks again for all the comments, all are much appreciated.
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Have you had her tested for crushings/ insulin resistance? The fact that she's hanging onto her coat makes me wonder.
 
MrsElle said:
Wow, I can't believe this post has provoked so many replies!

I am not in the least bit offended by any comments, I asked for opinions and I recieved them.

I rang the RSPCA after recieving the notice through the letter box and explained that Ellie was old and a tad stiff due to arthritis. The lady on the telephone said she would pass my contact number and the information I had provided onto the officer who came out to see Ellie and as yet I haven't heard from her.

There is no point putting a notice on a gate as the field is only visable from a few back gardens. I have a pretty good idea who reported me, someone I have had problems with previously and who would like the horses off the land.

Ellie is groomed daily but holds her coat. She has actually lost a fair bit more now and her summer coat is very very shiny and healthy looking. She hates having her mane pulled and I do trim it occasionly but with the other two being a gypsy cob and a fell long manes are all the rage in our paddock :)

I am sure she has put a little bit of weight on in the last week, but I will leave it another week before taking photo's. The vet is back tomorrow and farrier at the weekend.

Thanks again for all the comments, all are much appreciated.
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Well admiration to you for sticking with this, and I was one of those who said that I didn't think that she looked that bad! Although apols when I posted that I had forgotten what sex she was and referred to her as 'it' and maybe 'beast' that was only because I scanned masses of posts V quickly, not because I wanted to dehumanise / dehorse her!
You are her owner, and you need to trust to YOUR instinct when she no longer has quality of life.......Personally, and this is of no criticism to you, as I understand from the flack I got from my original post, that you are a regular on here, and that you and Ellie are well known, and to an extent well loved.......but do you really need to confer with everyone out there in cyber space to have a gut feeling of what is right for your horse? I mean after receiving all these posts (and is this a record for H&H Forum) how do you really feel about the way forward for you and your horse?
 
dressedkez, I think that sometimes I feel the need for justification of my decisions, just to ensure they are right. Unless Ellie bangs some serious weight on in the coming weeks then this will be her last summer :( This was/is my gut instinct but I needed confirmation that I was doing the right thing by her. Although selfishly I would love her to be here for several years to come I have to do what is best for Ellie.
 
MrsElle said:
dressedkez, I think that sometimes I feel the need for justification of my decisions, just to ensure they are right. Unless Ellie bangs some serious weight on in the coming weeks then this will be her last summer :( This was/is my gut instinct but I needed confirmation that I was doing the right thing by her. Although selfishly I would love her to be here for several years to come I have to do what is best for Ellie.
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I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be a pain, but have you had her tested for crushings/ insulin resistance? The fact that she's hanging onto her coat makes me wonder.

(Reposted because I wasn't sure if you saw it the first time. Sorry if you've answered this elsewhere in the thread- I don't want to scan through all of the replies. ;) )
 
MrsElle said:
dressedkez, I think that sometimes I feel the need for justification of my decisions, just to ensure they are right. Unless Ellie bangs some serious weight on in the coming weeks then this will be her last summer :( This was/is my gut instinct but I needed confirmation that I was doing the right thing by her. Although selfishly I would love her to be here for several years to come I have to do what is best for Ellie.
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I havent replied up to now but with you all the way. I am in the same boat with two oldies. It is hard.
 
MrsElle said:
dressedkez, I think that sometimes I feel the need for justification of my decisions, just to ensure they are right. Unless Ellie bangs some serious weight on in the coming weeks then this will be her last summer :( This was/is my gut instinct but I needed confirmation that I was doing the right thing by her. Although selfishly I would love her to be here for several years to come I have to do what is best for Ellie.
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Yes of course you do, and if this is your way of dealing with this, then who am I too criticise, I am sure that based on the posts here, and your own instinct that you will do the right thing, and the right thing by your mare. It is good that for you, you wanted to take soundings, which you have had aplenty.
 
MrsElle said:
She has always held onto her coat longer than most, but definately hasn't got cushings :) She is almost winter coat free now and looks lovely and shiny!
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Might still be worth getting her tested though? :) I don't think there's any way to really know unless you get a negative test. And if it did come back positive, then you could change her management, which might give you more time with her. :)
 
I know its hard when they get old and sometimes hard to keep weight on. regarding cushings, they dont always have a thick coat my old mare was fouund to have it when she got laminitis but she had and always had had a lovely coat and she also looked good for her age. It wold be worth having her tested maybe if she has not been already.

Hope she improves.
 
rosiefronfelen said:
isn't it time to put this thread to bed? poor Ellie has had soooo many differing views so i think shes had more than her share of advice, dont you all agree?
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Not one person has had a go at Ellie.

I think it's been a really useful discussion about 'oldie's', when it's time to say goodbye, responsibilities, perceptions, condition etc.
 
god, cant you read what others write! did i say that anyone had had a "go" at Ellie- no!!considering that there have been 20+ pages to this thread i think Ellie and her owner have had enough advice to run the WHW.yes, the discussions will have been useful and constructive, but surely she will have read enough now, and it has to be her own decision in the end, and i dont imagine that she is unknowledgable herself!
 
rosiefronfelen said:
god, cant you read what others write! did i say that anyone had had a "go" at Ellie- no!!considering that there have been 20+ pages to this thread i think Ellie and her owner have had enough advice to run the WHW.yes, the discussions will have been useful and constructive, but surely she will have read enough now, and it has to be her own decision in the end, and i dont imagine that she is unknowledgable herself!
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Handbags!
 
i just dont bother with them, if i do i leave the bloody things everywhere-i dont go out much anyway so i find them a pointless bit of kit!! so----- no handbags at dawn, sorry!
 
god, cant you read what others write! did i say that anyone had had a "go" at Ellie- no
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Of course, you are right - and I apologise.

I was really trying to say that I found this an informative and interesting post, and was interested in seeing it progress. And it has moved on in places considerably from the OP, which many posts do - and so should not be seen as having a go at Ellie, more an expansion of the discussion.

Perhaps then there is a need for a new post to start on the good management of old horses - and where to draw the line.
 
rosiefronfelen said:
isn't it time to put this thread to bed? poor Ellie has had soooo many differing views so i think shes had more than her share of advice, dont you all agree?
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If I'm not mistaken Ellie is the name of the horse. Now admittedly I can't be bothered to read all 21 pages, but I can't imagine many people on HH have actually been advising Ellie on how to look after herself, furthermore, I doubt MrsElle allows Ellie to surf the web especially with those hefty sized hooves!
 
I've read the first couple of pages of this thread and, seeing how many pages it had become, I suspected it had turned into a bit of a bitchy thread at some point.

Shame.
 
amymay said:
Why????
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Because if Ellie does have crushings/is pre-crushings, management can play a huge part in keeping her well and comfortable. I've have her tested if she was mine, even if it was just for the peace of mind knowing that she didn't have crushings.
 
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