Please help - how to get horse to eat!!!

Holly Hocks

Holly Hocks

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My mare came home from hospital yesterday after over two months in there. She is on medication but I can't get her to eat. I am giving her Alfa A Oil, speedibeet and leisure mix. She has had three small feeds today and will do until after the weekend when I have to go back to work again. She is severely underweight, but I don't want to give her something that will fizz her up as she won't be working til Spring and might even be wintering out if I can find somewhere for her. I put some honey in her feed tonight but she still won't eat it. I'm not sure if its the Alfa A oil that she doens't like. She has always been a fussy eater, but it's really important that I get her to take her medication and she won't. Does anyone have any tried and tested ideas please??? I need to get this medication down her as soon as possible. Apples and carrots aren't working either.... please help!!
 
Have you tried molasses or golden syrup? I have in the past, for extreme measures, cut a whole in an apple stuck the medicine inside and covered it in molasses. Depends if its tablet or powder form I guess on how hard its going to be or how messy. But I would def try putting some molasses over her feed. Fingers crossed xx
 
Even tho its lo cal, Ive never known a horse not to love Dengie Healthy Hooves (not the spillers happy hoof), its moist and nutty and has garlic etc in it. My big chap stopped eating his food cos he was jealous of the pony, so I gave in.

Also, Visorbin which is iron and vit tonic is a sweet green gloop and he went mad for that after he had a virus. Couldnt get enough of it, over his food, even tho he had been very sick.

So my vote is for Healthy Hooves with visorbin jus. Neither would do your horsie any harm, and might just do them good!
 
Alfa oil isn't molassed and is apparently quite bitter so maybe try AlfaA original and add your own oil? Another trick I have used is to add apple juice, works better than pieces of apple. Also try grating carrot. I have an oldie who is really hard to feed and both these tricks work for her. If I put pieces of apple or carrot in she will pick them out, eat them and then decide she is full! I also use Fast Fibre (Allen and Page), Ready Fibre Mash (Rowan Barbary), molassed sugar beet and Readigrass/Grazon/Just Grass, all seem to go down well. She will also eat micronised barley which gives her extra calories but in my mind the important thing is to keep the fibre levels up, especially now it is getting colder.

Just my suggestions, hope it helps!
 
I have used treacle with good results. My pony was recently very poorly and so was on lots of meds and as long as she had some treacle in there she would eat it.
a friend also uses a piece of bread and puts the meds and some treacle in there... im not sure how good for them bread is though??
Mint is also good, you can get tubs of it from most feed stores.
 
Thanks everyone. I'll get some Alfa A original tomorrow - I didn't realise the Alfa A Oil was so bitter. I think it could be that that she's not keen on, and I'll try some molasses as well.
Thanks 4 Faults. The meds are in powder form, but could possible sprinkle on chopped apple and then smother with the molasses or treacle.
LachlanandMarcus - sounds a good idea - can I just get it from tack/feed store or is it from the vets???
Thanks
x
 
Hi,
Dump everything and get some Dengie Compliment. If you pour hot water on it the aroma is out of this world! The fussiest feeder will tuck in to it, (I could eat it myself it's soooo good!) and it will put the weight back on at the correct speed. It is totally non heating.
Re the medication thing - if you can't get her to take pills, crush them up and roll them in butter which you can then smear on her tongue.
If its powders/granules get a 10 ml plastic syrynge mix the powder in a pouring jug with a little water to dissolve/make runny, pop the plunger out of the syringe, put your finger over the administering hole, pour the liquid in to the syringe, still with your finger over the end, gently replace the plunger to about 1/2 inch so you have made a seal, turn the syringe upright, take your finger off the end and gently push the plunger until the liquid is near the top. You can then give it to her as per wormer. You can reuse the syringe again and again.
Can you tell I have had sick horses!!!!!!
Best of luck
Bryndu
 
Ditto Bryndu but to disguise the taste we have added drinking chocolate powder or custard powder. I did check with the vet who said this was ok unless we were wanting to compete. Since we were giving an elderly, arthritic horse bute, that wasn't relevant, lol!
 
My horse is very fussy and i tried the following:

1. pureed fruit / veg - apple, pear, carrot etc.
2. LOTS of garlic
3. cider vinegar

i found that giving good size feeds helped as it diluted the taste of the medicine which was what he was objecting to.

I think you need a lot of patience with a fussy eater and don't beat yourself up if you end up chucking lots of feed out that they reject - it's annoying I've been there......!

Good luck.
 
Dizz was a pain to feed, would get bored and walk off!

She's now on Saracens Releave and their Equijewel. Can be fed in small amounts. Horses seem to like :D

It's put on weight nice and steady and hasn't fizzed her up (DWB dingbat :D).
 
Rebelzmum said:
My mare came home from hospital yesterday after over two months in there. She is on medication but I can't get her to eat. I am giving her Alfa A Oil, speedibeet and leisure mix. She has had three small feeds today and will do until after the weekend when I have to go back to work again. She is severely underweight, but I don't want to give her something that will fizz her up as she won't be working til Spring and might even be wintering out if I can find somewhere for her. I put some honey in her feed tonight but she still won't eat it. I'm not sure if its the Alfa A oil that she doens't like. She has always been a fussy eater, but it's really important that I get her to take her medication and she won't. Does anyone have any tried and tested ideas please??? I need to get this medication down her as soon as possible. Apples and carrots aren't working either.... please help!!
Click to expand...
Try Allen and Page Fast Fibre!! its in nut form and you soak it 30 seconds later it becomes a mash and my horses love it!!!!! Try it with warm water as they love it even more!! Its got nothing fizzy in it just a hay replacer really but good for putting weight on. Also try Baileys No. 1 this is a cooked cereal meal you have to feed it damp but again my horses love it and its non fizzy
 
Mine won't eat Alfa A Oil but will eat Alfa A Original. I tried molasses (for bute) and they worked for a bit but not for ever. I also tried honey and apple sauce but in the end syringed it. Not a nice thing to have to do but when you've got to get it down them, it's cruel to be kind.

Best of luck
xxx
 
I'm pretty sure it will be the medicine putting her off. My mare is like that. I've tried mixing apple juice, honey, sugar, cordial, polos, you name it, but she will not, under any circumstances, eat anything with medicine in it. Nowadays I just add a bit of water to the medicine and make it into a pste, then give it her like a wormer in a syringe. That way I know that she has had it all, and she still eats all her food. (Give after food, or horse will still think its in the food as the taste will be on it's tongue...)
 
I'd also recommend Mollichaff Veteran Chaff. Packed with anti oxidants, nettle, mint - pretty much every horse on my yard has borrowed some at some stage when they've been ill or off colour. The smell is divine and every single horse loves it. You could also add a good cupful of bog standard apple juice to every feed. Bet it wouldn't touch the sides! Good luck x
 
Years ago my pony was recovering from a ghastly illness called purpura haemorrigica (spelling?). Like your horse Skewy wouldn't eat and was rake-thin and needed to have his medication. We were at our wits' end when we were advised to do two things.
1. Mix molasses (the human kind) or honey or syrup in his feed
2. Stable a greedy horse next to him

As it happened a friend had an Arab who was a glutton, and always made a great noise shoving her feed bucket around, licking up etc. We borrowed her, put her in the nextg door box, and fed her a small feed (not giving Skewy any). Spangle went through the usual ritual of licking the bottom out of her bucket. An hour later we gave her another small feed, and this time Skewy got one as well (with the molasses in). He ignored it at first, but then we could see he was listening to Spangle chomping; he took a diffident nibble, then a little more and a little more, and finished most of it. After that he never looked back.

This is only one horse, but it worked for him. I do hope it might work for yours too.
 
we've had sick horses that won't eat before...Its tough but what we have done before is get one of those big plastic syringe things and make up porridge with something like build up or glucose make it sloppy and force it in) if she doesn't eat its not going to do her guts anygood. also try ready grass.You have to persevere though.
 
Hello
Sorry to hear you're horse has been poorly!
If she's normally fussy I wouldn't put meds in her feed as you don't want her to be even more fussy/suspicious about her dinner. When I had to give my boy 36 tablets twice a day following surgery I used to mix it in a syringe with bitless apple sauce (easy to syringe and thick enough it doesnt get spat out everywhere, plus it's tasty).
Also I'd try something without alfa - lots of horses arent keen.
Those soaked feeds are really palletable - most horses love them and you can get trial bags from the companies if you phone them.
You could try fibre-beet (looks like cow pat but they seem to love it!)
Also with these you can add warm water and the smell seems to help incourage them.
To add calories to help put the weight back on you could go for Triple crown top up, bailey no 1 or equijewel. These are all very high calorie, non heating. You dont feed much so wont have to give her big feeds so shouldnt put her off further.
Linseed is also great (the instant meal is low hassle too).
I'd also give her a multi-vit to help her - go for a non-smelly one (equivit or something).
To add something else to encourage her you could add some herb (dodson and horrell hedgerow herbs etc) or a couple of handfulls of a herbal mix (saracens/allen and page do some lovely ones).
Hope she starts to eat a bit more
Good luck
 
Rebelzmum said:
My mare came home from hospital yesterday after over two months in there. She is on medication but I can't get her to eat. I am giving her Alfa A Oil, speedibeet and leisure mix. She has had three small feeds today and will do until after the weekend when I have to go back to work again. She is severely underweight, but I don't want to give her something that will fizz her up as she won't be working til Spring and might even be wintering out if I can find somewhere for her. I put some honey in her feed tonight but she still won't eat it. I'm not sure if its the Alfa A oil that she doens't like. She has always been a fussy eater, but it's really important that I get her to take her medication and she won't. Does anyone have any tried and tested ideas please??? I need to get this medication down her as soon as possible. Apples and carrots aren't working either.... please help!!
Click to expand...

Apple juice or perfectly clear red apple still water from Iceland or Tesco's under £1 for 2L bottle and works everytime for my boy. You might find its the speedibeet to be honest that your mare doesn't like when she feels poorly so I'd ditch that for a while. Or a packet of strong mints dissolved in boiling water. If she still doesn't go for that you will have to dilute medicine and syringe down her throat.
 
What did they feed her in the hospital - and how did they administer meds there?

Can't imagine she'll be wintering out if she's currently very underweight......
 
when Splish decided that he wouldn't eat his bute in his dinner anymore, we mixed a tablespoon of icing sugar to a paste with water, added the bute, and mixed dried mint in with it until it was thick enough to make into balls, put them in the fridge for an hour and they'll go hard, and we fed them as treats!
 
Splish & Masons mum said:
when Splish decided that he wouldn't eat his bute in his dinner anymore, we mixed a tablespoon of icing sugar to a paste with water, added the bute, and mixed dried mint in with it until it was thick enough to make into balls, put them in the fridge for an hour and they'll go hard, and we fed them as treats!
Click to expand...

Wow that is the best idea ever!!! I am going to try that next time!
 
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