**PLEASE HELP** I need advice!

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abbie95

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Hi, My 29 Year old mare is really skinny on her back end and her Poo's are really really runny! Her Belly is Fat and doesnt seem to be loseing weight in that area, but we are really worryed about her poo's, We have just wormed her and feed her molly chop, Senior condioning mix, medow mix &amp; Course mix. So please can you give us some adivice? <font color="black"> </font>

Thanks,
Abbie &amp; the Girls
 
Phone your vet and ask him/her! They spend quite a few years getting qualified to answer questions like this - that doesnt apply to most (but not all
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Yes, speak to your vet - but I'd also suggest getting her teeth checked as well.

You say you have wormed her recently - was that just a one-off or has she been wormed regularly to a worming programme in the past?

I have a mare in her late 20's who gets a runny bum on occasion and I find that NAF Pink Powder in her feeds works wonders. However, your description of your mare sounds a lot worse than my old mare, hence I suspect that the Pink Powder alone may not be enough - but I would certainly say it's worth giving it a try.
 
As with Faro my old mare tends to suffer in Spring and Autumn when the grass is lush and it is normally resolved with Pink Powder. However, when she did get very bad one year I called the vet who took a sample and gave her some medication. I would talk to your vet.
 
Poor old girl.

It might be that you are feeding far too much molasses to an oldie and you would be better staying with one type of feed, not a mixture as you seem to be doing. How about Senior Mix with some chaff, or one of the other feeds that might suit, but not all three together. If she can eat hay, that might suit her better than haylage too. Has she had her teeth done lately, that might help?
It would help if she was kept warm too, maybe with a rug, as if she gets cold or run down, that won't help her. Sadly, at her grand age, they can get run down very quickly so you need to take serious action before that can happen, maybe having a word with your vet might help.
Good luck.
 
Thanks For all your Advice, A Lady at our stables checked her teeth and gums for us, she said they seemed normal no colour change of her gums and any thing, we also had her vetted with our other old mare, our other old mare had to get put down due to a heart murmer But the vet said that peggy had a really good Sound heart And that they was nothing really wrong with her.
 
If there is nothing specifically wrong, as your vet says, then its probably age related- ensure plenty of forage/fibre etc, keep her warm and as others have said, if she doesnt pick up ask your vet to check her again.

29 is a very good age ....unfortunatley even though there may be nothing specifically wrong, the ageing process takes it toll...
 
You need a proper vet or equine dentist to check her teeth, not some random woman at the stables. How long ago did the vet see her? Is the vet aware of the sudden weight loss and diarrhoea she has? If the vet saw her before the problems started then you need to get him out again - a lot can change in a few weeks.

Was the horse who was put down her field-mate? Is it possible she is pining for her lost friend?

Once all veterinary problems have been addressed, then you can sort out her feeding. Just give one type of mix - as she is losing weight then just stick to the senior conditioning mix as it will have more calories than pasture mix etc - ring the manufacturer's feedline for advice on how much a horse of her size should need. Make sure she has as much hay as she can eat - so if she is stabled put enough in so there is a little left in the morning. It helps if you can put hay out in the field as well. If she doesn't seem to eat a lot of hay, there may be dental problems, so get teeth checked, and perhaps put a big tub of Graze-On (or similar dried grass product) in her stable overnight as this will be easier for her to chew than hay.
 
Ditto what the others say in regards to feed - I would up the fibre in her field and reduce the mollases hugely. Something like Alfa oil, vetern mix etc. I'm not a fan of cereal based feeds anyway and even less so if she is having problems forming normal faeces.

Obviously make any changes to her diet very gradually - but the best thing you could do is phone one of the feed companies and speak to a nutritisonalist (sp).

Good luck with her.
 
I would ring my vet,for advice and to book a visit if she was my mare....Also i would treat the symptoms in the mean time with electrolytes and priobiotics to resettle her gut....good luck...
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Ok, Thanks Again The dentist is due in the new year anyway, And i went out andd bought some 'Naf pink power' Hopefully that will sort her out.
 
Ditto everyone else, as an oldie she will go down hill fast if there is anything specifically wrong. A vet visit now could save you exspensive colic surgery or out of hours visits later. I would also get your vet to asses you feeding regime, mushy high fibre proucts are probaly best for an oldie, there are lots designed for oldies, also sugar beet (non mollassed such as kwick beet) is a nice readily digeted fibre source
 
CHANGE THE FEED! more fibre less starch. put her on a nut rather than a mix as mix's are rich and harder to digest and nuts not so much. lots of fibre and a probiotic to balance the gut like pink powder or protexin esp if she has just been wormed as she will of been stripped of all thee.
 
As above--at her age teeth probably deteriorating so they dont eat enough hay
Should preferably be checked twice a year for lose teeth or to have sharp edges rasped.
Hay can be steamed which softens the fibres--my oldie used to love the hay tea this makes (Hay in a 20 gallon tub, pour a couple of boiling kettles over and tie a plastic sack over the top leave to cool)
Keep warm with rugs including when stabled
Definitely cut down sugars and increase softened fibre, lots to choose from, cheapest probably grass nuts, mixed with soaked Speedibeet and softened Hi Fibre cubes. A supplement containing Yea Sacc or straight Yea Sacc will help digestion
Please make any changes slowly over several days
A large belly often means low quality forage (old grass) is being digested very slowly but she may be that shape if she bred a number of foals in her younger days. You dont say if her neck is thin as well.
 
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