Rug weight help

[Burnttoast]

Need help for friend on rug weights. I haven't got a clue as I barely rug my unclipped boy except for a coolheat when he needs to be dry. Anyway - friend has 27yo unclipped retired pony who has unmedicated PPID and who is going into the winter less well covered than ideal. He currently has a newish 50g with neck for the rain and a 2ndhand heavyweight (feels like it anyway but fill unknown) without neck. What would you suggest as extras?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Treat the cushings for a start he might actually gain some weight then rather than spending money on rugs, he probably wouldn't need so many if he was a bit more covered.

 

[Cowpony]

Depends what you call heavyweight. I call 200g mediumweight and 300g heavyweight. I would say that if you need a 300g rug it's probably cold enough to need a neck, but if you have other rugs with a neck that you can layer it's probably fine.

I find 200g rugs very useful, especially if you have one with a neck and one without. My mare is quite hardy and hates being over-rugged. She never wore her 300g last year!

 

[Burnttoast]

Treat the cushings for a start he might actually gain some weight then rather than spending money on rugs, he probably wouldn't need so many if he was a bit more covered.

Not my horse or my decision. Had I not been ill all autumn I would have kept a closer eye on him but we are where we are.

 

[Burnttoast]

Depends what you call heavyweight. I call 200g mediumweight and 300g heavyweight. I would say that if you need a 300g rug it's probably cold enough to need a neck, but if you have other rugs with a neck that you can layer it's probably fine.

I find 200g rugs very useful, especially if you have one with a neck and one without. My mare is quite hardy and hates being over-rugged. She never wore her 300g last year!

Thanks. Yes he isn't keen on rugs in generally and am keen not to make him over-hot, but need to keep the weather off him and compensate for flattening his coat and his not being well-covered. 200 is probably more or less in the middle of his current rugs but adding a neck def helps a lot.

 

[eggs]

One of mine has Cushings and is on Prascend. Whilst we were getting to the bottom of what was wrong with him his temperature control would be all over the place and although unrugged and unclipped at the time he would often have patchy sweat even on very cold nights.

I know it is not your pony but they really do need to reconsider medicating.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

One of mine has Cushings and is on Prascend. Whilst we were getting to the bottom of what was wrong with him his temperature control would be all over the place and although unrugged and unclipped at the time he would often have patchy sweat even on very cold nights.

I know it is not your pony but they really do need to reconsider medicating.

This is right alot of cushings horses sweat even when it's quite cold because they can't regulate themselves so knowing how to rug makes it difficult.

 

[Burnttoast]

One of mine has Cushings and is on Prascend. Whilst we were getting to the bottom of what was wrong with him his temperature control would be all over the place and although unrugged and unclipped at the time he would often have patchy sweat even on very cold nights.

I know it is not your pony but they really do need to reconsider medicating.

Yes that would be the ideal. I'd rather he wasn't going into the winter like this but the priority is keeping him comfortable. His only symptom does appear to be the loss of topline - otherwise, his weight was spot on over the summer, but he needed his feeds upping earlier than they were. Tbh I don't know what was going on most of the autumn, I was responsible for most of his management before my illness and things seem to have gone awry which is extremely frustrating. However he appears to regulate his temp well but we have little wiggle room now re his weight.

 

[Burnttoast]

This is right alot of cushings horses sweat even when it's quite cold because they can't regulate themselves so knowing how to rug makes it difficult.

I would have liked him in a coolheat but they don't fit him sadly. But he is regulating ok for the moment.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would maybe try and get a 200g but something that is quite light weight I know the Amigo rugs material is quite light weight, or even get a liner to put under the rug you already have.

 

[Burnttoast]

I would maybe try and get a 200g but something that is quite light weight I know the Amigo rugs material is quite light weight, or even get a liner to put under the rug you already have.

Yes a liner's a good idea, as well as something mediumweight. That should cover a lot of bases. Thanks.

 

[Gloi]

If they are unwilling to medicate the ppid are other things being neglected like his teeth and worming that may also be contributing to weight loss.

 

[Burnttoast]

If they are unwilling to medicate the ppid are other things being neglected like his teeth and worming that may also be contributing to weight loss.

His teeth are smooth but otherwise very good for his age so he chews ok but needs more pre-processed food than she was probably giving him. We do all the available worm tests and he hasn't needed worming for two years. Tbh I think his owner hasn't adjusted fully to his being a poor doer all of a sudden and has just not been feeding him enough (obv the lack of medication exacerbated that but there's lots of scope to give extra feeds/more calories, which I hope she is now doing).

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

His teeth are smooth but otherwise very good for his age so he chews ok but needs more pre-processed food than she was probably giving him. We do all the available worm tests and he hasn't needed worming for two years. Tbh I think his owner hasn't adjusted fully to his being a poor doer all of a sudden and has just not been feeding him enough (obv the lack of medication exacerbated that but there's lots of scope to give extra feeds/more calories, which I hope she is now doing).

I think its quite sad because without Prascend he has a big chance of getting laminitis, but with it he is literally only as likely to get it like a normal healthy horse.

One of mine had an awful coat this spring it just didn't shed so I tested and his borderline the vet said she would recommend half a tablet a day, his looking so much better all ready coat is better and his body shape has changed, he actually had fat pads in some areas and they have gone as well.

I know it's not your fault sorry to go on about it!

 

[Burnttoast]

I think its quite sad because without Prascend he has a big chance of getting laminitis, but with it he is literally only as likely to get it like a normal healthy horse.

One of mine had an awful coat this spring it just didn't shed so I tested and his borderline the vet said she would recommend half a tablet a day, his looking so much better all ready coat is better and his body shape has changed, he actually had fat pads in some areas and they have gone as well.

I know it's not your fault sorry to go on about it!

No don't worry I feel similar!

 

[Winters100]

So difficult to know with rugs. All of mine are in different ones, 1 (good doer) is currently wearing nothing, 1 is in 50g and old lady pony is in 100g. For a poor doer I would always like to have a good selection at hand, for me essentials for an oldie would be 50g, 100g, 200g and 300g, but I understand that it is not your horse, and that you may not be able to persuade the owner to invest in this.

Out of interest is there a reason that they do not want to medicate? Is it just a cost issue?

Good luck, and well done for taking care of this horse.

 

[Burnttoast]

So difficult to know with rugs. All of mine are in different ones, 1 (good doer) is currently wearing nothing, 1 is in 50g and old lady pony is in 100g. For a poor doer I would always like to have a good selection at hand, for me essentials for an oldie would be 50g, 100g, 200g and 300g, but I understand that it is not your horse, and that you may not be able to persuade the owner to invest in this.

Out of interest is there a reason that they do not want to medicate? Is it just a cost issue?

Good luck, and well done for taking care of this horse.

I think she's getting a 100g and hopefully a 100g liner, which should give way more options than we currently have....

The stated objection I think is the possible side effects of the prascend (I can see where she's coming from in a sense, as he's not very symptomatic at all atm) but there's been no attempt to build up from a tiny dose so there may be other reasons.