severe weight loss in loaned horse

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duckie

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I loaned my horse in September last year as I was pregnant.
I was only hacking her twice a week and keeping her in at night.

I visited her regularly last year and she was doing well, she was working much harder than when I had her and was living out. I saw her in November and she looked great. The last time I visited was a week before I gave birth in January and she was looking more than just 'winter thin' so I raised this with the girl who promised to keep an eye on her and increase her feed and haylage.

I have just been to see her - 10 weeks later and she is thinner again, ribs showing and very tucked up. The girl seems to have been feeding her well and believes the weight loss is due to worms, one of her other horses seems thin too and she has wormed them both last week. Her poos look OK to me, her coat looks dull but this was always the case at this time of year.

I have never had this problem with such severe weightloss, she would always lose weight in the winter but never to this extent. Could this be due to her working hard and living out or is this more likely to be worms? Does anyone have experience of worm infestations?
 
I would also check her for lice, which can bring a horse's condition down rapidly.
The route to go down for losing weight is normally get their teeth done, get a worm count and a blood test for tape worm, put them on something like pink powders or a balancer and keep them warm.
The loss of weight if none of the above is likely to be lack of enough food.
If she has a thick rug she shouldn't be cold through the winter that's just finished, but there should have been haylage provided 24/7 if she is living out all the time.
If she was cold and insufficient food then she would continue to lose weight.
I 'm afraid you need to have a serious talk with the loaner and ask her to provide a list of exactly what the mare is getting to eat. She should also agree to regular worm counts if she knows ther has been a problem.
It takes ages to put weight back on, but the grass is the best method and hopefully she will soon look like her old self.
If she doesn't put weight on despite ample food the vet will probably do some blood tests, I doubt it's anything serious as with worse troubles they usually get profuse droppings too.
 
Thanks so much for the reply,
I only had her teeth done last year. I wormed her in September and she has been wormed again on Thursday.
I also suspect she hasn't been feeding her own horse or my mare sufficently. I spent the night there on Saturday and whilst I was there she was having a huge feed twice a day of sugar beet, a large scoop of barley rings, a large scoop of conditioning mash and a large scoop of pony nuts. She has 4 horses and throws them a bale of haylage morn and night.

I do not know how long she has been feeding this, I suspect she has been feeding her up knowing I was coming to stay.
I can only hope that the grass comes soon. I am going back in 2 weeks time for another look and will get the vet if there is no change.
When you say profuse droppings, would these be loose or regular as she did 2 large droppings in the hour whilst I was grooming her which seemed a lot but they looked healthy?

In addition to this my horse is laminitic (no flare ups for 2 years)- do you think the type of feed she is having could cause problems?
 
I loaned my mare out a few years ago, she was the type that would get fat looking at grass, we always kept her in a diet paddock and she was fine.
I loaned her out to a friend who is very experienced, we visited regularly and although she had lost weight she appeared fine, the next thing we went out and she was stick thin, we took her home straight away and fed her up put her out to grass and she put on weight and was very soon back to her old ways. To this day I dont know why she lost all that weight, the loaner didn't seem to notice! She has never before or since had weight loss like it and I have vowed never to loan a horse again, even to a friend.
I know this probably hasn't helped you but like henryhorn said, i would have serious words with the loaner or take your horse home.
 
hmm , worming in sept then april , a huge gap , did you not have a contract setting out requirements for feeding worming etc? , i,m sure a good worming followed by spring grass should do the trick , but i would perhaps ask for weekly pics by email to check progress if you cant get to visit
 
Totally loose droppings can sometimes be a sign of thickening of hte stomach wall and hinders the absorption of the food as it passes, from what you say it sounds a case of insufficient food...
I have to hold my hand up and say I know nothing about laminitics, except I reckon they get that way when given too much grass. Our retired lot live out 24/7 and vary from average weight to downright fat, but their systems seem to cope ok because they are used to grass.
All you can do is ask the loaner to post you monthly email pics of the horse, at least that way she will know she's being monitored.
 
Hiya

Personally having been through this myself with a pony I loaned out - the story of which was - he was moved from DIY yard to full livery - worked 5 days a week - clipped out - not rugged up adequately, not wormed since he moved - not enough hay and to top it all she had changed the feed in his loan agreement (nuts, chaff and sugarbeet) to Happy Hoof (and he had never every been laminitic)

I now have him back (but only after I had given her a month to improve) I know she and her daughter really loved the pony but could not agree with me that he was so thin.... he was 318kgs before he went out on loan and came back at 270kgs...she or rather he (her husband) made the decision to give him back and buy her a pony.....

In my opinion I would request she get a worming test done just in case - they are not expensive and very accurate and quick. Check the rugs she has been using (he has obviously not been warm enough) check and confirm the amount of food and hay he has been getting - I would put this all down in writing and give her a month to show an improvement or you will remove the horse altogether...

It sounds to be to be honest that he has been underfed and under rugged.... a typical cause of great weight loss...

After all it is your horse....and his welfare should be paramount..
 
I loaned my mare out in Jan and picked her up at the weekend as she too had lost so much weight/condition/muscle and the loaners didnt think it important to tell me i was horrified.

I will be surprised if i will ever loan out again, if they can do that to her in 3 mths who knows what people can do in long term.
 
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