Shetland loosing weight

Stinkbomb

Stinkbomb

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Ty is a 30" miniature shetland. He was obese when i got him in 2006 but after a diet and exercise program he lost enough. He was ideal really before the winter set in but since then he is continuing to loose weight. I know horses do during winter but i dont think he can really afford to loose much more.

He is stabled at night and has adlib hay. He is field kept during the day on poor grazing but i suppliment with hay during the day. He is fed a stubbs scoop of Alfa a lite, speedibeet and 75g top spec comprehensive balancer twice a day. He is not in work. He is not thin by any stretch of the imagination but i dont want him too loose anymore. In summer his grazing is restricted and i dont want to change that in order for him to put weight back on.

Any ideas??? Am reluctant to pump him full of concentrates for fear of laminitis, cant increase his hay as he just wont eat it, so can anyone think of what i can do??
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p.s. teeth just been done and wormed regulaly too
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Is that a stubbs scoop of Alfa A Lite plus a stubbs scoop of speedibeet or a stubbs scoop of the two combined? And if the latter, in what ratio and are you measuring the speedibeet dry or soaked?
 
You could add oil to his diet, either straight oil or swap alfa a lite for alfa oil to increase calories. Do BOSS seeds have much calorie content? I'm guessing they do as well. Try changing hay for a haylage?
 
I think that, before changing his diet, I'd want to investigate why he is now losing weight on adlib hay, whereas before he was obese. When he was obese, was he on good grass or was he obese in the winter time when fed hay? Does he seem to eat a reasonable amount of hay for his size compared with Inky? Is the hay soaked? Do you feed it in a net? I'm just wondering whether something is slowing down his hay consumption - perhaps teeth (although I know you have had them done) or he just doesn't like it for some reason! You could try putting a tub of hay replacer - something like Happy Hoof or HiFi Lite - in the stable overnight along with his hay and see whether he eats that all up.
 
recommend dengie healthy hooves instead of spillers happy hoof only cos the dengie one is lovely and moist and nutty and chaffy whereas the spillers one is dry and sawdusty, prob v nice but in terms of tempting pone to eat it all up.....

my good doer pone has healthy hooves and after smelling it my 17 hand hunter refused his (rather dull) feed until I gave him healthy hooves too!!!!!!
 
linseed oil worked bloody wonders on my old welshie, who was prone to lami.
Haffieliesel is right about the happy hooves too. its got to be the most unappealing feed going, i used to use D&H safe and sound but switched to happy hooves when he got picky over his food
 
He was obese in July 2006 when i bought him. He had been out on good grass with his previous owner and done no exercise whatsoever. I turned him out on restricted grazing and with exercise and a good diet, during the summer he lost alittle but continued to loose it over the winter too. I did alitttle work over the winter just walking but plenty of it. This summer his weight remained the same. This winter ive not done anything as far as exercise is concerned with him as i have had surgery on my knee and cant walk very far.

He eats as much hay as Inky and has more hard feed. Inky is def holding his weight well!!
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I feed hay off the floor, dry with no haynets, and it is good quality hay.

Do you think i should increase the Alfa A lite or get something else like Happy hoof/ Hi Fi lite?? Will increasing the Alfa A lite do any damage??

Like i said he isnt thin by any stretch and isnt loosing it fast, but he is loosing it none the less, and im just worried if he continues to loose more. I would prefer him to stay as he is
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Well if he is eating as much hay as Inky, it sounds like the hay isn't a problem then - so wouldn't bother with the Happy Hoof/HiFi - I was purely suggesting them as a means to see whether his hay consumption was a problem.

I would probably increase the Speedibeet rather than the Alfa A, as it contains more calories than Alfa A and you are only feeding a little bit at the moment. You do have to be a little careful with alfafa products that you don't feed it to excess, as there have been reports of problems caused by the high levels of calcium in it, so I never give more than the manufacturer's recommend for the size of the animal. (Having said that, in many countries they feed alfafa instead of grass hay, seemingly without too many problems.)
 
you said the other day that they aren’t rugged at the moment didn't you?. he's not getting a tad cold and damp is he?, he may be using up everything from his feed to keep warm and so doesn’t have anything left to keep the weight on, just a though.
 
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(Having said that, in many countries they feed alfafa instead of grass hay, seemingly without too many problems.)

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*waves* We do, but they only get a couple of slices a day (PF gets more on advice of vet as she's preggers) unless it's a bit rubbish quality. I really miss hay
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