misterjinglejay
Well-Known Member
Could it be Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM)?
Skinny horse & still losing weight
- Thread starter Michelle c
- Start date
Michelle c
Active Member
Now spoken to the vet & taking her in for xrays. Her weight is now leveling out but taking everyones advice & getting some caleries into her too.
Just waiting to find out if the insurance will pay out for any of this so fingers crossed.
Queenbee
Well-Known Member
Michelle that is good news... In terms of calories as I said, go for anything soaked... A&P veteran vitality would be an excellent one... Decent calories, easiest to digest or as I said earlier copra meal both are soaked and eaten as a mush. Do let us know what the x rays turn up and if you can post pics on here it would be useful. Do not worry, there is no one on here who will judge you, we are all concerned for you and your mare and trying to offer the best support and advice we can. Do you know what her body score is? What is the weight tape saying? Oh and if you ring A&P and arrange a visit from their rep to your yard (just to assess your horse) they will give you a free bag of food
BlackRider
Well-Known Member
I echo the veteran vitality too - its helped to put weight on my 31yo x
Queenbee
Well-Known Member
Any news op?
AmyMay
Situation normal
How did the x-rays go yesterday OP?
Michelle c
Active Member
Im still waiting for the go ahead by the insurance company. In the meantime. I have had her put in a sick paddock with hay & a feed. I am also waiting for my delivery of dodson & horrell sixteen plus cubes & spillers senior fibre so i can give her them out in the field too. I am throwing vit b tablets into her eat too. The woman from dodson & horrell agreed with me that she should be putting weight on by now & said just try the sixteen plus as a bit of an extra.
AmyMay
Situation normal
Great news about the feed etc. As suggested previously - make sure you're not feeding from the ground because of the possible trauma to her neck.
Personally I'd go straight ahead with the x-rays and pay out of your own pocket, and then recoup from the insurance company when the bill comes through. You don't need their permission to x-ray as it's a pretty standard procedure.
Thanks for the update.
Personally I'd go straight ahead with the x-rays and pay out of your own pocket, and then recoup from the insurance company when the bill comes through. You don't need their permission to x-ray as it's a pretty standard procedure.
Thanks for the update.
myhorsefred
Well-Known Member
If the insurance company doesn't give you the go ahead, what will you do then?
Maesfen
Extremely Old Nag!
^^^^^^^^^^?
Tai.Ni.Po.Ni
Well-Known Member
can you post pics op ?
Queenbee
Well-Known Member
This^^^
I'd be pressing ahead with X-rays and getting a blood tonic down her throat... It's far more than vitamin b tablets, although I suppose they are a start. As Amy may said, you don't need permission for x ray and quite frankly I wouldn't be looking to anyone for permission to treat my own horse... It seems highly likely that the damage from the accident and this weight loss could be linked... I don't see what the problem is.
Queenbee
Well-Known Member
myhorsefred
Well-Known Member
OP - have you thought of cushings? That can cause a horse to lose weight, even if its appetite is normal, or even increased appetite. Not all show the typical curly coat.
myhorsefred
Well-Known Member
Very sorry, have just re-read your original post and realise that you have already tested for cushings. Sorry. Just trying to rack my brains for you really.
AmyMay
Situation normal
What news OP - any luck with booking the x-rays?
Michelle c
Active Member
She is having them on Thursday. I will let you know
AmyMay
Situation normal
Fantastic news. Fingers crossed for her.
And hopefully with your new feeding regime, you may start noticing a difference in her weight wise too (if she's not in any pain).
And hopefully with your new feeding regime, you may start noticing a difference in her weight wise too (if she's not in any pain).
Kat
Well-Known Member
OP - do take Queenbee?The_Snow_Queen's advice, she has been through something very similar.
In the meantime you can probably double the amount of linseed you are feeding, it is great for putting weight on safely. You could also look at switching to speedibeet rather than fibrebeet, I know lots of people recommend fibrebeet for weight gain but speedibeet actually has more calories.
How much hay/haylage is she eating per day? In your shoes I would be weighing her hay daily and making sure that she has enough that she is never without a decent quantity. My poor doer has enough haylage that she always has half a net left in the morning, many people underestimate how much hay/haylage is needed for real ad lib feeding and it is vital that your horse has as much as she can eat. If she has neck problems or teeth problems do not use a haynet, use a hay bar or manger or just big trugs or barrells.
In the meantime you can probably double the amount of linseed you are feeding, it is great for putting weight on safely. You could also look at switching to speedibeet rather than fibrebeet, I know lots of people recommend fibrebeet for weight gain but speedibeet actually has more calories.
How much hay/haylage is she eating per day? In your shoes I would be weighing her hay daily and making sure that she has enough that she is never without a decent quantity. My poor doer has enough haylage that she always has half a net left in the morning, many people underestimate how much hay/haylage is needed for real ad lib feeding and it is vital that your horse has as much as she can eat. If she has neck problems or teeth problems do not use a haynet, use a hay bar or manger or just big trugs or barrells.
Michelle c
Active Member
Im am doing & she is having x rays on Thursday. I have added even more linseed as well as her now getting sixteen plus cubes & spillers senior fibre. She has a hay bar which is full at night then as much hay as she wants in the field in a big barrel with more cubes & senior fibre mixed into it. So she has access to food now 24/7.
AmyMay
Situation normal
What news OP? How did the x-rays go??
Tiggy1
Well-Known Member
Rowen Barbary Solution Mash - brilliant stuff
Amaranta
Well-Known Member
TBH lo-cal IS intended for fatties, I would actually change her over onto something like Spillers Original Balancer or TopSpec Comprehensive balancer, both contain a probiotic (Biosaf) which is much more efficient that Yeasac and have a much better vit/min content. Do not give two huge feeds, it would be much better to break her 'hard feed' down into 3 or 4 smaller ones. You also need to change the HiFi Lite (again for fatties) to a more calorific chop, either one of the many grass based ones (Just Grass for instance) or Alfalfa (Alfa Oil is a good one). Adding Speedibeet or another unmollassed beet is also a good move. You can also add oil to this, both the above balancers have enough Selenium in them to allow you to do this.
Because of her age and the remote possibiity of Cushings, I would steer well clear of feeds high in starch or sugar and keep with the fibre (you cannot feed too much of this) and oil route.
Michelle c
Active Member
Hi everyone. Just a quick update on my horse. Ason Monday she showed a big improvement. I didnt mention it as was sure it was going to last. But she has started to drag me around, she is loads happier in her self & at last has started to gain a bit of weight. We went to the vets & had the X rays. There is some damage to the C1 which would of caursed her a lot of pain but there is no break & she doesnt seem to be in pain with it now. The hay bar has helped with that which is good news.
Im not sure what has made the difference. Where it is the Cushings tablets, the calming & vitamin B tablets or whether its the fact she isnt in pain anymore but she is on the mend now. I am keeping on with the cushing tablets for another month but taking her of the calming & vitamin B just to see what happens but she is getting back to being herself again which is brilliant.
Thank you again for everyones help & support.
Michelle & Rahdina.
Im not sure what has made the difference. Where it is the Cushings tablets, the calming & vitamin B tablets or whether its the fact she isnt in pain anymore but she is on the mend now. I am keeping on with the cushing tablets for another month but taking her of the calming & vitamin B just to see what happens but she is getting back to being herself again which is brilliant.
Thank you again for everyones help & support.
Michelle & Rahdina.
AmyMay
Situation normal
Great news! Thanks for the update.
I'd keep her on the vitamin B though.
I'd keep her on the vitamin B though.
Kat
Well-Known Member
Good news then!
Just a thought on the haybar.....
I find I struggle to get enough in one to ensure my horse has enough to keep her going all night. Do weigh you hay so you know how much she is having and you know you aren't inadvertantly giving her less some nights. You may need to find a way to give her more than just a haybar full.
Make sure she has enough that there is some left in the morning, but do not leave the leftover in the bottom of the haybar or it will start to go off and will put the horse off eating to the bottom of the haybar. You can put the leftover on the floor or in a bucket if you don't want to waste it.
It would be worth leaving her a bucket of fibre based feed in the stable to eat between feeds too, something that has more calories than haylage and might be more tempting and/or easy to eat too. You could use sugarbeet or readigrass or something.
Just a thought on the haybar.....
I find I struggle to get enough in one to ensure my horse has enough to keep her going all night. Do weigh you hay so you know how much she is having and you know you aren't inadvertantly giving her less some nights. You may need to find a way to give her more than just a haybar full.
Make sure she has enough that there is some left in the morning, but do not leave the leftover in the bottom of the haybar or it will start to go off and will put the horse off eating to the bottom of the haybar. You can put the leftover on the floor or in a bucket if you don't want to waste it.
It would be worth leaving her a bucket of fibre based feed in the stable to eat between feeds too, something that has more calories than haylage and might be more tempting and/or easy to eat too. You could use sugarbeet or readigrass or something.
Michelle c
Active Member
Hi
She is getting a full mollichop bag of hay (pressed down) at night but i also give her two feeds now at night as well as a half bucket of senior fibre & sixteen plus cubes to eat thoughout the night. She still has some hay left but has eaten everything else. She then has a large breakfast then some hay. Out in the field she has half a mollie chop bag of hay with some more senior fibre & sixteen plus cubes mixed in it.
As she is a small 14.3 arab she should is eating alot of food.
Kat
Well-Known Member
They can be very deceptive! My warmblood x, who is finely built, often mistken for a TB, and only just 16hh on her tip toes has been known to get through over 30kg of haylage in 24 hours.
We had to start weighing her haylage to make sure she was getting enough everyday as we had trouble keeping weight on her last winter. I weigh her haylage everyday now so I can keep an eye on what she is eating.
AmyMay
Situation normal
I'd be inclined to just give her hay in the field - enough so that there is a little left at the end of the day.
Michelle c
Active Member
I just mix them in so it keeps her interested as she likes to try & find the cubes.