Tempting an oldie to eat

sleepingdragon10 · 5 January 2007

Hi Guys

Any advice/tricks on getting an old pony to eat? I posted about the pony in the New Lounge last week(it had collapsed in it's box) Well now it's refusing it's feed.
It will eat grass,but this time of year there's precious little of that about,plus it has chronic diarrhoea and suspected Cushings(long,curly coat,dropped soles but no Lami)

The ponies owner is worried sick about the poor thing so any help/advice would be very gratefully received.

Bethxx

PS.Vet being called re:diarrhoea etc but can't give it oral meds if it won't eat!!

rema · 5 January 2007

Have you tried the treacle or golden syrup poured over the feed!.

fairhill · 5 January 2007

How are it's teeth? Might be struggling to eat 'harder food' if the teeth are hurting it.

They could try

A bran mash (soft enough for it to chew)

Mixing the feed with apple juice.

Mixing the feed with molasses.

TGM · 5 January 2007

What has she tried feeding it? If it eats grass, will it eat a bagged dried grass product such as Readigrass? Has she tried it with soaked mash type feeds - ie sugar beet, alfabeet, soaked fibre cubes? What is its quality of life like? Have the owners considered the fact that it might be kinder to PTS?

sleepingdragon10 · 5 January 2007

Not that I know of,although that may well be the next port of call. Pony looks bright enough in itself,but if it won't eat,and the squits continue what else can be done?

sleepingdragon10 · 5 January 2007

She's taken the sugar beet out of the ponies diet as she thought that it was causing the diarrhoea(used normal beet shreds,not a speedibeet type) but the watery dropping have,if anything, got worse.

ETS:I had suggested soaked grass nuts to her....not sure if she'll get any or not though.I guess it's a difficult one for her in as much as she could end up with a fair few bags of feed that the pony wont eat and she has no use for.

sleepingdragon10 · 5 January 2007

Not sure re:it's teeth,although the dentist is due for a visit soon.

Heidi1 · 5 January 2007

Try peppermint cordial, slightly watered down.........pref in a mash, Readigrass or D&H Just Grass.......

sleepingdragon10 · 5 January 2007

Thanks Heidi

PrettyPolly · 5 January 2007

My old pony went off her feed, so I added dried mint to her feed to make it more appealing. She now gobbles it all up! Also, my old pony suffered with bad diarrhoea for a number of years. It turns out that this is due to a sensitivity to sugar, and since changing her onto Simple Systems feeds, she has been like a young pony again and her poos have at last become normal! Maybe its worth a try with the pony in your post?

sleepingdragon10 · 5 January 2007

Thanks PP

I *think* the pony currently has just a basic mix,so maybe the sugars/starches in that are upsetting her system?

alisonpook · 5 January 2007

Hi - would it be worth trying to get hold of some of the little sample bags of Blue Chip etc that you can get from feed merchants - may be an inexpensive way of trying to find something the pony will like . My 28 year cushings gelding is on Lami light , speedi beet and happy hoof - with the odd 'naughty' carrot thrown in. Hope you find something soon.

sleepingdragon10 · 5 January 2007

Thanks Ellie for the suggestions,very much appreciated

Heidi1 · 5 January 2007

Good luck. It's not nice when they are so poorly, yet bright........

sleepingdragon10 · 5 January 2007

Yeah,that's the dilemma

If she didn't look so bright I'd say enough's enough....but she's still interested in life as it were.....just makes it so hard for her owner

fairhill · 5 January 2007

It could just be a loose/rotting tooth. An oldie at our yard had one of his teeth removed last week as he's been struggling to eat, and is now eating normally again.
It's been so mild as well that there there's probably still some goodness in the grass that she's eating.

Heidi1 · 5 January 2007

Oh bless............well keep us informed of how it all goes.........

TGM · 5 January 2007

[ QUOTE ]
ETS:I had suggested soaked grass nuts to her....not sure if she'll get any or not though.I guess it's a difficult one for her in as much as she could end up with a fair few bags of feed that the pony wont eat and she has no use for.

[/ QUOTE ] Does anyone else at the yard have any suitable feedstuffs that she could sample? That way she won't have to buy a whole bag. Does anyone feed high fibre cubes, pony nuts, alfafa pellets or similar that could be soaked to make a mash? Personally I would be wanting the vet and/or dentist out straightaway to try to get to the bottom of the problem.

TGM · 5 January 2007

Another thought - when did the not eating start? Was it about the same time that the sugar beet was cut out of the diet? Just wondering if the problem is teeth related then the sugar beet may have made the feed easier to eat.

sleepingdragon10 · 5 January 2007

Not sure tbh TGM....If I manage to catch her tomorrow I'll ask.

Thanks for the suggestions guys

Bethxx

JessPickle · 5 January 2007

The oldies at our yard are tempted with

carrots/apple peelings (like use a veggie peeler) they love that and there pretty natural things so cant cause too many problems!

Also some kind of minty drink thing makes it smell nice. even a few polo's at the bottom encourages a 39 year old pony at my yard who takes a big dislike to bute (unless she cant smell it!)

guisbrogal · 5 January 2007

My friend has a 46yr old mare who has gone down with colic recently (she has no teeth hardly so suffers badly on hay). She has started to feed her TLC and her chronic diarhorrea has totally stopped and she is positively sparkling again!

JustKickOn · 5 January 2007

jhave they tried fresh mint leaves chopped up and mixed in with the feed. always tempts them

Llwyncwn · 5 January 2007

Beth - my recently rescued mare has had a 2 week dose of the squits. You can get Arrowroot powder from your local health food shop, its only pence, give pony a couple of teaspoons twice a day and it should dry up. My vet is all for it too.

lilym · 5 January 2007

have you tried badminton high fibre nuggets?? a couple of owners at my yard use them for this reason, and also to hide medication, they soak down very well and smell absolutley lovely, they come in vit/min fortified or just plain!

mandy4727 · 5 January 2007

My oldie is the same. He is 40. Permanent squits. Very thin. Sometimes he will eat and sometimes he won't. Mon, Tue his week picked all the carrots and apple pieces out of his feed (bran and speedibeet - bran has been the only thing he will eat which I know doesn't help the squits) and leaving all other feed. Breafast still there at night and thrown away and tea still there in morning. Stuck another rug on him (3 now) and he seems to be eating better. The only thing I have found he will eat in large quantities is Mollichaff Veteran. Is smells nice and is dead soft to touch. Mine has had his teeth checked and they are fine but due again soon. But he will rip your hand off for human food - crisps, sweets, bread etc etc. And always eats his carrots and apples but won't touch his own horse food.

brighteyes · 6 January 2007

We have had to resort to buckets of plain this or plain that - ie one feed type on its own per bucket. She will pick n mix quite happily, but if you mix them together....

She has never been fussy before, but now she's the very devil to please.

I wouldn't be feeding any sort of mix, just plain cubes and chaff - if the teeth will chew it.

I do hope the pony gets better soon.

Tempting an oldie to eat

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

lilym

Guest

Well-Known Member

Pooh-Bah