Time to see improvement in weight gain

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I have a tb that has previously always been a very good dooer and has probably been on a diet the majority of his life, even when in full work.
He has been retired 3 years (he is only 15 but had kissing spine) and this year coming out of winter he had lost some weight, which I was initially happy about as usually he is a laminitis risk coming into spring, so I wasn't concerned.

Anyway, he has had 6 weeks out on 40 acres of good grazing in a herd and come back having lost even more weight. I presumed that perhaps he had just been moving around more than normal as he was not used to 24/7 turnout.

Roll on another two weeks where he has been having 2 conditioning feeds a day (alfalfa oil, fibrebeet, conditioning cubes), 24 hour access to grass (not best grazing but adequate) and stable and full haynets available all day and night. He still hasn't put any weight on as far as I can see.

How quickly would you expect to see an improvement with a horse being fed a large amount? Would you be concerned after 2 weeks that no progress was made or is it too early to tell?
 
What quantity of feed are you feeding him? I'd be looking to increase it to 3/4 small feeds a day if possible. Is he up to date with his teeth? Might be worth getting an EDT to have a look. If he's still dropping weight or not gaining any in another 2 weeks I'd get the vet up for bloods.
 
It could well be that he is moving around a lot more which is keeping him trim. I presume worming and teeth are up to scratch?
How is he with the herd? How are they with him? Do they keep him on the move or is he allowed into their gang? Does he have his own pal or is he always on the fringe of things, a new kid looking in but not allowed to play?
This can all have an impact on how he is settled which will have an impact on how he thrives. If he is happy and settled with no obvious enemies who drive him away all the time, then yes, I would expect him to gain some weight but you also have to consider the recent hot weather we've had which seems to stop my lot grazing completely, they just stand nose to tail and not graze for hours (all afternoon) might graze for half an hour then back to their shady spot so that sort of behaviour is going to have an impact too. Is he bothered by flies as they've been horrendous this year?
 
He's having a very large scoop of each feed in every bucket. Previously he has lived on a handful of fast fibre and a haynet overnight and grass during the day with no problems including through winter and was generally overweight. He has lost all his topline since spring and his neck actually dips down before going back up to his very prominent withers and he has previously had a good crest.

He had bloods taken last week that have thrown up some problems with possible liver inflammation and raised eosiniphils amongst other anomolies which vet mentioned could be a couple of things such as inflamed bowel disease, possible tumours, parasytic infection. He had a rectal examination because he has an odd swelling at the back of his ribs which has become noticeable now he has lost weight. Vet couldn't feel anything untoward but couldn't reach as far forward as the swollen area. He also had a stomach tap and nothing untoward came back from that. He's been wormed and worm counted and that showed he is clear of worms.

Teeth are fine. He's always got a good apetite but he is much quieter these days than he used to be. He has had a really bad reaction to buttercups on his white socks which is almost cleared up but now his other back leg which is chestnut and not been affected by the buttercups also swells up, possibly due to him spending more time in the stable eating the haynets but he has never had any problems with filled legs before even when he has been kept in due to flooding in the winter.

I'm in a quandry as because he is purely a field ornament I have made a decision not to treat if there is a problem so our last hope is up the feeds and see if he puts weight on and if he doesn't then make the final decision.
 
He has been home from the herd for 2 weeks now due to his weight loss but whilst with the herd he was very happy, had a good buddy who looked after him but was spending some time not eating due to the heat and standing in the shade, but I was thinking that in 2 weeks of more feed than he would normally get in a month he may have started to pick up by now.
 
Seeing your other reply, it does seem as if something internal is causing a problem which is possibly not fixable. If that is the case, I totally agree with your thoughts as nothing is going to improve that, so sorry but better a day early than late IMV and he's had a lovely last three years with you.

You could of course try different feeds first as sometimes as they get older what suited them once doesn't now.
Good weight gain feeds IME are stud cubes, Baileys No.1, soaked grass pellets (I've found Graze On far better than the alfa ones) http://www.northerncropdriers.co.uk/product/grazeon-pellets. Barley rings or micronized barley too. All fed with proper sugar beet not the unmolassed stuff as you want the calories. Don't forget micronized linseed too.
Good luck, let us know how it goes.
 
Hi. I have a 16.2 Warmblood that we estimate is 39 years old. Over the past three years he has lost most of his teeth and he can't have dental work because he needs a sedative and his heart murmur prevents this. So, we have overcome his weight-loss with the following: Veteran Vitality in preference to Fast Fibre (appears more digestible), a small amount of Old Faithfull and, on my vet's recommendation, oil added to his feed.

We had to introduce this gradually over a week until he got up to the full portion which we measure in one of those Gu pudding ramekins. Hardly scientific but probably around 50ml of oil per day. Weight gain was noticeable.

Obviously check with your vet that this advice does not conflict with any treatments he suggests.
 
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