underweight shetland

[Stinkbomb]

Ive recently noticed that my mini shetland Ty isnt as weighty as id like him. For a shetland he is not a good doer which is surprising. He is currently out 24/7 plenty of grass but like most its poor quality due to the time of year. He gets fed once a day and is having 2 small handfulls of ALFA A, recommended amount of baileys local and i small scoop of speedibeet.
I dont want to wait till summer as he is on restricted grazing as from March. His previous owners said he has had laminitis in the past but ive had him nearly 4 years now and he has never suffered with me. However i dont like to risk it with the grass in summer. i would rather feed him to his desired weight, on restricted grazing than let him have the fresh grass in summer, if that makes sense?
He isnt skinny by any stretch of the imagination but i would like a little more on him. Any ideas what i can safetly feed him that will increase his weight??
I have baileys outshine and conditioning cubes for my other mini horse but not sure whether these would be the right thing to use on Ty?

 

[splashgirl45]

my first thought is Has he been wormed regularly,if so maybe do a worm count to make sure that he is not infested and the second would be to get his teeth checked..also how old is he?...sorry if you had already done this but would do that before upping his feed, as sounds like your feeding is ok but could maybe increase the speedibeet.......hope this helps

 

[dozzie]

I would just give him more hay or add a fibre nut to his diet (probably about 1/2 a scoop a day for a shettie).That should be enough. BUT I am not a feed expert! I just think it is better to be a bit underweight than overweight going into spring with a possible laminitic and most good doers seem to pile on the weight with more fibre.

 

[varkie]

Echo splashgirl post, plus when did he last have his teeth done?

A mini gelding that doesn't hold his weight well would worry me (incredibly unusual!), and I'd probably want a vet to have a look at him.

Following that and getting the all clear, I'd pick the feed company I trusted best, and have a word with their nutritionist - most companies have one you can talk to. I use Top Spec feeds, and find their nutritionist very helpful.

 

[Stinkbomb]

He had his teeth done in December. I cant feed anymore hay as he just wont eat it. He is out 24/7 and i just fill the racks in the shelter with hay every day but there is always hay left. Worming all up to date but ive not done a worm count as he is only grazed with my mini stallion. Will prob get vet out to see whether he will take bloods

 

[haycroft]

agree with all above posts
as you say hes had lami in the past..and there is so much of it around atm ,have you notice anything different appart from weight lost,
,also best to get a blood test to rule of first signs of cushings

its always a worry