Update - very thin old pony with no rug - pic - what do you think?

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How nice to read of someone not only acting in a situation like this, but more importantly, in a compassionate and non-judgemental way. If more people were prepared to help without condemnation like this, the world would be a better place. Go you!

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My thoughts exactly
 
I'd second the fast fibre, it's brilliant for oldies and really easy for them to eat as they can slurp it up if needs be. Also you can make it with warm water so get heat into him that way too. I really hope everything works out for this little guy and his owner. Please keep us informed xxxx
 
Don't want to add to the confusion re feed but I put our old donkey on Soft n soak Ready mash when he was having trouble eating hard feed. He loves it and you can make it up with warm water to as soft a consistency as you want. Well done for all the help you are giving this old pony.
 
If you need us to chip in for the dentist
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And you aren't going to do him any harm feeding him stuff suitable for laminitics or the basic fibres in mush form. You might be asking for trouble feeding complex mixes but anything 'plain' and non-performance or topline creating should be fine.

You are a complete hero. Keep us all informed.

No further sign of his owner then
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It was very cold here overnight, but very still. With rugs on and something in his tum, he should have been fine - much better than being wet and chilled, as he surely must have been lately before Llewelyn found him
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They do 'still' cold OK, it's when they are soaked through and the wind-chill factor kicks in.

I'll be keeping my eye on here all day for further news.
 
Poor little man... Llewelyn, he is very lucky to have you looking out for his welfare. You really are a hero
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Please keep us informed on how he's doing, and I would like to help in any way I can.
 
It's brilliant that people are rallying round the poor old chap, but I'm a bit worried that at least 2 people say he's probably Cushingoid, on the basis of 1 photo. Not all old horses get Cushings, and he doesn't seem to present any obvious symptoms. A good, sloppy conditioning feed will probably make all the difference.
 
Well done for looking out for this horse.

Just be careful about changing his diet. Do it gradually so that his digestive tract has time to accomodate any changes in his diet.

I would definately contact the British Horse Society or World Horse Welfare for advice. I believe you already have the contact details for the local BHS Welfare Officer but if not then contact me.
 
I second the idea of thatching him with hay (not haylage) which will reflect heat into him and dry him off before eventually falling out from the rug.
His biggest problem is likely to be his teeth, that is more important than feeding him at present, if he can't eat you're wasting the feed.
Get his teeth done first, then a gentle wormer, then sloppy feeds plus a balancer to help his gut, and with a warm rug he should start to slowly pick up.
It will be a slow process and someone will have to pay for the dentist...
If he has a huge curley coat he's possibly got cushings a side effect of which is poor condition.
Good luck, at least he should feel better now.
 
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If you're having trouble getting hold of a dentist in the midlands then I beleive Louise Fear covers a wide area and comes highly recommended, especially with oldies.

Pm me if you want her number.

Our old lad digests warm sloppy feeds better than mixes (which make him tetchy), and always a good quality sweet hay over haylage, which i believe can be too acidic for some ponies, especially if they're not feeling too well. Mine adore happy hoof which seems to appeal in taste. I mix it with cubes and warm water.

and a huge well done for what you're doing with him. If you're in need of anywhere for him I have a spare stable and plenty of room in my field for one more.
 
<font color="blue"> Not all old horses get Cushings </font>

A professor at Leahurst told me quite certainly that most ponies and horses have some pituitary enlargement in thier teens and certainly by thier twenties. I always thought the thickening of elderly equine coats was nature's way of protecting the ageing animal - however, they rarely live to any great age 'in the wild' so my theory doesn't hold much water!

Post mortem results on horses which had died for other non-Cushing's related reasons showed evidence of this enlargement in a very high percentage of them, yet an absence of any other visible external indications. These horses may well have gone on to develop Cushing'e symptoms or issues had they lived.

I'm not convinced they all go on to develop laminitis, either, but the muscle wastage, pot-belly, ribbiness and thick coat all point in the direction of Cushing's syndrome. For me at any rate. Any elderly equine should have maximum attention paid to teeth, feet and immune system by good husbandry and the owner's dilligence. Leads me to think this old fellow is a real toughie. With TLC now, he should make it.
 
my boy had very similar muscle wastage/hollows in flanks when i bought him. they did fill in nicely after a couple of months. we got his teeth done asap and he was fed speedibeet, conditioning cubes and ad-lib hay. hes a bit younger though.

i also have a 6ft rug or two if required?
 
It is with an extremely heavy heart that I write to give you sad news. Today Okkie, the rescued pony, collapsed in the field and had to be put to sleep by our Vet. He was extremely uncomfortable and our Vet was with him within 20 minutes - but despite all attempts to help him we had to ensure he did not suffer and the decision was taken to let him go. As expected he was suffering from Pedunculated lipoma strangulation - a disaster waiting to happen. This is one of the most common causes of colic in older horses where the lypoma quietly grows inside like a ticking bomb just waiting to swing and wrap itself around a piece of gut.

We are all stunned. Okkie was such a deternined character and he made such an impact on everyone in the few days that we had him.

A post mortem showed he had so many different yet severe health problems that his days were always going to be numbered - but for his sake, if only he could have had a season of comfort, warmth, food , friendship and love. Having spent 20 years on his own in his field he loved seeing all the other horses around him.

I think it is vital that dear Okkie does not die in vain and that his death should highlight two important points:-

1. We need to raise awareness of the needs of the Elderly Horse. Remus already operates a Elderly Horse Awareness Campaign

and

2. We need to highlight that animal suffering is not just something that happens in the media - it is real and it is happening now close to you.

Many people knew of Okkie's plight and turned a blind eye to him and for that, he has paid the ultimate price. Thank heavens Llewelyn had the courage to fight for him and thanks to her Okkie died warm, loved and his suffering was stopped by the Vet rather than the agonised death he would have had alone in his field on a freezing pasture.

At REMUS we will ensure that Okkie's death was not in vain. His strength of character and his stoicism and his gentle but determined nature made such an impact on us all in the short time we had him.

Thank you to everone on the forum for your help, support, kind words and donations and please help us to ensure that something positive comes from his sad death.

REST IN PEACE DEAR OKKIE
 
Oh, I am just soooo sorry to read this. Poor, poor wee man. Thank goodness he was somewhere where swift action could be taken. I dread to think how long he may have struggled if he had been in his owners field.......

Thank you so much Remus for taking this horse in and to Llewllyn for trying to help him in the first place.

Terribly, terribly sad.
 
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I am sure he was thankful for what Llewelyn and yourselves did for him and that he enjoyed his new home and surroundings, if only for a short time.
Hopefully his old owners will not be too upset, he obviously had a big impact on all he came into contact with x
 
What a sad end for the lovely old boy.

We lost a much loved and apparently fit and well 22 year old to a lipoma (RIP Rio) so I know just how quickly they can go with it.

RIP Okkie
 
Llewelyn is understandably heartbroken. She took a very couragous stance and acted for a pony she felt (quite correctly) was in desperate need of assistance. Admittedly, there had been others also doing bits for him, but hers was the action which saw him back with others, and his age-related needs taken care of properly.

Life is very unfair but as remussanctuary points out, had it not been for Llewelyn's efforts and our support, Okkie would probably have suffered an agonising death, alone and without help to end the pain for him.

She will in time be very proud of herself and what she did, but right now is unable to comprehend the whys? of this tragic and unexpected turn of events.

I send her my very heartfelt sympathy in the light of this unhappy ending. She has no idea how to break the news to his owners...
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Oh no have been following the posts about him. At least he had a few days of being well cared for and didn't suffer at the end. RIP Okkie
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Poor little thing, his final days were happy ones though, that MUST be a comfort to you Llewellyn because YOU made that happen. I've lost an old boy myself to this lipoma thing, it is very distressing to watch.
 
How sad, like you said, it would have been nice if he could have had 1 nice season, out of the wind and rain and with some nice human and horsey company.
The good thing is that his last few days were really nice for him. he must have loved it. I have an old boy too and the thought of him being cold and wet and uncared for doesn't bear thinking about.
you and llewelyn made such a difference to Okkie in his last few days, all of us at HHO are so appreciative of that, I am sure Okkie was too.
 
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