Urgent weight gain help needed :(

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Beatrice5

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Following on for TB rescued from freezing ditch upside down in running water we now need to help her recover. She is approx 20 yrs old and has previously raced and been a hunter hireling so worked hard her whole life.

She was a light girl before hand but now after all that stress she is awful. Weight taped her today and it said 420kg and she's 16.1hh and has points where I didn't think possible :(

Every calorie counts and they need to be good quality.

She has ad lib hay and haylage to choose from both tested and good quality. She is a picky eater at the best of times.

On Monday I got her some Baileys No4 conditioning cubes which she has 4 small green scoops in total a day with a small scoop of sugar beet and half a cup of micronised linseed. Half a scoop of pink powder and a dash of sunflower oil. Oh and a dash of cider vinegar.

She doesn't always clear her feed but has had all checks done by vet including full bloods and nothing wrong with her . Teeth were done by EDT in October. Wormed and just ordered Protexin quick fix to help stressed gut.

Any suggestions welcomed as I really want to help this sweet old girl.
 
I put my fussy old boy on no.4 just before xmas and he is really putting weight on so I would stick with it and up the quantity when she will take more, mine is now on total 2 large scoops a day, he is only 13.2.
It will take a while for her to start to show real improvement just let her go at her own pace, spring grass will not be too far away and that will be the best thing for her.
 
Glad number 4 is the right thing to try - fingers crossed we will see her improve soon.

Yes we are grooming her daily as her coat is really dry and she is covered in mud fever scabs and rain scald which is slowly coming off. Is there anything I can put on her skin to soothe it.

Where she was wedged and then dragged out the ditch that side or her belly has come up really scabby and mud fever ish ( vet called it mud fever not me) he just said pick it off but it is so sensitive she really doesn't like it and I don't want to stress her anymore.
 
Gold label Wonder Gel is great for skin problems it is easy to use, they dont seem to find it irritating and unlike creams it doesnt get thick and hide the bugs underneath it. I have found it will do everything without the need for washing and too much picking off the scabs.
 
Add Alfa A oil to her hard feed instead of chaff. The oil in it will help her put on condition, but is slow release energy so shouldn't fry her brain. And make sure you're feeding her enough. Baileys have a free nutritional helpline (look on their website) and they can give you expert advice on quanitities etc.

Oh, and Sudocrem (the stuff you get in the chemist) is brilliant for all mud fever type infections and very gentle.
 
Supreme products moisturise and condition is great for skin. I got it for one of their tails but tried it on old girls skin and the next day you could really see the patch where I'd used it. Also did wonders for a friends horses mane growing back from sweet itch
 
its a good idea to have a worm count done; your vet can do this. In fact a 5 day course of Panacur Guard might be a good idea too.
 
We wormed with equest pramox this week on vets advice so we don't have to worry about worms.

Will swap the ready grass for Alfa A oil though and see if she'll eat it. She does pick at ready grass but only if dampened.

Have used sudo cream on her cuts on her legs which do seem to be drying up nicely but it's the scabby rash on her belly I thought needed something soothing and softening and sudo cream is quite thick and messy. Will look out for wonder gel and google it :D
 
spoke to Baileys earlier this evening and the 4 small scoops a day equal 3.6kg which is what they recommend for her current state which is reassuring. They said we should see an improvement in about 4 weeks.
 
I would try Rowan Barbarys' Readymash Extra - it turned my TB from looking like a neglect case into looking like a slightly overweight cob! Fabulous stuff!
 
we have had some stressy girls and boys who struggled to gain weight and they had fantastic results really quickly with build up mix (baileys 4 just as good) but with blue chip added.

They really blossomed with the blue chip
 
Veteran Vitality (think it's made by Allen and Page) is great for putting weight on, as it's soaked you can also make it into a nice warm mash to! Also Pink Powder.
 
Holly hocks how long before you saw reasults? She really does look like an RSPCA case after her accident :(

Off to research suggested feeds. The thing with this lovely lady is she is fussy so I cannot say I like this one as if she won't eat it then it won't work no matter how many goodies it has in it! Unlike my hairy natives that eat anything and everything including my gloves....!

Blue chip crops up a lot but I am only helping her owner who is at uni so away in the week. Not sure if he can afford Blue chip but will suggest it. Think he may be feeling rather poor after vets fees and emergency call out :( Would Gro care stud balancer work as I found that reasonably priced and when my mare had her suprise bogof filly it helped her stay in good condition through lactation.

I have donated a pot of pink powder from my feed room to try and help her calm down and settle her guts.
 
great feed recommendations already but maybe just keep in mind especially if he still stays picky with his feed, as he has had resent stress that he could be suffering with gastric ulcers or/and colonic ulcers, which is treated with Omeprazole.
 
the horse has had a shock. dont shock the digestive sytem as well. keep up with ad lib hay/haylage. pink powder could help. electolytes will help rehydrate her. small feeds of good quality will do the job in time. rug appropriate to weather. blue chip is very good, adding veg/soya/corn oil is also good if she will eat it. add oil very slowly. sugar beet is good as has plenty of fibre and water content to re hydrate. weight gain should be slow, rehydration should be quick. as for mud fever like scabs get your vet to make you a pot of mud fever cream.. aqueaous cream, with steroid and antibiotics in it! weight gain will take up to 6 to 8 weeks and cant be rushed. shine on the coat will be sooner. please be guided by the vet who is treating this mare. best of luck for a good recovery.
 
Asked vet about mud fever cream and it was over £30. Her owner is a student and already facing a bill running into hundreds so I don't have authority to authorise vet to provide the cream. Owners father was waiting for the vet with me on Tuesday but vet was late and he had to get to a meeting. Life isn't always cut and dried. If she were mine I'd buy the vets cream :(

Vet said get a premium conditioning cube which I did and we are trying. Owner was very shocked at how much she has lost in the week following her accident, she is body score of very poor confirmed by vet. She looks like she wouldn't be able to stand up if you sneezed on her. Her personality is bright and vet has said she is strong physically ie heart, lungs, bloods as said just have a long road to recovery.

Cost implications have to be considered in order for them to be viable long term. We all know how hard keeping horses can be and how vets bills can cripple. This chap is a student trying desperately hard to run his horse. I am helping research feeds and in her day to day care whilst he is away.

I am doing this for the good of the horse as I cannot bear to see them struggling when I can help. Unfortunately there are too many TB's on the scrap heap it's not like she'd be snapped up by a fab home if he couldn't keep her she's a 10 a penny aged TB who's next stop would be the bullet. Yet for him when she is well she is a great fun hack and a really safe hunter - he adores her just needs help to find the right source to get her back on track.

But you guys are a fab source of knowledge and I am so pleased to have such great advice being offered so freely - much appreciated :D
 
As someone has said don't change her feed to much , instead of putting veg oil in replace with corn oil I swear by that and pink powder for adding weight ,
And try and feed 3-4 times aday instead of 2 big meals this will help digest it better and will increase weight quicker then 2 meals
 
I think what you are feeding is fine, she sould put weight on slowly but surely with that.

Are her teeth in good nick? Teeth can make a massive difference. Other then that make sure she isn't loosing calories trying to keep warm in this horrible weather.

My mums TB was very light. He's on 3.5kg Spillers conditioning cubes with alfa. He is also a bit picky with hay so we have been putting a full to the top tub trug of Hifi lite in his stable too as an extra source of fibre. He also gets one in the field. He eats it all and I think it's helping. Fibre, fibre all the way!

The other thing is what about Aloe Vera Gel for her sores?? Try and get the 99% pure Aloe, I think Holland & Barratt had some on special offer but if not it's loads cheaper then the vet cream you mentioned. It's really the best stuff, it will be so soothing for her.

Bless her, hope she picks up soon. She just needs to be kept very calm and stress free, warm and with lots of fibre and grub.
 
Yes she is having 4 little meals already. Have opted for a glob of sunflower oil in each feed and will try to build up to a table spoon in each feed as she gets used to it. Is corn oil better and for waht reason? I am new to building horses up - my lot have the opposite problem ;)

And no I don't want to chop and change any additions / changes will be gradual but I like to do my research and know what options I have as opposed to what my local stockist has if you see what I mean.
 
Beatrice, my TB went from this when she came out of hospital

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To this, and I think there was about three or four months between photos - she actually got even fatter than she is in this photo and I had to take her off the feed because she did rather too well on it!

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Thank you. Yes teeth were done in October by good EDT.

Her decent rug got trashed in her recovery so she is in borrowed rugs from my Mum old Ex eventer and the livery yard where she has been taken to recover owners rugs. So she is in borrowed clothes but keeping warm is a priority and she is getting constant check ups all day and into the night to make sure she is happy, has hay /water/feed and is warm.

Yes Aloe Vera great idea and used it on OH's awful blistering sunburn on our honey moon MANY years ago and it was amazing. Great stuff to have in cupboard so will definately get some and try it. Cheap too :D

She has a tub trug of ready grass and was picking at it but today threw trug accross hospital paddock and didn't eat it. So need to present her with a few more options. I am sure she will tell us when we get it right - Love her. Personally I think ready grass smells diving and would eat it myself :D
 
Blood and guts she looks amazing - well done you.

Owner has said I can post pics and we need to take some for our own records but I am afraid of being mugged by those judging. She is sadly even worse than your girl after her hospital stay. We did weigh tape her and I had to do it 3 times as I couldn't possibly be right at nearly 420kg. That's less than my 13.2 Newfie :(

Took camera down today as we gave her a groom but felt too sad to take pics. I hate removing her rugs and looking properly at her. This was first time owner had seen her since accident and he's a strapping young lad though he was going to collapse in a gibbering heap of tears :(

He is looking after her this weekend and I go back on duty Monday so may pluck up courage then.
 
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