Weight loss, getting desperate

montysmum1 said:
He's on 'propell plus' which is an iron rich blood tonic, and has been for about 5weeks now. I've spoken 2 Allen and Page this morning, and they recommend Fast Fibre as a haylage replacement, which I can pick up locally tonight after work, and they are going to do soke research for me and call me back tomo as they said they hadnt had many queries as severe as my boy :(
Finances are going to become an issue, unfortunately they are not unlimited, so I do have to weigh up what is the most beneficial so I dont waste money on things which wont help him, instead of spending it on things which will.
I will ring my vet after work to discuss an ultrasound again. This may sound awful, but it feels as though she's given up on him and expects him to be pts anyway so isn't that interested
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I would start really pushing her to consult with liverpool vets, if she wont then ask for a full printout of your results and tests done and contact them yourself, for any advice.

And as others have said and I mentioned earlier, look at environmental factors, compare these to his previous yard, contact the racing yard and check on how they kept him, what they fed him. it may be that he just cant cope with the general change. Some horses that do well on busy yards may mope and lose condition on quiet yards, its not always the obvious that is the cause

Next step I would go for a scan/ultrasound, id also be stopping asking your vet, if she is 'giving up' id be telling, also weight tape once a week.
 
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If no-one else has suggested it, test for kidney failure. This was the symptom that my horse had but kidney failure is rare in horses and not routinely tested for because of that.
 
HashRouge, thank you x

CPtrayes, my vet said that his blood results showed normal kidney function, is there any other test your horse had to identify problems?

Queenbee, i have requested copies of all of his test results and should have them on Monday/Tuesday. My vets have quoted me £450-500 for the scan, which I really cannot afford, especially with the amount I am currently spending on feed.

I did send off 2 poo samples for worm testing, from different days to 2 different labs, and had a negative result (0 - <50, no worm eggs seen in sample) for both. I was hoping for a worm burden to blame for the problems but no such joy.

On the plus side, he is now on fastfibre, and seems to be loving this, so I will gradually replace his haylage with this, though he is barely eating his haylage now anyway. He has not lost any more weight this last week, though not gained any either, but at least we're stable. He is getting on very well with the boiled oats too, and although I could be imagining it, I'm sure he seems more 'perky'.
 
I've also ordered protexin gut balancer and their 'Quick Fix' online as I don't seem to have any local stockists with any in stock!!
 
montysmum1 said:
CPtrayes, my vet said that his blood results showed normal kidney function, is there any other test your horse had to identify problems?

.
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He had a peritoneal tap to check for cancer in the gut cavity and liver function.

I hope yours continues to improve.
 
It's good to see you are doing everything for your horse, alot of people would have given up by now and had him pts...
Are you able to post any pics of him...would help to see him.
In June 2011 we got an very underweight tb mare with foal at foot and in foal from the sales...We to had trouble getting her to gain weight, however thanks to another thread on H&H we tried Rowan Barbery's Extra Mash , as suggested by Cruiseline on your thread. It's brilliant stuff...you soak it for 5mins and we feed it with Just Grass, which is high in calories..Our mare looks great on it and is thriving. Id reccomend this feed to everyone that has a poor doer.
Good luck with your boy, i hope things work out for you and if you feel your vet is giving up on him, share your feelings with her or ask for another vet to see him...they often have different ideas/suggestions.
 
Thanku all for your replies. He is maintaining a steady weight at around 500kg but is now struggling to stay standing up, and vet thinks that there is too much stress on his heart,so we have decided to put him to sleep. I'm gutted, but will also be relieved that he will not suffer. Thank you again everyone
 
So sorry to read this but you've done everything you could. He'll thank you for not letting him suffer any longer especially in this heat, it must be dreadful for them if they're under par to start with.
 
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