24 year old palomino gelding super skinny!!!

[Sassysarah123]

Have his teeth been checked or floated in the past 6 months? If not have it done ASAP.
Feed wise a good senior feed and hay should be adequate if no health problems.

I am not sure we got him a couple months ago. My parents wanted him for the little kids to ride because he was so calm and easy going. But since a couple of weeks ago we he started losing weight and he looks horrible now!
How would I know if he's had teeth done? Is there a way to tell?

 

[promiseacres]

Check with your vet about having them checked. Sometimes you they drop grain but not always. They get "hooks" on their molars which can be difficult for you to see, so it's best to have them checked by a professional. (A vet or equine dentist) most horses over 15 years can benefit from annual dental exams.

 

[Sassysarah123]

Check with your vet about having them checked. Sometimes you they drop grain but not always. They get "hooks" on their molars which can be difficult for you to see, so it's best to have them checked by a professional. (A vet or equine dentist) most horses over 15 years can benefit from annual dental exams.

Thank you

 

[Beekissed]

I am not sure we got him a couple months ago. My parents wanted him for the little kids to ride because he was so calm and easy going. But since a couple of weeks ago we he started losing weight and he looks horrible now!
How would I know if he's had teeth done? Is there a way to tell?

Got any pics of what he looked like when he arrived and what he looks like now? Feeding any minerals? Last time he was wormed?

If he was fine when you got him but has lost weight since you've had him, I'd examine what has changed for him since his last place of residence~feed, hay quality, overstressed soils, shelter, water supply?

 

[Goatkid51]

Agreed on getting those teeth checked. If you've ruled out parasites, and the weight just doesn't seem to be picking up like it should, even with grain, it's very often a dental issue, especially at that age. It's amazing the horrible problems they live with (and hide very successfully) for a very long time in their mouths! I'll bet you'll be amazed at what your vet or dentist finds in there... Good luck to you!

 

[AClark]

@greybeard -



This statement really should have come with a warning. Horses have simple digestive systems, cattle are ruminants. Cattle feeds and horse feeds may look the same at first glance, but there are some additives in cattle feeds that can be toxic to horses. There have been several incidents when horse feed was accidentally contaminated with cattle feed, and horses died. Before you feed seemingly-same cattle feed to horses, read the entire label, particularly the ingredients list, to make sure it is safe for horses to consume.

http://www.equinews.com/article/dont-risk-poisoning-your-horses-with-cattle-feed

I've seen that article about SafeChoice having cattle medication in it, only 2 bags they've found so far - not sure who I believe in that situation, whether it was the milling companies fault or someone messed with it - hard to tell in a boarding setting. I haven't seen anything else about it since then and they didn't do a recall so I wonder if it was just those two bags or if there's more to the story. I'm untrusting of most companies, but that whole situation is weird.

Cattle ration is safe to feed as long as it isn't medicated. Many medicated feeds are VFD now, Rumensin is not, but the bags have to be marked if they contain medication, the mill has to have a license, and is required to mark the bags. https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/Products/AnimalFoodFeeds/MedicatedFeed/default.htm
There's still risk of cross contamination, like seen with the SafeChoice mill, if that was the case, but no more risk than if I bought the horse pellets.
From looking at the label of their medicated feeds, it is marked boldly on the front of the bag, is the first ingredient on the back label marked "active medication" and the first instruction under feeding. MOST of us read the feeding instructions at the very least, if the bold lettering didn't get your attention. Like most safety labels though, they do get ignored - I mean how else would I know not to stop the blade on a circular saw with my hand unless they told me not to? All joking aside, medicated cattle feed should not be fed to anything but cattle.
So the warning should be more of "don't feed medicated cattle ration" to a horse.

 

[Bunnylady]

So the warning should be more of "don't feed medicated cattle ration" to a horse.

As the article that I linked to points out, there are often more differences between cattle feed and horse feed than simply whether it contains medication.

Considering that the OP is pretty much a newbie when it comes to horses (particularly when it comes to feeding them), I figured that it needed to be pointed out that the two types of feed are not interchangeable. We don't want them thinking, "Oh, yeah, cattle feed and horse feed are the same thing; the people on Backyard Herds said they feed cattle feed to horses all the time," do we?

I know a guy that just loves his "All Stock" feed. Cows, sheep, goats, horses, camelids - according to the label, you can feed it to them all! But as I pointed out to someone else, just because you can feed it to all of them without poisoning them doesn't mean you are meeting the complete nutritional needs of any of them. Mineral requirements alone can vary widely from species to species.

When you are having problems with an animal (as the OP clearly is), you really shouldn't go off-label unless you know what you are doing, or are following specific instructions of someone who does (like a veterinarian or equine nutritionist).

 

[AClark]

I also never said I feed it as a sole ration (actually pointed out feeding by weight by bag instructions on horse feed more than once, and feeding hay), which is where you're going to run into the problems the article points out. I was simply agreeing with Baymule's post that I'm feeding the same - I never suggested anyone do the same, just that's what I personally am feeding.

The horse in question has far more going on than this I'd suspect, either not enough by weight, dental problems, or possibly a health issue like, as I mentioned as a first suggestion, Cushings, which mimicks this kind of issue. He's no spring chicken at 24, and since the OP is a newbie to horses, it wouldn't be far fetched to think someone may have sold them a horse with Cushings without telling them. It won't matter what the OP feeds if the horse has an underlying condition that isn't being treated, and it's a cheap and simple blood test to rule it out while the horse is getting a float or being assessed for one. While they're at it, they can ask the vet for suggestions on a feeding regime - win/win/win.

ETA: I'm not a "call the vet" at the slightest sneeze kind of person, but when an animal suddenly drops a significant amount of weight, it's worth a trip to have them checked out.

 

[jjaazzy]

Pretty much everyone has offered great advice, vet /floats. I wanted to confirm the no cattle feed I am from the area where that happened and it was horrific, so don’t do it. Next I wanted to say, you can add bran to your feed mix, it will fatten a horse amazingly quick. Just plunk a handful in each feeding. This also helps move any sand through the system. You can also make some bran mashes with warm water, cut carrots, molasses, whatever time to time to kinda push things through.
Next... I can’t say I have personal experience with this product cause I’m going to try it myself for the first time. Crypto arrow I hope I have spell it correct, it is all natural back to basics and from what I heard, it Is turning things around for many horses. I don’t have big issue horses but after a nice chat with my farrier he told me great things about this feed.
But definitely bran will put the weight on, if you just did that. I use to buy horses that were skinny and get them out of places where things were not going well. Good feed and Bran, hello good looking horse.

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

Everyone has given such good advice. Just another thought....

My aunt had a horse that lived to be 38 years old. I remember him from foal to helping break him and I was there when he passed away. The only time my aunt ever had a problem with him getting too thin was after they changed him over to a senior formulated feed. They had bought some land and were having a house built so they had him boarded. The people there said that had seen that often when feed was switched to some senior formulas so they put him back on his original feed and...well, he lived to be 38! (Sorry but I do not know what feed they were using.)