My 14 year old quarter horse is losing weight and I'm not sure why. I need some suggestions. He had is yearly shots in April, about 2 months ago and the vet said he was at a good weight and made it through the winter great. Now that his summer coat is coming in I can see his ribs. I've never had a problem with his weight. He will eat anything. When he came to me about 2 years ago he was actually a bit overweight. I have him on sweet feed 12%, a scoop in the am and pm (probably about 3/4 of a lb per scoop) and 2 flakes of hay. He has always been fed this way since I've had him and hes done just fine. But hes losing weight. I notcied that him and my other horse has a bit of diareha and I'm not sure why. Could it be the change of seasons? Nothing in their diet has changed. I wormed him about a month ago with invermiticn. I also noticed that he's rubbing is butt. I havent seen him do it but the top of his tail is a little messed up. And with the weather getting nicer he is getting ridden more often, maybe 3-5 times a week for 30 min to an hour and a half. Sorry for being so long, but I'm trying to cover all the bases! So, what do you all think?
Horse is losing weight
- Thread starter Tanka
- Start date
norseofcourse
Herd Master
I'd get a fecal done for a parasite check (both horses) - Ivermectin isn't the 'kill-everything' it used to be, parasite resistance is a growing problem. Make sure it's a fecal check that will give you numbers (eggs per gram) of what types of worms.
Also have his teeth checked, and a blood panel might be an idea especially if the fecal doesn't show a worm load.
Also have his teeth checked, and a blood panel might be an idea especially if the fecal doesn't show a worm load.
SkyWarrior
Loving the herd life
Check for parasites and maybe have his teeth floated. Just some thoughts. Oh, and 
veritastar
Chillin' with the herd
I agree with the last two posts. If he was my horse I'd reworm him with equest/quest and get his teeth done. Also two biscuits of hay is not enough unless he is also on pasture. Perhaps you had more grass in previous years? Ideally you want him to have unlimited access to pasture, grass hay or cereal hay (such as oaten). If you can't do that then you should try to feed 2% of his bodyweight in hay. So if he's about 500kgs, he should have about 10kg a day (approx. half a small bale).
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Tail rubbing generally a sign of needing dewormed. You don't say where you live but, if a sandy area, also consider that you may need to give them a round of sand rid.
Agree with other posts, also. Plus, when deworming be sure you give correct amounts, to be effective. You want to kill worms, not just traumatize them.
Agree with other posts, also. Plus, when deworming be sure you give correct amounts, to be effective. You want to kill worms, not just traumatize them.
