May rescue a horse...underweight........

[ducks4you]

I think you're right--he HADN'T ever been wormed. We got a 5 month old kitten infested with worms--he's now 2 1/2 yrs old and FAT!!, for an outside/inside cat. We also picked up 8 week old puppy from an unwanted litter. She had a belly full of worms, too. She's almost 2 now, lean, muscled and healthy. (Had the Vet out immediately for each of them.)

What I posted was intended for anybody reading---you know, we don't have to pass a test and get a license to own our horses, so our education on horse health care is kind of hit and miss. My Vet is in her 2nd career---she's a retired Chicago policewoman---and she is fascinated with following up on her education. Sooo, I always get the latest research news and practice. (She graduated from the U of I Vet School, and still has ties to it.) I put a lot of weight on what she tells me. There are only a few issues where we differ, but they're minor.

Again, congrats on saving this little guy---I'm sure he brings joy to your heart.

 

[rebecca100]

It doesn't take much for a resistance and have dewormed foals with ivermectrin with no problems-including minis. According to the label it is safe for all horses. We had a gelding once that had developed a resistance to ivermectrin. We liked to never got his weight up. He was dewormed several times with different dewormers before he passed any of the parasites! I was at my wits end with him.
With the first horse, some horses are just "hard keepers" also. And at his age there can possibly be problems with his teeth. If you have good pasture then it may be worthwhile. If not then you may just be getting problems.

 

[StacyV]

Thank you all for your replies. We do have Happy at home with us now. He is quite underweight. He is approx 15 hh and around 825 lbs right now. I have been giving him hay and sweet feed morning and night. I know someone mentioned to stay away from sweet feed though. I can tell he has some teeth issues, as he loses most of the feed all over the floor, so we need to get the vet out to float his teeth soon.

Right now he is a very sweet boy! I hope when he puts his weight back on that he stays that way!

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[nightshade]

Having 2 rescue horse currently let me just warn you he will not look normal ( gain weight fast and look like a healthy horse) right way. I have one that was a terrible cribber and nearly cribbed himself to death. HE eats a lot but it takes time for the muscle and fat to really come back the way it should be. If you take your rescue on just remember you are not going to get over night differences and if he is terribly bad you will get asked about the condition of him when other people see him. Just remember tell the he was rescued and explain what you are doing to him. A lot of people jump to decisions before they have any idea of what is going on actually when it comes to animals.

Good luck with him you sound like you will give him and happy loving home.

 

[dianneS]

You are so right nightshade, about people jumping to conclusions. I was really grateful that my rescue was a mini and covered in a thick, long furry coat. Not only did no one know he was bone thin, but no one even knew he was a horse.

I know of people who've had thin, rescued horses on their property and ended up getting quite a bit of harrassment from do-gooders who thought that they were the ones who had neglected and starved the horse!

 

[StacyV]

This horse is pretty thin. I am going to try to post a picture with this. Its so hard to see him looking like that. I know its a long process. Hopefully by the spring he will be looking better. How much hay do you suggest I feed him a day? Should I mix in some alfalfa as well?

 

[ksalvagno]

That poor horse. Thank goodness you have taken him in and he will get the proper food and care. Good luck with him. He is a nice looking horse.

 

[StacyV]

Yes I feel like its good too that I took him in. Poor baby. I am just so worried that I won't know the right things to do. I don't want to do anything to make it worse for him. I am sure with proper feeding schedule he will be back in good shape soon! Fingers crossed!

 

[dianneS]

If you are able to feed him frequent small meals rather than just two larger meals a day, that would be best.

My rescue was actually thinner than that, (although that is really thin too, poor guy ) absolutely sharp, pointy hip bones and spine protruding. I had to syringe feed him at first and started with three small meals a day and gradually increased it to around six a day before increasing the amount very gradually.

I gave my guy hay 24/7. He didn't eat much of it at first since he was so infested with worms that his belly was bloated and he was in pain. Once he passed the worm nest he was able to eat more and was no longer feeling pain and gas in his belly. I don't know if you can really go wrong with hay. I considered alfalfa since my guy wouldn't and didn't know how to eat grain.

I still swear by Calf Manna Pellets. They are soft and easy to chew and its recommended for everything from horses and cattle to goats and even rabbits. They've got all sorts of tonifying herbs in it too, helps with digestion and such. Oh, Probios will help if his digestive tract has been damaged by parasites.

And keep up the worming, he may still have some. You may want to worm more frequently than you normally would your other horses. My vet said monthly, but I did bi-weekly at half strength as advised by the local rescue, then I went to monthly at full strength. A daily wormer would be good too.

Most horse re-habbers recommend senior pellets. Blue Seal Senior extruded pellets are great. They are 14% protein and easy to chew and digest for older horses so they are great for neglect/starvation cases too. I put my guy on blue seal senior once he was eating grain on his own. I also added corn oil to his feed daily for extra fat. I think the blue seal senior is higher in fat than other feeds too.

I'm so glad you rescued him! He really looks like he's going to need some TLC. It will take time. Good luck!

 

[ducks4you]

Please consider feeding grass hay, as well, because straight alfalfa is hard on a horse's kidneys--his health is already comprimised--and, if stemmy, harder to masticate than grass.