What could this be??

[breezy B ranch]

My husband and I are going to look at a horse tonight that was posted on CL. The person said that he has lost a lot of weight in the last month. They have wormed him and had "someone look at his teeth" and they said they "didn't look to bad" They are giving him away because they are unable to get him looked at by a vet and thankfully unlike some people are more worried about getting him healthy than their own feelings about giving him up. If we take him I will have the vet out this week , however I was just wondering if you all had any ideas as to what it could be. He is a 14 year old gelding. Thanks.

 

[currycomb]

yeah, have had people look at horses teeth, they can't see way back and that is where problems lie. worming is also done kinda haphazardly. and there is cancer. i am assuming your vet is familiar with horses. epm is also a consideration. high five to you for taking on a problem horse. keep us informed

 

[sawfish99]

Sudden weight loss to me sounds tooth related. While parasite could be an issue, that is less common in the winter. If he is already compromised with low weight and poor conditioning, I would HIGHLY recommend AGAINST just blindly worming him. Do a fecal to determine if it is actually warranted.

 

[Oakroot]

He is a tb, a bit older and it got really cold these past few weeks. He may need something as simple as a good deal more blanketing.

 

[goodhors]

With stuff like the remarks of owner, you have to ask yourself if you can
believe what they say. Worming could have been done to his weight, as
suggested on wormer packages, or they just gave him "some" until it was
gone. Wormer given in wrong dosages, not wormer for the worm types he
carries, is useless at helping him.

Person looking at his teeth could have been ANYONE, not a tooth specialist
or a Vet. If horse will tolerate it, halter him, hold the lead rope, and use
a rag to pull his tongue out to one side, look in his mouth with a small BRIGHTj
flashlight. Do you see smoothed molars in the back? Are the inside of his cheeks
cut on sharp endges of teeth than need smoothing off? Any missing teeth in there?
If horse stays cooperative, you can try putting your hand in there to feel teeth
edges along the cheek skin, see if he has gouged the skin. Holding his tongue
out firmly to the side with rag grip, should prevent him closing mouth to bite.
Do his front teeth match in a flat line, or is meeting line wavy from side to side,
when you release his tongue to let him close his mouth, then you open his lips?
Some horses will cooperate, others will fight you about mouth checking. He
may need serious dental attention, regardless of who looked at his teeth before.
Dental work can cost quite a bit.

I certainly wouldn't consider a well-cared for horse of 14 yrs to be OLD! Should
be in the prime of life if not injured or damaged. He probably is not getting enough
food in the form of hay, to keep him warm as it goes thru his system. Or the hay
he gets is lacking nutrition. Is he drinking well? Impaction colic is right behind a
horse not drinking enough water to keep hydrated. Could be water is too cold or
freezes in the buckets first.

Blankets will help some, but horse needs to be eating a bigger quantity of hay, PLENTY
of liquid water, to keep him warm in cold weather. Giving him extra salt on his
food can help make him drink more in this cold. Mine are all getting 2 Tablespoons
each, per day, to have them drinking better in our cold. It helps.

Get the Vet out quickly, decide what needs doing, and get to doing it so horse is
moving back to good health.

Once he gets back in good shape, he may be more horse than you want! Just be
prepared for the possibility. He could be wonderful, with these situations you just
never know when you start, how they will end up.