3 rescued minis need some feed suggestion

[shoegirl]

I rescued 3 minis this past weekend. The two geldings are in better condition than this tiny mare. She is 14 years old 29" tall and very, very, very thin. They arrived with a couple scoops of Vintage Senior and a bale of hay. Vet says her teeth are fine.

Any suggestions on feeding her? Supplements? A special diet.

I have plenty of horse experience but when it comes to this thin I just want to do what is best for her.

Thanks for any advice at all.

 

[kaykay]

The main thing is to feed up slowly. Most literature and my opinion is that alfalfa is best for thin horses or an alfalfa/grass mix. But if you cant get that grass will work too. Numerous small feedings thru out the day work best. But start very slow. I would also get her on Purina Senior Complete feed. Start very small and as she adjust gradually up the grain. I dont like to deworm thin horses until they are eating good and starting to gain weight. With a recent one I had we fed 4 small meals per day until the horse started gaining then 3 larger meals per day as the horse did better. Thinking good thoughts for you!

 

[pepperhill]

The above post sounds like good advice to me. You might also add in some beet pulp. It is easily absorbed into the system and has good carbohydrates. Maybe just a cup once or twice a day mixed in with the senior feed. (Measure a cup of dry and then soak it and mix it) A few tablespoons of vegetable oil on the feed might help as well. Best wishes!

 

[Marty]

Definitely what Kay suggests works wonders.

Be careful about the sugars in the spring grass. Introduce it to them slowly, everything slowly.

When you feel they are strong enough to de-worm, start out with Safe Guard, for 5 days in a row. But I'd let them get a bit stabilized first. Good luck and best wishes to you.

 

[Charlie Horse Acres]

The above post sounds like good advice to me. You might also add in some beet pulp. It is easily absorbed into the system and has good carbohydrates. Maybe just a cup once or twice a day mixed in with the senior feed. (Measure a cup of dry and then soak it and mix it) A few tablespoons of vegetable oil on the feed might help as well. Best wishes!

Beet pulp works wonders for some horses but if you have never fed it before you will want to talk to someone about how to prepare it. It did work wonders for my sisters mini mare and for my qh gelding. Both of them have stomach problems and they digested it well and both gained weight after they started it. I would give you my water to pulp formula but since I got it from a friend and did not get it from a vet it would be better if you got it from someone else. And the Sr feed is what I used also for my gelding. He is only 8 but with his stomach problems the combo of the pulp and sr feed seems to be right for him. We almost lost him because he was having so much problems processing feed so I am a believer in Sr and beet pulp.

 

[Keri]

I would maybe suggest a fat supplement as well just to help her out for a little while. There's stuff out there called Power Phat that works great.

What the other suggested works great. I've been trying to get weight back on my gelding. He just lost his back over the winter. I keep him stalled and feed him lots of beet pulp, hay24/7, and equine senior. I also add oil and the fat supplement. Keeping her confined will help her put on weight faster (if she'll allow it).

 

[Miniv]

I'd like to DITTO the use of a Senior Complete Feed for your underweight girl. It contains all the vitamins and minerals needed, plus includes some beet pulp, and is high in fat.

We have a nice plump boy here that came to us dangerously skinny........ribs, backbone, and hipbones all showing through winter fur. Within a month he had a layer of flesh protecting those bones.........

His menu started out gradually with just a cup or this and that, but after a couple of weeks we had him on:

Free choice grass hay.

2 cups small alfalfa pellets (2x a day)

6 cups senior complete pelleted feed (2x a day)

We tried the beet pulp with him, but he turned his nose up and wouldn't eat ANY of his grain either! And since the senior feed has beet pulp in it, we didn't fret too much.

If you can find an alfalfa/grass mix, I would recommend that over using the alfalfa pellets. We were limited on what we could buy over the winter.