Colt trouble.. Need Help....

[Bellas Babies]

I have a colt that is 4 months old and the farrier just told us he has thrush... We have been spraying thrush medicine for about 2 weeks now. His frogs were almost completely gone. We are very new to the horse world and need someone to help us learn

He has also been acting very lethargic and not active at all. He his a little plump in the belly looking- we have wormed him. Any help on any of these topics would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance

 

[Wings]

Have you had a vet out to see him? Any time I'm in doubt I call the vet.

On the plump belly issue there are some people on here that are great with feed advice but they'll want to know what he is currently eating and how much grazing he has.

Do you know when he was weaned?

 

[Bellas Babies]

He is still with his mother but is also eating 10% pelleted horse and whole oats, hay also. Glad you brought up the vet- we live in rural area and have no livestock vet. I would have to drive probably 2 hours ;( so any thing we can do on our own- I have to do before I result to a vet call... Thanks for the help

 

[Bellas Babies]

In my opinion, 10% protein is not nearly enough protein for a healthy foal -- and really not enough for a lactating mare. I would recommend you get either Omolene 300 (Mare and Foal feed which is 16% protein) or the Purina Mini-Horse Feed (13.50% protein). They should be fed at the recommended feeding rate of 3.0 to 4.4 pounds of feed per day.

I think once you increase your little guys protein, I think you will see an amazing difference in his responses and overall health (and his "bloated-belly" will disappear). I would give him (and momma) a high protein diet, with good hay (I prefer and always recommend pure alfalfa) and continue to treat the trush -- and I would expect that as his overall health improves, you will also see him respond to his thrush treatment.

JMHO ~~Diane

Castle Rock- Thanks for the great advice- I will get a different feed this week for them. I have 4 other minis- Will the 10% be ok for the others or do i need to increase them as well? Really appreciate your time

 

[ohmt]

I would get him on better feed-sounds like he needs more protein. My foals are fed free choice alfalfa/grass hay mix along with a 16% sweet feed (omelene 300). A complete feed for a growing foal would work as well-i like purina equine junior. Growing foals until about 2 years need a lot more protein. Keeping to about 16% has always worked best for me. Malnutrition can lead to a lot of health problems and make a horse very lethargic. As for the thrush, your farrier is the best to talk to, but we have done special wrapping along with meds in the past for 'tricky' cases. I am not sure if that is a good route for your boy or not so a knowledgeable farrier or vet is the best to talk to. Do you have any small animal vets near you? They should understand your need for a vet and be able to help-i have 'shadowed' a few small animal vets who have been more than willing to help out livestock if they are in need. They might not be as knowledgeable about equine, but they have the resources and contacts to help out.

Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[ohmt]

Well I got sidetracked when I was typing that and Diane beat me to it!

she gave great advice!

 

[Bellas Babies]

I would get him on better feed-sounds like he needs more protein. My foals are fed free choice alfalfa/grass hay mix along with a 16% sweet feed (omelene 300). A complete feed for a growing foal would work as well-i like purina equine junior. Growing foals until about 2 years need a lot more protein. Keeping to about 16% has always worked best for me. Malnutrition can lead to a lot of health problems and make a horse very lethargic. As for the thrush, your farrier is the best to talk to, but we have done special wrapping along with meds in the past for 'tricky' cases. I am not sure if that is a good route for your boy or not so a knowledgeable farrier or vet is the best to talk to. Do you have any small animal vets near you? They should understand your need for a vet and be able to help-i have 'shadowed' a few small animal vets who have been more than willing to help out livestock if they are in need. They might not be as knowledgeable about equine, but they have the resources and contacts to help out.

Good luck and keep us updated!

I will definately be getting better feed for the mare and colt ASAP! I really appreciate all of the advice! I have talked to our vet locally several times and even had him out to check them all out (with much persistance) He said they looked good and that was it- LOL! Not much help...He said I just don't do horses and large livestock. I will speak with him again about this particular issue and see what he has to offer. I just hate to bother him- he just looks at me like "i've already told you lady- I don't do horses"

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!!

 

[shorthorsemom]

You can dilute some lysol solution and put it in a spray bottle and spray the feet for the thrush. I don't like many of the thrush treatments , they are too strong for long term use.

Or you can try the product founder free. A probiotic solution that is great for foot health. My farrier turned me on to the founder free and it really healed my guys feet, gentle product, you can massage it in.

Hoping you are rounding the corner on your thrush problem, I know how it can be frustrating to treat.

Best wishes...

 

[Marty]

If you put your town/state in your profile so it will show up here it will be easier in the future to help you out.

What brand of feed are you feeding? Usually if you are getting the mix from a local milling company its lacking. Not always, but its better to get a good brand name of food.

I use Thrushbuster for thrush issues. Its purple and comes in a little bottle and should be in your local feed and tack store. If not, go to www.jeffersequine.com

Keep the feet cleaned out and dry and apply daily. Keep out of the mud and be sure you have clean dry fresh bedding in the barn also. This will take a while but needs to be cured.

Best wishes.

 

[AnnaC]

Hi and welcome to LB.

You already have some great advice from the others, so I will just mention one other thing. If feeding normal hay, please remember that it should be soft and leafy for minis, they dont digest stalky or hard hay very well. Or perhaps you have yours on plenty of grass and dont need to feed much hay as such?

Great to have you here - please feel free to ask lots of questions, however silly they may seem, there are some great folks on LB who will be happy to help and give advice.

 

[Jill]

I agree that he should have quite a bit more protein in his feed. That may perk him up. Also, how has he been dewormed (with what, and how much)?

10% is probably okay for horses who are not working, maturing or nursing. But it's not enough imo for late term pregnant mares, nursing mares, working / showing horses and growing horses.

 

[Becky]

As others have said, a higher protein diet for all of your horses would be best. Especially nursing mares, foals and growing, young horses. Thrush is generally caused by damp conditions. If your horses are standing in mud or manure, you need to look at a way to alleviate that situation.

I have found most vets know very little about nutrition! Your best bet would be to visit with an equine nutritionist or even your local feed store personnel can be very helpful. While the feed store is in the business of selling feed, generally, they have enough knowledge on the subject to make recommendations for your situation and your location.

Good luck!

 

[Mareish Mom]

Just wanted to say, if you can put pictures here of all your horses you'll get even more specific advice from all these expert mini horse folks about what they think they need nutritionally speaking.

 

[chandab]

I have a colt that is 4 months old and the farrier just told us he has thrush... We have been spraying thrush medicine for about 2 weeks now. His frogs were almost completely gone. We are very new to the horse world and need someone to help us learn

He has also been acting very lethargic and not active at all. He his a little plump in the belly looking- we have wormed him. Any help on any of these topics would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance

You have already gotten quite a bit of good advise on both questions, but I thought I'd add... You state you are new to horses, so when you get the new feed, switch the horses over to it slowly, its very easy to upset a horse's digestive system. So slowly add in the new feed over the course of at least a week. Start by mixing 3/4 old feed with 1/4 new feed for a few days, then 1/2-1/2 for a few days, the 1/4 old feed with 3/4 new feed for a few days and in about a week you'll be fully on the new feed. Do the same when you switch hay.

This forum is a great tool for learning about miniature horses, there is a search feature in the upper right corner, and you can search just about any subject you want. Type in feeding and you'll get enough hits to you busy reading for weeks.

Welcome to the wonderful world of miniature horses.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I have seen more than one vet say a skinny, malnurished miniature looked good. Some people are so scared of a "fat pony" that they go the other way.

I had good luck with peroxide for thrush. Cleaned the hoof out well, poured in the peroxide and held the hoof up to make a little bowl for it to fizz a little. Dont' use it every day.

The good thing about your concerns, is you are handling him frequently and he is becoming accustomed to lots of different things.

Good luck!

 

[valshingle]

For thrush, I like Absorbine Thrush X, or Coppertox (be careful, this one stains).

You have been given excellent advice on feed. I always recommend using name brand feeds (Purina, etc) and good quality hay. I personally prefer Equine Jr to Omolene 300, but both are excellent feeds.

I recommend that you ask the local feed stores and farrier for the names of some equine vets in your area.

Good luck!

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

All the feed advice is dead on- he needs more protein, for sure!

Plus I have read in EQUUS that spraying a thrush medicine doesn't work nearly as well as brushing in it- really work it in the grooves hard. That way it's not just sitting on the surface, it's where it needs to be deep inside.

 

[Miniv]

I agree with everyone who said that 10 percent protein isn't enough for a weanling OR a lactating mare.

I'd just like to bring up what Jill mentioned....Worming. Do you have your baby on a worming schedule? That may also help with his attitude and his belly.

 

[wildoak]

You have gotten good sound advice on feed, that should help your colt. Thrush-Off is another great remedy, and it's not caustic like so many thrush treatments. Can be ordered from www.valleyvet.com or other catalog suppliers, and it's nothing short of a miracle cure as far as I'm concerned. Too bad about your vet situation - you might be able to contact your state veterinary board and find a list of vets/specialties to see who is near you.

Jan

 

[Lindi-loo]

Hope your little man gets better soon

..some great advice to be had here from some very nice freindly people I will leave the good advice to the experts just wanted to wish you luck