Dwarf help!

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Indy's mom

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Hi! I'm usually just a lurker but looking for opinions/help. Let me start by saying I do have a vet appointment scheduled for this Wednesday, I'm just getting anxious for answers!

I have a 3 yr old minimal dwarf mare that has had no health issues up until now.

In late winter I switched from feeding "Born To Win" to "Carb Guard" because my 2 other Mini's that we show were getting a little to fat. Everyone started looking good on the Carb guard including the dwarf. I actually thought she had looked the best I'd ever seen her and couldn't wait to clip her in the spring. Clipped her in April and was happy with how she looked. Everything seemed to be going well with her...

Now a few weeks ago I looked at her and thought she was losing weight and I wasn't happy with how she looked. So I increased her grain and hay a bit. Then last week I noticed that she had no muscle on her hind end. She is already very fuzzy so that is why it wasn't extremely noticeable. I figured the muscle loss was because she is pretty inactive! Out all day but not very active. I added a supplement (accell lifetime) after noticing the muscle loss (my blacksmith suggested it). Then yesterday when she was wet from rain I really noticed that she looks bad! She still has the big, round, dwarf belly but under her furry coat you can easily feel ribs, backbone and hip bones!!!

So to me she seems to be dropping weight and muscle suddenly and rapidly! She doesn't at all act sickly. She has always been VERY laid back and droopy so hard to tell!

Just curious if anyone has any experiences like this or any opinions that I can share with my vet. Although my vet is a wonderful, knowledgeble man, most vets around here don't have much "mini" experience never mind dwarfs!!!!

Hoping it turns out to be something stupid like needing her teeth done (again) but preparing myself for worse!

I want to switch her back to the Born to Win but I think I'll wait until after the vet does bloodwork so I don't mess up any results(?)

Fingers crossed for this little girl, she has taught my daughters a ton about loving horses!!!

Tammy
 
I am sure you have thought of this but will throw it out here...worms?
 
I am sure you have thought of this but will throw it out here...worms?
I appreciate ANYTHING being "thrown out there"! yes, I have thought about worms but she has been wormed regularly! Plus, wouldn't my other two have them and look like this too? They are both fat!
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My blacksmith wondered if she might have Lyme! Anyone know if this sounds like Lyme?

Thanks!
 
I have seen horses that stopped drinking seem to loose weight over night. How is her drinking?
 
How are her teeth? Is she fed in a stall by herself or out with the others? She could easily be spilling her feed if her teeth are bad. That would certanily cause weight loss. Just a thought.
 
[SIZE=12pt]Lymes in dogs will paralyse them to a degree. Not sure what it does in horses.... EPM will make them loose muscle tone but they will stager. I will ask my boss (vet) to see what Lymes does to horses....... [/SIZE]

April
 
Dwarfs are hard to own. But I love mine. I have had Arnold for six years, the longest any of the dwarfs survived from the farm I got him from. He was given to me.

They thrive very well for a bit. But here's what I found with my boy - up until 4 his teeth were decent, now they are the typical dwarf teeth. I float once to twice a year just to make sure he has some even surfaces to chew with.

He requires much more protein intake than the other minis I have. He gets 14%, with a little beet pulp and loose minerals and vitamins sprinkled on it. He also gets mostly alfalfa hay and he's the only one who gets it year round. I have found alfalfa hay cubes to be best for him, soaked.

Arnold did the same, he lost muscle tone in the shoulders and butt, and has bends in all four joints on his feet. But he can keep up with any of the others here. He has the typical pot gut.

I watch his weight like a hawk. He can't move around too fast if he has too much weight on his tummy, so I keep after it.

He does not do well on just grass hay and if I lower his protein percentage in grain it doesn't take long for him to become lethargic and hard to move around.

The low carb stuff might not have enough ummphf for his needs.
 
Thank you all for your replies!

Muffntuf- I think you probably hit the nail on the head! I will still bring her to the vets tomorrow so he can check her teeth and maybe do some bloodwork just to make sure. Then I will start her right away on a better diet!

I did notice that since I increased her feed, her belly has gotten a lot bigger but still her whole topline is just gone!

I'll let you know what the vet says. Fingers crossed that it is just a diet thing!

I'll try to get some pics to post later today.

Tammy
 
How are her teeth? Is she fed in a stall by herself or out with the others? She could easily be spilling her feed if her teeth are bad. That would certanily cause weight loss. Just a thought.
She is fed in her own stall and I see nothing in her bucket or on the ground when she is done. She had her teeth done in the spring and will be checked tomorrow!

Thank you for your thoughts!
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Tammy
 
I have 3 dwarfs and I also think they requre more protein, Mine do however love the Platform but is is not enough for them! All three are different I have 2 that are plump and one that is slim. They have to havr there teeth done 2 x a year and you may have to try different suppliments. I find that I keep feed on front of them all day my slender one doed better. And I also find that Grow N Win does the best for them. I also find that they take more quantity then the normal mini, I feed my dwarfs probably 2 to 3 times more feed. You also may want to try corn oil on her feed for extra fat. Also I will send you a PM. Lorie
 
I have 3 dwarfs and I also think they requre more protein, Mine do however love the Platform but is is not enough for them! All three are different I have 2 that are plump and one that is slim. They have to havr there teeth done 2 x a year and you may have to try different suppliments. I find that I keep feed on front of them all day my slender one doed better. And I also find that Grow N Win does the best for them. I also find that they take more quantity then the normal mini, I feed my dwarfs probably 2 to 3 times more feed. You also may want to try corn oil on her feed for extra fat. Also I will send you a PM. Lorie
Thank you Lori

Not sure if you sent me a PM yet but I will keep looking for it!
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Could I give her "Vintage Mare and Foal" (since I will have it in the barn anyway)? It is 16 percent protein, 5 percent fat and 8.5 percent fiber. Or I could go back to the old Born to Win at a whopping 32 percent protein????

Blue Seal and Purina are the easiest to get so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Heading to the grain store today!!!

Thanks

Tammy
 
Tammy, Whatever you had your little one on before and was doing well on, put that back in front of him, it sounds like it was working. I am thinking when you switched to the lite feed, your little one might have been out on grass, even a little bit makes a difference. And now that it is fall and grass has lost its quality, that's probably why you see a decline in your dwarf.

Hope all went well at the vets!
 

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