filly not eating her grain

[kristi@berrett-ranch]

Our little filly has stopped eating her grain, she is still nursing some and she seems to eat her hay. We wormed her a couple of days ago and the weather here turned hot. Tonight we took out and walked her, she ran, jumped and played but once she went back to the stall and we started feeding she didn't seem herself. She has always ate well. I noticed that she was twitching in her flank area as well. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[chandab]

When in doubt contact your vet.

That said, I would consider ulcers if the only thing she is not eating is her grain. You wouldn't think there would be much to stress these youngsters out when they are still on their mom, but they are all individuals and some are more sensitive than others.

 

[AnnaC]

Can we know how old she is and what the daily routine is for her and her Momma? Dry hay plus dry grain, even with some of Momma's milk, might not give enough 'moisture' into her young system if she is without enough grazing or pasture time. Or it could just be that your wormer has 'upset' her tummy for a few days.

Anna

 

[Royal Crescent]

How about electrolytes? If she is getting too hot with the weather and has not been clipped yet, she may be getting too hot and not feel well. There is something called the thumps that can happen with electrolyte depletion, but I think that is more like twitching with hiccoughs, not flank. We just had a horse here experience that when the weather went from cold to hot and humid very quickly. We gave electrolytes and she was partially shaved. I am just learning here, so please be kind if I got this wrong!!!

Hope she is better soon!

Barb

 

[lilnickers]

Calling the vet is my first advice. Secondly, often young horses seem to occasionally lose interest in grain.Could be teeth,or taste changes. But if your hunch is that she is "off", it could be ulcers, or the wormer gave her a tummy ache.

Take her temp, and call your vet. This will help you feel better

 

[sfmini]

I would call the vet ASAP because if it is ulcers you need to get on top of them quickly.

Been there, done that, lost some.

 

[Genie]

My guess would be ulcers. I would have the vet take a look if you have not already done so.

 

[Mominis]

Probias + B12 may help, but I agree, call the vet.

 

[Riverdance]

It is called thumps. She is getting overheated and is not drinking enough. She needs electrolytes and lots of water. i would also suggest that you clip some of her hair off. In Kentucky it is warm enough to take all of her hair off. You would need to keep an eye on her. I will assume that she has a bit of an elevated temperature too.

She is going to go into heat stroke if you do not cool her off. Playing around with a full coat in the heat will make her overheated.

 

[Royal Crescent]

How is this little one doing now? Did you end up having the Vet come out?

 

[kristi@berrett-ranch]

How is this little one doing now? Did you end up having the Vet come out?

I did have the vet come out, she started having loose stool and had a couple of squirts so I had him come. He said she looked good, gut sounds were good, no temp. He didn't seem to think it was necessary but I had him to do blood work to check. He called today and said her levels were fine, no sign of infection or any indications of anything going on. He seems to think it was the worm medicine working on her.

Her stools had firmed up and I thought everything was good but this evening she had more loose stuff.

But she is eating now and playing.

She is 2 months old so I would not think that it would be due to mom being in heat

 

[Riverrose28]

If she's getting over heated you will also notice an increas in respiration, and her nostrols flaring. She may be coming down with a virus or indulging in too much milk. or she could be one of those rare foals that indulges in too much water. If she is drinking too much water she won't be nursing very well, may become depressed, weak and prone to catch a bacterial infection. It also causes dirreaha which can be severe and cause dehydration. Do a skin pinch test.