I really need help with this filly...

[LisaF.]

I bought this filly as a weanling and she is now 2 1/2 years old. It has been a battle since a few weeks after she arrived. The vet has ran all kinds of blood test..including checking her kidneys, liver, etc. It all checked out fine. This filly has never been able to gain weight and her legs are horrible. I keep thinking maybe with the proper hoof trimming, beet pulp, corn oil, etc...would help and this filly would eventually outgrow it. At 2 1/2 years old I don't think she is.

She has a nice head and perfect teeth.

I have thougth from the beginning that she is a minimal dwarf...but, I have never heard of a dwarf that has trouble keeping on weight...I always thought they gained weight.

Anyway, do you think she is a dwarf?...If not, what do I do to make her gain weight and help her legs?....Do you know what else could be wrong if she is not a dwarf.

This has been driving me crazy for a long time...so, please I would appreciate any help.

I paid a fortune for this filly as a weanling...should I just cut my losses and sell her as a pet?..or do you think there is help for her?...I would like to know everyones oppinion

 

[capall beag]

What does the breeder say??

She does not look dwarfy at all to me?

If I had sold a horse for a fortune and she had turned out as pet quality I would want to know and would want to work with the new owner on resolving the matter.

I am curious to know what they have told you or suggested?

 

[capall beag]

What does the breeder say??

She does not look dwarfy at all to me?

If I had sold a horse for a fortune and she had turned out as pet quality I would want to know and would want to work with the new owner on resolving the matter.

I am curious to know what they have told you or suggested?

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]Lisa I dont see any dwarf characteristics. I do see a very thin filly with awful legs, a ewe neck and really is pet quality. What is she getting for feed now? I mean in the way of amounts. As far as her legs go that is just how they are made there isnt anything you can do feed or trim that will fix that especially at this point. If you paid a fortune, whatever that was , you paid too much.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[LisaF.]

Sorry...the other pictures didn't show up...here they are...it shows another pictures of her legs...but, also shows how normal her head is.

 

[Tammie-C_Spots]

She does not look like a dwarf to me but definately I would say pet quality.

Tammie

 

[Getitia]

There is nothing about her that would cause me to think Dwarf - not even minimal based on the pictures displayed. I concur with the comments of the others, she appears to be a pet quality mini and one that seems to not be very thrifty from what you are describing as her feeding program - assuming no teeth issues, up to date on worming etc.

 

[wwminis]

[SIZE=14pt]Hi Lisa,[/SIZE]

This filly doesn't look like a dwarf at all! Although she is under wieght! Have you tried some Red Cell or Weight Gain ( A fat supplement). She looks bad now, but with a little weight she would look like a different horse! Her legs needs a good farrier to turn them a little ( may be too late now at her age) Might try putting her on some BOSS and good alfalfa hay for a few months! Good Luck

Bill

 

[Lauralee]

Lisa

I checked out your webpages and the filly is pictured there in nice fat shape? So at some point she was able to hold her weight???

I also noticed that many of the horses are kept in pens with shavings/wood chips on the ground??? Does she eat those?? Or crib?? Maybe she has a habit of eating those wood chips and that's why she is thin? Does she get any grass time to keep her happy and busy???

Some of the folks here know her breeder so I wouldn't want to suggest that she is anything short of a well bred, quality filly. The pictures of her in fatter condition on your website prove that she is a pretty nice filly when in the right shape. She just appears to have a problem holding her weight....maybe her teeth need dentistry work???

 

[MountainViewMiniatures]

Lisa,

She doesn't look like a dwarf at all - maybe if you are able to put on weight and muscle, she would look like a different horse. I do agree that it may be too late to fix her legs but it never hurts to ask your farrier - do you have any pics of her when you first got her? Were her legs always that way? Maybe a nutritional deficiency played a part there. I know some feed companies keep nutritionists on hand to help in cases like this (mine sent one down to our farm free and he looked at every horse I had -26 of them-, what my program was and made suggestions that actually wound up saving me money in grain costs) He also went to my friend's place where she had a problem with a 30 year old horse keeping weight on and in 3 months - what a difference! The company is Poulin Grain and they are in Vermont so that probably won't help you - but try to contact the company or companies that you do use

Another thing that helps and I have used succesfully is smaller feedings but 4 times a day and don't feed her either hay or grain with other horses around, feed her alone so you know she is getting all the feed! (You probably do this anyways)

Best of luck

PS I would contact the breeder also

 

[chandab]

Lisa I checked out your webpages and the filly is pictured there in nice fat shape?  So at some point she was able to hold her weight???

I also noticed that many of the horses are kept in pens with shavings/wood chips on the ground???  Does she eat those??  Or crib??  Maybe she has a habit of eating those wood chips and that's why she is thin?  Does she get any grass time to keep her happy and busy???

Some of the folks here know her breeder so I wouldn't want to suggest that she is anything short of a well bred, quality filly.  The pictures of her in fatter condition on your website prove that she is a pretty nice filly when in the right shape.  She just appears to have a problem holding her weight....maybe her teeth need dentistry work???

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After I read this post, I had to go check out the website... She looks pretty good on the website, so I'll go with Lauralee... Dental work? Maybe a change in her parasite control program (not saying you don't worm at the right intervals or anything, just that maybe she needs something different).

 

[Ashley]

I had a hard keeper. He was thin all the time up till this year. He is 4 now and is finally filling out some.

I would put her on Equine Jr, hay and pasture. I would rather have a little bit of a grass belly on a horse then a thin horse. My boy got all of this, unlimited grass, hay and about 6-8 cups of grain a day up till this past winter.

 

[justaboutgeese]

She does stand cow hocked but I have seen an awful lot of arabs with that trait that still brought big dollars. You did not say what you are feeding her. Personally I would hold off on the beet pulp and look towards increasing the grain portion of her diet. If you have ruled out the normal causes of being a hard keeper it could just mean she is a tough keeper and needs more to accomplish the same goal. With a bit of weight on her the neck and rump would not be so pronounced. She could still make you a good animal to hook behind a cart even if she will not show in halter classes.

 

[LisaF.]

Lauralee...You may be SHOCKED...but, the pictures on my website were taken the very same day as the pictures posted on this site. Including the bad ones and the head shot....I did not want to put the bad pictures on my website...but, everyone that has e-mailed me....I have sent the bad pictures too. I even had her listed on the auction and requested people e-mail for pictures before bidding.

To answer some of the other questions....

She has always been wormed....farrier...( maybe not the best)...and a few weeks ago I was reading on the forum here about purg worming...( I think that is what it was called)...I have done that also. I rotate worming.

As far where the pictures are taken ...I took them by myself in the round pen...that is not where she is. She is in the pasture with the yearlings.

She has hay 24/7

She gets Omellene 200...beet pulp...and I have tried weight gain...she hates the taste..but, I mix it in her grain...and it takes her awhile but she finially eats it.

I have not tried boss or red cell...can someone tell me about that?

 

[mountain_waif]

....

 

[Ashley]

Again I say Equine Jr. Something better then a "sweet" feed type of feed.

How much grain are you giving her?

I think her legs could also be due to her lack of weight.

 

[Becky]

Does she eat?? If she does, then she probably just needs more of the right kind of diet.

I have bought two underweight horses within the last year. Both were two this year. The first one I purchased, I wasn't sure if she would make the trip home! She was in horrible condition! I put her on Red Cell, alfalfa hay and pellets, Progressive Nutritions Diet Balancer and oats. I syringed the Red Cell (iron/viatmin/mineral supplement) into her daily and I think that is the only thing that gave her enough energy to keep going, initially. She finally came around and started eating. A few months later after regular deworming and teeth floating, you'd never know it was the same horse!

The other one wasn't on deaths' door but quite thin. I just put her on the Diet Balancer, alfalfa pellets and alfalfa or grassy alfalfa hay. It took a few months, but you'd never know it was the same horse. Today she is fat and sassy!

I want to add that I think it is very important to keep feed in front of thin horses all the time! These two thin fillies had access to alfalfa hay most of the time. I never wanted them to be without food until their weight was up!

 

[mountain_waif]

....

 

[LisaF.]

I have talked to her breeder not long after I got her her and we do stay in touch. She does not think she is a dwarf...but, I had thought it from almost the beginning because her legs started going crazy right away. I guess I was wrong.

She has plenty to eat I promise....as stated in my other post....24/7 hay...Omelene and beet pulp...I did forget to say that I do add the electrolytes in there sometimes ...but, not every day.

I have heard alot of suggestions on what else to feed her...but, I don't want to overload her.

So, is Equine JR better than Omellene 200 for this?

Do I add Red Cell, Boss, and Oats to the grain..beet pulp...and weight builder?

If I have forgot anything to add please let me know.

I also received an e-mail ....earlier that knows American Idols History..or most of it anyway.

Right after she arrived she got very sick...her neck burst...but, it wasn't strangles...she stayed at the vets a few days...etc..etc...to make a long story short...she did have a microchip put in before she arrived here....I never had her x-rayed to see if the microchip could still be in there causing problems...I just thougth when her neck burst the chip came out.

I think that is the first thing I need to check.

My vet has said she may have a enzyme (sp)..problem...but, he did not have a way to check for that.

I have tried everything I know too...except the x-ray...I don't know why I had not thougth about having the vet to see if it is still in there causeing problems. That will defiently be my next step.

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

LIsa, Is Idol on Equine Senior( I like Manna Pro the best of all the senior diets) She should be, it is easy to digest. New Bolten center reccomended it to me for all my minis.