I really need help with this filly...

[Becky]

When you say 'her neck burst', exactly what do you mean?? Did she have an abcess that opened and drained? I wouldn't think that would have anything to do now with her inability to put weight on.

 

[mountain_waif]

....

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

Lisa, you do not need an xray to check if the microchip is there. A regular microchip scanner will find it if it is still there. She would need to be ultrasounded to see if there is a pocket of fluid around the microchip though.

 

[attwoode]

Looks to me like she just needs to fill out some more. I think that some more high quality grain or hay may help and maybe a little BOSS or Flax seed would add some protein or fat that she needs. Also a little exercise would probably help with musculature and legs. If all else fails she may start to gain weight as she matures as long as she is healthy.

 

[attwoode]

After a closer look at the picture of her hind feet - also check to see if your farrier is trimming the hooves evenly. Generally, if the outside of the hooves are longer than the inside, it will make the hooves turn out.

 

[LisaF.]

Her neck burst as a weanling...but, not where strangles would burst...It was a open sore. I never could figure it out and one day I was looking through her papers and realized she had been microchipped...I thougth maybe that is what caused the burst.

Thanks Robin...I was thinking x-ray...I guess the vet would have one of those machines to see if the chip was still there. But, wouldn't she be sick all the time and wouldn't it swell again...if the chip was causing the problem?

My other vet could not figure out what was wrong...but, the new vet in town...that saved my colt ...after the horrible dog attack...maybe he will be alot more helpful.

 

[Marty]

Lisa, I have a gut feeling that she could be anemic and a slight anemia would not necessarily show up in just a routine blood test. Some studies showed that anemia could also reick havoc on leg (bone) structure; (like a horse with rickets) that is, if she was very well bred and had nice good straight long legs before, that the anemia could off set that bone structure. But also, other defiencies could do that too. This is where Red Cell can come in. Red Cell is really designed for an iron deficiency and especially for anemic horses. Not sure of the dosage, but normally when dosing minis with horse size stuff I just divide the dosage by 4. But do check with your vet on this one, as a touch of anemia is just my best guess here. Also Omelene is also great stuff that I use too and you would just use the Red Cell, which is a liquid as a top dressing.

The other thing too is that she could simply be at this gauky age where she is having a growth spurt and can't keep up with herself.

Last but not least, maybe someone is stealing her hay/grain or she just may be a nervous type girl or is constantly running off the weight as fast as you try to put it on.

 

[LisaF.]

She eats very good. She doesn't have any problems eating grain and her teeth are good.

Marty ...she is very active..it would shock you she is so thin...but, she is full of herself..LOL...now when she was sick as a weanling of course she was not active.

Can you buy this red cell at a feed store?...or do I need to get it at the vets?

 

[bluerogue]

You can buy red cell at any feed store. I've never had occasion to use it, but it is said to work wonders on horses with anemia, and weight problems. I can't recommend anything else, as more experienced people than me have already said everything I have thought of. Good Luck with your filly! She's very pretty.

 

[REO]

Photos of her as a weanling. Going by these, money was well spent. She didn't look like a pet then. Lisa, do you think it could be something in her digestive tract? What about that stuff called Fastrack? Probios type stuff?

 

[Marty]

Lisa you can get Red Cell at mostly any feed store or online supply place like Jeffers.

I have a very lanky filly, Merry Beth and she doesn't hold her weight at all either. This little girl runs and runs and runs so much! I also contribute a lot of it to her confirmation as she is a very leggy girl and built much like a thoroughbred. She's just so darn playful and to compound things she is also doing a growth spurt on me, so I just feed her extra until she catches up to herself. She's always hungry!

I just have to ask though, what happened to her tail? lol

 

[Debby - LB]

Gosh it's amazing 2 1/2 years have went by! This gal took my breath away as a foal, I remember her well. We were all envious of who purchased her.

She appears to be very refined and narrow, I think she is maturing very slowly. She appears to be going through the yearling uglies still. She really does not look that bad but does look bad for her age, as though she's not as mature as another her age if that makes sense.

Try some Fast Track -I would definitely put her on Equine senior. She may already be this way but I would have her by herself with free choice food. I know you probably can't help this, some can't find decent farriers but her feet are really bad. What her legs have going on can be mineral or growth related but she's walking on the insides of all 4 feet and she has no heels, who ever is doing her feet would have been shown the driveway the first time they left mine like that. You'd be surprised at the difference in her skeletal structure with correctly balanced hooves. Since you seem to have exhausted all major medical problems...... changing her feed program and adding something to help her digest and utilize the nutrients she gets from her food seems to me to be the major factor here. Plese keep us updated.

 

[Debby - LB]

P.S. How tall is she now?

And if you don't mind me asking, since pictures don't portray what you can see...what is it that made you think "dwarf"? Is it an impression you got from the first time you saw her?....or is it a characteristic that fits in with all the problems you've had with her and would make some sense of this for you?

I think she's still pretty and will someday be a swan for you, maybe she's meant to stay there with you and show you that and that's why no one has taken her off your hands? If you were closer and situation different I'd sure take her, but I've had so many tragedys this year I have had to sell some who otherwise would never have left here. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[mizbeth]

HI

If you are having trouble putting weight on this girl and you have done everything else that has been suggested here so far, try treating her for ulcers.

Give her cimetidine or rantidine two times a day with some liquid cherry flavored mylanta. Perhaps she has a sensitive stomach? Probios too, try that.

A GOOD equine dentist familar with miniature horses...............!

Beth

Debby is correct, she looks very much like a lanky yearling and certainly does not look two or two and one half! Yes farrier too! The photos on your web site make her appear to have low heals, which in her case might be ideal. The photos you posted of her have too much heal, although normally a cowhocked horse would require more heal.

OMG her weanling photos~! What has happened to this gorgeous girl?????

I cannot imagine one falling so far apart............I think you need to feed her!

 

[small herd]

HI Lisa.

I feel sorry for you, and the filly.

It must be frustrating to feel like you feed and feed her and she won't gain weight.

I am no expert but if I were you I would start giving her 1) Equine Junior - it has high protein which growing minis need and has lots of good nutrients in it too.

2) Horse Guard with Selenium - she may be selenium difficient and she needs it

for her growth and may help her legs. 3) Red Cell - for possible anemia. 4) Dynamite Free Choice Minerals - comes in a powdered form and should be in a hanging feed pan for access at all times - they eat if when they need it.

Even if on pasture all the time the grass is not high in nutrients in the summer, give her some good quality grass hay.

I would seperate her so no one else can eat her food and she doesn't feel stressed about it. Also clean water and lots of LOVE !!

I wished I lived closer - I would love to take her under my wing

 

[kaykay]

how long ago did the whole neck burst thing happen?? was she tested for strangles?? Strangles doesnt always burst under the chin and it takes all different forms with different horses. My bet is she had strangles and still hasnt quite recovered from it.

I think shes cowhocked because shes underweight. They have to have some junk in the trunk!! Also building up her muscle tone would also help that.

I would definately get the xray done just to be sure that either the chip isnt still there or there isnt an abcess still there due to strangles. Her neck just doesnt look at all right. Seems to me there is something going on there.

Then i would feed her equine jr 3 times per day with red cell 1x per day and all the hay she wants. You can get red cell at any farm supply store or order it online. We are using it on princess and i do think its helping her gain weight. Princess has done almost exactly what your filly has done. She got strangles last winter and still hasnt pulled out all the way. We have a ton of trouble getting her to gain weight and she has pretty much fallen apart this year conformationally. Its very heartbreaking as she was a near perfect filly and we were going to show her this year. Im going to wait her out and just keep feeding her and see if she pulls out of it. My vet does concur that her problems are due to getting strangles at a very important growth stage in her life. (6 months of age)

Kay

 

[capall beag]

Lisa,

perhaps the pics of her are not great BUT I think she is probably a hard keeper.

I think she is cow hocked because she is, not because of hooves or diet. I have 2 little mares here that arrived as 2 yr olds, half starved with long unkept hooves, they are not remotely cow hocked.

Unless the farrier is doing a really hideous job it won't change the bone structure.

I had a filly last year, the best bred filly I have owned. She toed out on all four hooves. It was blamed on everything BUT just a poorly put together filly.

It sounds like you have gone above and beyond to ensure this filly will thrive and she just is not.

When you buy a foal you never know for sure how it will turn out. I think if and when she fills out she will be a sweet little mare BUT I don't think she would be breed quality. Certainly not dwarfy though.

I commend you for trying so hard and exhausting every effort to help improve her. You seem very dedicated to you horses I admire that.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I am with Kay wondering how and why you ruled out strangles? I have had it on my farm 3 times (in CA) and once the first time actually only a couple got it the next time the whole herd got it and the 3rd time was a different and less common strain

It is very very possible that this filly has brat strangles and is making her not feel so well and hard to keep weight on.

I am not sure how much you are feeding but I know i have a yearling that eats literally2- 3 times what my other yearlings do.

He gets the same amount of hay but gets 6 cups of soaked beet pulp, 2 cups of pellets, 2 cups of oats, 1/2 cup of boss. 3/4 cup ration balancer sometimes he gets 3 cups of grain depending on the time of year.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]Im going to suggest putting her on a Sr feed and here is why. It seems that she may have digestive problems, problems of absorption. The Sr pelleted feeds here are already mysolized for easier absorption.They are formulated for horses with bad teeth or no teeth which the chewing generally starts the digestion process releasing enzymes into the stomach. I would be feeding her at least 6 cups of that twice a day with beet pulp and alfalfa hay. The weanling pics are beautiful and she doesnt even look like the same horse! I have a mare with really bad back legs as a results of poor nutrition her first year that cant be fixed. She is very cow hocked and she wasnt as a baby. when I bought her we put her on red cell after getting rid of a horrid worm load and then put her on the Sr feed. She maintains great wt now but her legs are what they are.... she doesnt reproduce that though. Try the sr feed and see if she doesnt start to come around.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[littlesteppers]

Lisa..meet Sweetie..we got her as a yearling..she came here sick and skinny..she looked a lot like your girl. Here is a picture in her stall..can you see the backbone sticking out?

We put her on Tribrissen for 4 days with Probios and we made shure she eats in her own stall. She was on the buttom of the feeding pole

and she never would try to get feed. we doubled her ration, had her on alfalfa hay and redcell. When she felt better we started to work with her..this girl LOVED jumping. I think she would have jumped the moon

Here she is after she been with us for 2 month

Oh ..have you tried the Panacur double worming thingy??