Introduction and a couple questions

[clipclop101]

Hello all!

I am new here so I thought I would introduce myself and my minis. Tugger is on the right, and was a spur of the moment rescue from a bad situation. And Misty on the left is an AMHR registered and planned purchase. (Please excuse the mess in the field. We had to have a tree taken down in their paddock right before winter and we are still waiting for warmer weather to arrive to get a truck in there and clean out the wood.) I have owned horses for years, but Tugger was my crash course in minis and now I am hooked. A couple of questions to toss at you guys:

I am still fighting Tugger's potbelly. He has been wormed, and both are on a ration balancer feed, and an alfalfa/grass hay mix. Probiotics and psyllium fiber are also given on occasion. I will say that both are going to have their teeth looked at this spring as he is probably due for it, and hers may not have been checked in some time. Does anyone have any other tips for losing a potbelly? I know worming, protein, and teeth can play into it, but I still seem to be missing something.

Also on the note of worming. What do you guys use as a worming treatment for a new mini entering your farms? She should be current on everything, but I always like to do a thorough treatment of any new horse. She will be given a health check and vaccines by the vet, but I want to give her body time to adjust between the worming and vaccinations. I may even decide to vaccinate her myself and space those out as well. What have you found to be the safest and most effective way to deal with vaccinations and worming in a mini? Especially one that is new to the farm?

Pardon my newbish-ness

and thank you all!

 

[Miniv]

Welcome Aboard!

I agree that worming, protein, and teeth care all play a part in correcting a pot belly.... plus exercise. How long have you had Tugger? Have you done the "touch test" on her? In other words, rubbing your fingers down her back and along the rib cage? This may help determine if her belly is just wormy or she is just FAT.

As for worming, I'd recommend the vet do a fecal check to see what kind of wormer to start her on. Be sure to worm Misty the same at the same time. Just my 2 cents.

In the meantime, enjoy! They look like they are already good friends.

 

[chandab]

Quest dewormer (any with Moxidectin active ingredient) isn't recommended for minis, the safety margin is too small. If for some reason it must be used, then get an actual scale weight and dose precisely (not over, not under) by weight. [Do not guess or try to calculate weight with a formula, get an actual scale weight.]

Be cautious using bute with minis, they are more prone to the side effects; another know the weight and dose accordingly if you must use. [There are some things which bute works better than Banamine.]

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Welcome to the forum,

I reckon your best bet is with the fecal check, which your vet can do. You may need a broad spectrum wormer. Even though you have wormed them , often it can take a second dose a couple of weeks apart.

Next time your at the feed store ask what mineral blocks they have. Only other thing that hasn't been mentioned would be some "exercise" .

Have fun with them

 

[Cayuse]

Just want to say welcome! And "yes" to the exercise. Making mine move a little helped them shed their bellys.

 

[clipclop101]

You make a great point Miniv. He could easily be just fat I suppose. I have made a goal of teaching him to lunge this summer to see if the exercise helps. He truly has not been trained or worked with much before I got him, so a goal of lunging could end up being a whole summer thing. Last summer's goals with him were simple things like being ok with a bath, or the vet, or vaccines. I think I would like to teach both to jump in-hand and do some trick work just to get them working too. No idea if the mare has been trained to lunge already, but I can hope.

I should also mention that I do keep a mineral or salt block out there at all times to be sure they are drinking enough. If I go with a mineral block, they get a bit less of the balancer to keep from overdoing the selenium.

Chandab, I have never felt extremely safe with Quest wormer, even with my Quarter boy. Too many horror stories. So I am happy to stay away from it unless I absolutely have to use it. But I did not know about Bute with minis. Thank you!

Ryan and Cayuse, I agree a fecal would probably be best anyway to get a baseline of where the mare is at anyway. And exercise cant hurt! Thank you all for your advice!