loss of appetite

[attwoode]

I have 20 yr old mare that has been very picky in eating for the last 8 mos. She had a foal in April 2009 with no problem. I increased her grain and hay while the foal was nursing and the mare was doing great. The foal was weaned at 6mo when I noticed the mare started losing a little muscle on her back. She was still in very good weight though. I put her in with some other mares last fall and she seemed to do well for several months. By spring 2010 she had started to lose a little weight and would not eat more than a mouthful of grain. I had her checked by my vet and she wasn't too worried. The mare did very well on grass this summer and would eat some grain off and on, but not like she would have previously. Now that the grass is buried under snow, she just eats maybe 1/4 flake of hay (free choice) each day and has lost probably 30-40lbs in the last 2 months. She won't eat afalfa, bran, carrots or anything other than grass or a little hay. She acts hungry but then just picks at her food. She eats slowly for maybe 10 minutes and then goes to stand in the corner of her paddock for a couple hours. I'm not sure if she's eating enough to make it through winter, so I really need to get this figured out.

She's had teeth floated and been wormed in rotation with Ivermectin and Strongid. I put her on gastroguard for 10 days with no change. When I put her on a week of oral antibiotics toward the end of summer she seemed to go off feed even worse. I'm thinking I may need to be more aggressive with ulcer meds and also try a more aggressive worming with double dose of Panacur. If this doesn't bring her around, I'll assume it must be one of these: kidneys, liver,intestinal tumors/disease, or maybe complications from Cushings.

I had another vet out today who was more helpful. He mentioned kidney and liver issues, encysted strongyles, and intestinal tumors, but also suggests that Cushings is a possibility. The decreased appetite makes me think it is not Cushings. Has anyone had a Cushings horse with poor appetite? She does urinate small amounts more frequently than my other mares, but seems to drink only a little more than them. I plan on getting a full blood panel after the holidays. Any other ideas?

 

[Ridgerunner]

My first thought was ulcers, but I see you gave her a round of Gastroguard with no results. However, if it's been going on for several months, she may need more aggressive, longer treatment. When my horses go off their grain, but will graze and eat hay, I always think ulcer. It certainly won't hurt to give her more Gastroguard, and I'd add sucralfate. That coats the ulcer so it can heal. I'm glad you've got your vet involved, and the blood work should be helpful. Hope it's nothing too serious!

 

[Marty]

I'm sorry you are going through this. This is what I would do if she were mine. I would pamper the heck out of her. This mare is old and needs to be inside and on a good supplement for artheritis pain. Your weather there is nasty and the cold is contributing her loosing too much weight. I would bring her in out of the weather and get her started on a good round of warm soaked beet pulp daily, good food and good hay and serve her plenty of warm water. Probios a couple times a week. Ulcer treatment for sure. Don't feed any sweet feed or food with corn and that will aggravate and ulcer. Ten days is not nearly enough for ulcer meds. You need about 40 and be sure you are giving her enough dosage. You may want to increase it and also add some Tagament with it but check with your vet on it. She may need another float and have the vet check for leisions and sores on the inside of her mouth. A dose of panacur has healing propertys that take care of that. Also be sure you are checking her temp for an infection as well. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[Riverrose28]

We have a 26 year old gelding, that also doesn't like to eat much of his hay. When he started to lose too much weight this is what I did to add on more pounds. I slowly started adding a senior feed to his diet until that was the only grain, I mixed in Reliance pellets as it is a hay replacer that he will eat. He is still a very slow eater, it takes him twice as long to eat as the other guys, and I feed him in stall to make sure he eats it all. I had a horse with cushings and she was always hungry, not to mention fat. I would also recommend some blood work, if it hasn't been done yet. Good luck, I know that worrying about her is killing you. Terry

 

[HGFarm]

I think Marty's advice is wonderful and pretty much covers everything.

Purina Sr Feed is a complete feed and is very easy to chew and digest. I had an old mare that was starting to lose a tooth or two, and could not eat hay or she would choke, and she held her weight really well on just the Sr.

And yes, your little horse is going to need some extra pampering with the things that Marty mentioned and the cold does no favors for old bones. Usually picking in the feed is a sign of pain somewhere, whether it is a tooth going bad, lose or ulcer or something.....

Good luck and hope she improves.

 

[targetsmom]

I feel your pain... My first thought is also ulcers, because that is what I am dealing with. I agree Gastroguard for 10 days isn't enough IF it is ulcers - mine has been on it since late October, and I added the sucralfate end of November and THAT was when I started seeing results. I would also try Stomach Soother to get her to eat - with or without ulcers or ulcer meds. This is a natural papaya product which tastes delicious (I am told by humans) and might stimulate the appetite, plus it helps ulcers too. I feed it with my minis feed, and also give 5-10 cc in a dosing syringe when he shows pain (pawing, stretching, rolling, etc) or to get him to eat.

The other thing I would suggest is a quality senior feed (I use Nutrena) that is easy to digest, and in the case of Nutrena is a complete feed, mostly alfalfa meal and beet pulp, so does not have the issues that sweet feeds do. You can soak it if you want. Actually, for my boy, his "dinner" is mostly soaked alfalfa cubes - good for ulcers - with the grain, some corn oil, and Stomach Soother mixed in. My yearling stallion went from picking at his food to begging for dinner on this regimen. I just had a long chat with my Nutrena nutritionist this week and she agreed with everything I am doing. (Plus the slow hay feeder I am using, which I highly recommend for ulcers).

Good luck with your mare!

ETA: I would also add a blanket for her if the weather is nasty. Sounds like she might need it.

 

[Becky]

I agree with Marty. I would get really aggressive with ulcer meds. I would use UlcerGuard plus ranitidine. And keep her where she didn't have to exert herself to keep warm which would only burn more calories.

I have a Cushings mare who I have to monitor her weight, but she eats good and is doing relatively well.

 

[Genie]

I have seen this behaviour in a mare who had a "load of bots" however I don't think it could go on for this long and the mare still be alive, if it was bots. I just threw that out as a thought.

I feed everyone a warm mash of beet pulp, Krunch and oat pellets with some canola oil in the winter.

Sorry for your trouble with the mare. It's so hard when nothing seems to work.

Lots of good advice already given.

 

[attwoode]

Thanks everyone. Unfortunately she won't eat beet pulp at all or even soaked alfalfa. She even turns her nose up at a very nice second cutting hay -prefers first cutting. When I say that I give her "grain" I actually give her complete feed pellets. She stopped eating Equine Senior completely so I switched her to Horse Chow 200. She has a blanket on 24/7 and a heat source in her stall. She likes being out with the other horses during the day and seems to perk up a bit when she can see other horses eating too. She is separated during feeding time but goes out with one other gentle mare during the day where they have free choice hay. I want to keep her stress level low.

Thanks for all of the ideas. I'm hoping that one of these will work. I'll try the ulcer treatment more agressively and see if she responds.

 

[chandab]

My first thought was ulcers too. And, others have already given good advice on that.

I've found my horses like a probiotic from SmartPak better than Probios; and I give it daily to the couple I have with digestive issues. Its SmartDigest, and they really seem to like the taste, so I can just topdress their feed (it really helped my senior half-Arab gelding when I first added it to his diet, he started back on normal eating habits pretty quickly). The vet prescribed daily probiotics for my mini gelding with health issues; I use the SmartDigest for him, and he hasn't gone off his feed once and he's eating like a trooper. [The Probios might be cheaper, but none of mine would eat the Probios powder on their feed, and the daily dosing with the tube gets old fast for all involved.]

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I'm sorry you are experiencing this. It's tough when one won't eat and you don't know why. I agree with the advice given previously and do strongly encourage you to get the bloodwork done.

Something that hasn't been mentioned is the condition (cant think of what its called) that resultant in a thickening of the intestinal wall. My friends gelding has it and has been losing weight for a year. It not only means they absorb less nutrients from what they do eat, they also present with a reduced appetite. He has been on steroids daily as well as ulcer treatment for almost two months. Plus he eats a ridiculously high calorie diet. It has helped. The steroids increase his appetite, the ulcer meds help keep his tummy calm. They have been told its not a forever solution, but its working for now.

My mare Puddin is in low weight also. Only wants grass which is now all gone. It's a daily battle getting food in her. Her medical tests show NOTHING that would decrease her appetite. She is coming 29. For her, equine senior with shredded carrots mixed in thoroughly, plus all the nicker makers she will eat is what is sustaining her. She wears a thick blanket when its below 32 or windy. I can't stall her as it stresses her out too much, although I did force her during the ice storm because she isn't very sure footed. She stayed in my neighbors heated arena where she could see his stalled quarter horses.

I wish you the best. Please keep us posted.

 

[Reble]

I would suggest electrolytes, aids in appetite and water consumption.

If she will not drink the water with it in.

Either syringe it too her 2-3 times a day or get the paste.

good luck, keep us posted..

 

[MountainMeadows]

Although I would not rule out ulcers - I would bet that her bloodwork will show some sort of kidney or liver failure -- these types of issues will not resolve on their own - antibiotics will make it worse - best thing for her would be to get diagnosed and then if it is a kidney issue she will need aggresive treatment at a clinic to help her get re-balanced --- altho some horses do not respond and your prognosis is not good. My mare Sonata acted much the same as what you are describing, she was diagnosed with severe kidney failure (I caught her at about 2 weeks into her picky eating issues but thought she was just being overfed since she had a foal at side and I always overfeed my nursing mares). My vets gave me some herbal stuff that I syringed into her with applesauce - she hated it -- but I managed to baby her thru the winter and with spring and fresh grass she responded well and had a great spring & summer - she did finally succumb to the disease about 2 months ago, but I know that the last year of her life was painfree and that she had a wonderful summer with all of her buddies.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

This is always such a heartbreaking situation.

I've had two horses put me through it so far and it's the most frustrating thing I can imagine; I have literally sat in a stall holding a pail of carrots, treats, senior feed and beet pulp and begged my best friend to eat with tears running down my face. The last time Spyder went on a hunger strike we did tests and found he had a large mass of some kind in his intestinal area which was pushing on his internal organs in such a way that he simply didn't feel hungry after a few mouthfuls. There is no way to coax a horse who already feels full to eat and we lost him peacefully a few weeks later.

Kody, my 10 year old mini gelding, has had a delicate digestive system since the day I got him. He's prone to recurring ulcers which put him off his hay, has allergies which make him go off his grain, and if you get those two under control he'll suddenly stop eating both for no reason at all that we can find.

After an episode this last spring where he wouldn't even eat grass for two days and the vet could find nothing wrong I threw a flake of every kind of hay I could purchase in front of him and he decided the alfalfa looked interesting and slowly started eating again. These days he gets a preventative dose of Ulcergard for 24 hours before and after so much as a simple trailer ride, a handful of alfalfa with every meal as I'm told the calcium in it helps prevent ulcers, a dose of allergy meds if I think he's going to be anywhere near cedar shavings or pollen, and most importantly a dose of probiotics once a day, every day.

I could not believe how much difference the probiotics made!

Since going on them he's been eating like...well...a horse, and hasn't gone off his feed once. He paws for his hay and scrapes his teeth down the wall to make me hurry up with his grain then scarfs it all down and goes right back to his hay.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised as my tummy is almost as delicate as his and probiotics help me (that's why I started him on them) but it was still amazing.

Given your mare's age I think the bloodwork is an important place to start. She may have a tumor or mass somewhere, she may have kidney or liver issues, but any of those would show up on bloodwork. If she had an infection she should be running some kind of fever or have elevated white cell counts. It never hurts anything but your pocket book to aggressively treat for ulcers and I've been tempted to try that Stomach Soother stuff except the probiotics worked for us before I got around to that. Given what you say about her acting hungry but picking at the food I'd be strongly suspicious that she's got pain somewhere, either after the food hits her stomach or somewhere in her mouth. It's odd that she only eats the stemmier stuff though!

She's had teeth floated and been wormed in rotation with Ivermectin and Strongid. I put her on gastroguard for 10 days with no change. When I put her on a week of oral antibiotics toward the end of summer she seemed to go off feed even worse. I'm thinking I may need to be more aggressive with ulcer meds and also try a more aggressive worming with double dose of Panacur.

Obviously your vet knows better than I do but having tried an initial dewormer I wouldn't personally be hitting her with a heavier dose and certainly not antibiotics if she has no sign of infection. Both of those are very upsetting to the stomach and will likely put her even further off her food. I have to give Kody Ulcergard a few hours before deworming or he stops eating every time!

Although I would not rule out ulcers - I would bet that her bloodwork will show some sort of kidney or liver failure -- these types of issues will not resolve on their own - antibiotics will make it worse - best thing for her would be to get diagnosed and then if it is a kidney issue she will need aggresive treatment at a clinic to help her get re-balanced ---

I definitely would not wait on the bloodwork for the reasons Stacy mentions. They'll either tell you quite a bit, or what they don't tell you will still help you know what you're facing. Meanwhile try offering her very small meals quite frequently, only about as much as she's eating in those first ten minutes, and see if she'll clean it up. That's how I got Spyder through his first couple of hunger strikes as he seemed to become overwhelmed looking at large portions of food and would just give up. If I only gave him a little and he could feel the bottom of the dish after a few licks it seemed to perk him up and make him keep eating until it was gone, at which point of course we were happy with him instead of upset and that in turn perked him up more.

That also meant he was always being offered fresh food so he was more likely to try a few mouthfuls to see what it was rather than going back to old trampled hay he'd already lost interest in.

I'll keep you and your mare in my prayers this holiday season and hope you find some answers. Not knowing is the worst.

Leia

 

[Miniv]

The blood test will definitely tell you what's wrong.....I hope.

In the meantime, I agree with Marty. Baby her. Feed her Senior grain, plenty of hay with some alfalfa. (Alfalfa pellets if you can't do the hay version.) Do several feedings if possible, incase you're dealing with a liver or thyroid problem...All you can do is treat the symptoms until the tests come back.

 

[MindyLee]

Im sorry to hear about your mare and hope shee feels better soon.

 

In the mean time not sure if this will help you but when my friends sr mare did this and started loosing weight rapidly, she put her of Omelen 300 mixed with Equine JR cause it was better then the sr feed for gaining weight and still easy to eat. now all her sr mares eat this instead and all look pretty good.

Good luck!