New Mini, I need help! =)

[tuffsmom]

I just got me a new little one! He is my first, he's a 5 month old colt, but I have no idea how to take care of him! First of all, he has a huge belly. I wormed him with Ivermectin 2 weeks ago, and it hasn't helped at all. Second, he's super small, and I've been reading about dwarves. He's only 21 inches, so it makes me worry. I can't get ahold of the lady who sold him to me, so I have no one to guide me. I got him started on some baby Omolene, but after a week, he seems to have lost interest. He is turned out in our "backyard", which is about 1 acre. He has plenty of fresh water, shade, and I even threw out some good grass/alfalfa mix hay. He grazes constantly (he is Mr. Piggy). He is also turned out with my mini goat, and they've buddied up, so I don't think he's lonley. His head is up and he's got a good look in his eye, but I can't keep from thinking something is wrong. He just looks malnourished. I love this little guy more than words can explain,

and I need to know where to go from here!

 

[Jess P]

First off, do you have any pictures so we can see? Being short doesn't mean hes a dwarf. Some characteristics are a short neck, short legs, large joints, large head or domed head, large nostrils, a bad bite, a pot belly, and bad legs.

I have a minimal dwarf filly. She has a short neck, pot belly, a bad bite, and her legs are a bit short.

How much omalene are you feeding?

 

[Sandy S.]

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MINIS AND TO THE FORUM.

IF YOU GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FORUM THEIR IS A LISTING FOR INFORMATIONAL PAGES. I WOULD GO THERE FIRST.

THE MAIN THINGS I CAN TELL YOU IS NEVER EVER TAKE A CHANCE AND GIVE YOUR MINI THE "QUEST" WORMER. AND THERE IS ANOTHER ONE OUT THERE WITH THE SAME THING IN IT. THERE IS NO LEAD WAY IN OVERDOSING ON IT.

BE EXTRA CAREFUL IF YOUR VET EVER PRESCRIBES BUTE.

IS YOUR LITTLE GUY USE TO A LOT OF GRASS. TO MUCH IF THEY ARE NOT USE TO IT MAY CAUSE FOUNDER. SOMETIMES THEY WON'T FEEL TO GOOD AFTER A LOT OF GRASS AND THEY CAN GET DIARRHEA FROM IT TOO. SO IF NOT USE TO IT MAKE SURE YOU ONLY HAVE HIM OUT GRADUALLY, START WITH MAYBE 30 MINUTES AND INCREASE OVER SEVERAL WEEKS. HE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE FULL TIME GRASS, SOME CAN'T.

AT 21 INCHES WHO KNOWS? I HAVE A 21 INCH MINI THAT IS A DWARF AND SHE HAS BEEN THAT SIZE SINCE SHE WAS ABOUT 8 MONTHS. ANYWAY YOU CAN POST PICTURES?

ALSO YOU DIDN'T SAY WHERE YOU ARE LOCATED. IF SOMEONE IS NEAR YOU HEAR ON THE FORUM, I AM SURE THEY WILL HELP IN ANYWAY THEY CAN.

OH, ONE MORE THING, MINIATURES ARE THE ..........

.LAYS POTATOE CHIP SYNDROME, SO BE PREPARED FOR AT LEAST ONE MORE.

 

[kaykay]

at 5 months 21" is not super small. but he does need protein. Normally a huge belly means they are not getting enough protein. Equine jr i feel is the best feed. Also h e may need his time on grass limited. call me anytime if you need help or want to talk 217-898-1307 Kay

 

[tuffsmom]

First off, do you have any pictures so we can see? Being short doesn't mean hes a dwarf. Some characteristics are a short neck, short legs, large joints, large head or domed head, large nostrils, a bad bite, a pot belly, and bad legs.
I have a minimal dwarf filly. She has a short neck, pot belly, a bad bite, and her legs are a bit short.

How much omalene are you feeding?

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I don't have pics, I don't have a digital camera, but I am going to have to run to the Wal Mart and get some put on a disk, because I honestly don't know what to think. He's very fine boned, and has a very small Arab-ish head. His bite is perfect, but his legs are slightly crooked (my husband, thankfully, is a farrier & equine dentist, and he has trimmed and "built" him some hind feet, so he should straighten out). I just can't get over his "middle", his belly is huge, but at his hips he is so scrawny. I've been feeding him 1 cup of omolene every morning & evening (I'm also terrified I'll founder him).

 

[Jess P]

First off, do you have any pictures so we can see? Being short doesn't mean hes a dwarf. Some characteristics are a short neck, short legs, large joints, large head or domed head, large nostrils, a bad bite, a pot belly, and bad legs.
I have a minimal dwarf filly. She has a short neck, pot belly, a bad bite, and her legs are a bit short.

How much omalene are you feeding?

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I don't have pics, I don't have a digital camera, but I am going to have to run to the Wal Mart and get some put on a disk, because I honestly don't know what to think. He's very fine boned, and has a very small Arab-ish head. His bite is perfect, but his legs are slightly crooked (my husband, thankfully, is a farrier & equine dentist, and he has trimmed and "built" him some hind feet, so he should straighten out). I just can't get over his "middle", his belly is huge, but at his hips he is so scrawny. I've been feeding him 1 cup of omolene every morning & evening (I'm also terrified I'll founder him).

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Sounds like a nice boy. I can't wait to see pictures.

He sounds undernourished to me. I feed a cup at morning and night of pacer, and I am slowly enhancing the amount because I feel they are not at their best condition (large bellies).

 

[wpsellwood]

Mine are used to grain so it depends if your baby is or not but they get 2 cups equine jr and 1 cup omelene morning and night plus hay. One is 4 months one is 5 months old.

Welcome to the forum there are alot of wonderful people here with awesome ideas and will help you out a bunch.

 

[kaykay]

1 cup is definately not enough. slowly increase the amount. i would switch him over slowly to equine jr. remember most horses founder from grass not feed.

 

[tuffsmom]

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MINIS AND TO THE FORUM.
IF YOU GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FORUM THEIR IS A LISTING FOR INFORMATIONAL PAGES.  I WOULD GO THERE FIRST.

THE MAIN THINGS I CAN TELL YOU IS NEVER EVER TAKE A CHANCE AND GIVE YOUR MINI THE "QUEST" WORMER.  AND THERE IS ANOTHER ONE OUT THERE WITH THE SAME THING IN IT.  THERE IS NO LEAD WAY IN OVERDOSING ON IT. 

BE EXTRA CAREFUL IF YOUR VET EVER PRESCRIBES BUTE.

IS YOUR LITTLE GUY USE TO A LOT OF GRASS.  TO MUCH IF THEY ARE NOT USE TO IT MAY CAUSE FOUNDER.  SOMETIMES THEY WON'T FEEL TO GOOD AFTER A LOT OF GRASS AND THEY CAN GET DIARRHEA FROM IT TOO.  SO IF NOT USE TO IT MAKE SURE YOU ONLY HAVE HIM OUT GRADUALLY, START WITH MAYBE 30 MINUTES AND INCREASE OVER SEVERAL WEEKS.  HE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE FULL TIME GRASS, SOME CAN'T.

AT 21 INCHES WHO KNOWS?  I HAVE A 21 INCH MINI THAT IS A DWARF AND SHE HAS BEEN THAT SIZE SINCE SHE WAS ABOUT 8 MONTHS.  ANYWAY YOU CAN POST PICTURES?

ALSO YOU DIDN'T SAY WHERE YOU ARE LOCATED.  IF SOMEONE IS NEAR YOU HEAR ON THE FORUM, I AM SURE THEY WILL HELP IN ANYWAY THEY CAN.

OH, ONE MORE THING, MINIATURES ARE THE  ..........

.LAYS POTATOE CHIP SYNDROME, SO BE PREPARED FOR AT LEAST ONE MORE. 

 

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We're in north Texas, near Wichita Falls. He was also turned out on grass when I went to pick him up (which is about 2 hours away). He doesn't have any diarrehea, and I watch him constantly. He's active, so I don't think he feels bad.

 

[tuffsmom]

1 cup is definately not enough.  slowly increase the amount.  i would switch him over slowly to equine jr.  remember most horses founder from grass not feed.

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My husband and I are dumbfounded..we have the big horses, but this is our first little one, and we didn't realize how different they are. I hate to put him in a pen, he just looks so happy grazing and rolling around all day, being a horse! But when I bring out his feed, he roots his nose around in it for a minute, then that's it. Is he not hungry from eating grass all day? We figured Omolene was some of the best stuff out there, so that's why we got it. Also, what are the signs of founder in a mini? I just need someone to spell it out for me, and tell me "hey, this is what you need to do! Feed him this, turn him in circles, and paint his tail pink!" LOL! But seriously, I'm so lost and it breaks my heart.

 

[chandab]

When I brought my yearling stallion home in February, he was about 175# and 30-31" tall (he was 8-9 months - born 5-04). I slowly changed him over to Nutrena's Life Design Youth (I can only get Nutrena products, but Purina's youth feed would be good to). I gradually raised it til he was getting 1.25# of the youth per day divided into two feeds (I have a pre-measured/weighed scoop - but it equals about 3.5 cups/day). I was also feeding him about 1# (~3 cups) of 12% complete pellet per day due to the coarseness of our hay, I wanted to be sure he was easily getting his necessary fiber. He also had free-choice grass hay.

I have switched him off the youth and onto a 12% mix, which seems to be working just fine. He's a little bit chubby, but doing well and is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

 

[Hosscrazy]

Welcome! You are receiving some great advice on feeding - here's some info on laminitis/founder.

Founder, or Acute Laminitis, is secondary to laminitis. Founder starts when P3 moves within the hoof capsule. When P3 sinks or rotates the horse has foundered. Laminitis is an inflammatory condition of the laminae. Founder describes the movement of P3 relative to the horny wall made possible by laminitis.

LAMINITIS

Acute inflamation of the sensitive laminae in the hoof is "laminitis", when the connective tissue between the coffin bone and the hoof wall begins to tear and separate.

Imagine you have finger nails which grow all the way around the end of your finger rather than just on the upper surface. Then, imagine the finger nail being part torn from its bed and having to walk on it at the same time. This is the pain a horse feels with laminitis. Still drawing the comparison with finger nails, look at your own nails and see the fine striations growing towards their tips. These are the 'laminae'. Laminitis is inflammation of the laminae and can be caused by a range of different conditions.

Amazing site on laminitis:

Laminitis.Org

 

[Sandy S.]

Is there any way to find out what type of feed he was on before. We always try to get a large coffee can of the food our horses were eating before we brought them home. That way gradually we could add our feed to the regular feed and then they would eat. Is it possible he was never fed grain? Some miniature horse owners do not feed grain if they are on pasture all day.

 

[Miniv]

First....don't panic! If his attitude is good (which it sounds like it is) that's great!

Second, gradually switching him over to Purina Junior is a good suggestion.

Third, have a fecal done on him for worms. He may still have some in there causing the pot belly. Just do NOT use Quest for a wormer. All the others out there seem to be just fine for foals. You may want to get aggressive and give him Strongid right away and then rotate back to Ivermectin 2 to 4 weeks later. (Talk to your vet about that.)

Fourth, check out the "Breeders Connect" page on Lil Beginnings for breeders in your area of Texas. There are probably LOTS of them! Don't be shy about contacting any or all with questions. Most will be more than happy to help.

All the best, and WELCOME to the FORUM.

MA

 

[EAD Minis]

[SIZE=14pt]Aww I feel bad for u!!U are getting some great advise to stick in there!!And good luck!

![/SIZE]

 

[tuffsmom]

Is there any way to find out what type of feed he was on before.  We always try to get a large coffee can  of the food our horses were eating before we brought them home.  That way gradually we could add our feed to the regular feed and then they would eat.  Is it possible he was never fed grain?  Some miniature horse owners do not feed grain if they are on pasture all day.

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He was not started on any feed. He had only been weaned for about 1-2 weeks when I got him. He had a big belly when I got him, but the lady told me that they all get big bellies when they get weaned. I don't know if she took advantage of my ignorance, or if she was right. Also, my husband pointed out that he only has one set of "cheek teeth" right now, and feed might be a little much for his little mouth (but what do we know!). I also had mixed a daily wormer (strongid c) in with his feed, so I don't know if that affected him. I can't say how thankful for all the advice I have gotten on here...ya'll are great!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

First off, Hallo and Welcome from Sunny England where (apart form being obsessed with the weather

) it is SUNNY!!! I would strongly suspect he is not the age you were told. You do not sound to have bought from a reputable breeder, and it also sounds, sorry to be critical, as if you have bought on impulse- both things, I am afraid, that your Husband should have known not to do!!! Anyway, you have him and that is that. Grazing is FINE ....PLEASE do not EVER be put off grazing!!! If he is going to stay on an acre with constant grazing though, even I will say you need to , ideally, get another- horses are herd animals and he will get lonely. He does not talk "goat". At the moment he is too young to know any different but he will soon, and then he is going to try to escape or get sad. Think about another. Now if this is not possible you need to get an electric fence and split the paddock. This makes Poo picking much easier anyway. He also needs to be gelded ASAP. The belly?? If he is really the age you have been told this is very small, even allowing for the way you measure (we measure differently over here) I have to say that, with the height and the legs and the belly, and the head - domed and dished can be another dwarf trait- you have a lot of pointers towards dwarfism so I would be inclined to hold off aggressive anti-worming until you know. Panacur- the liquid- at double dose, for five days (you need to weigh him) will gently remove everything except Tapes- and I would not worm for Tapes until I had got rid of all the others. After the five day you need to wait TEN days (life cycle of most worms) and then worm again with the exact amount of Ivermectin based product. This will get anything the Panacur has not got. Your Husband should do complete bloods on this chap NOW, and that will give a good idea of whether he is lacking in anything and whether he has Tapeworms, too. He is probably not eating because he is stuffed full of grass- I have no problem with this myself, I am happy to see fat foals- will he be living out or stalled during the Winter?? If he really has no interest in feed you need to get an analysis of your grass to make sure it is not badly lacking in anything- if it is there are a lot of good supplements you can get. Your local feed store should know if the area is lacking in anything.

 

[tuffsmom]

First off, Hallo and Welcome from Sunny England where (apart form being obsessed with the weather

) it is SUNNY!!!  I would strongly suspect he is not the age you were told.  You do not sound to have bought from a reputable breeder, and it also sounds, sorry to be critical, as if you have bought on impulse- both things, I am afraid, that your Husband should have known not to do!!!  Anyway, you have him and that is that.  Grazing is FINE ....PLEASE do not EVER be put off grazing!!!  If he is going to stay on an acre with constant grazing though, even I will say you need to , ideally, get another- horses are herd animals and he will get lonely.  He does not talk "goat".  At the moment he is too young to know any different but he will soon, and then he is going to try to escape or get sad.  Think about another.  Now if this is not possible you need to get an electric fence and split the paddock.  This makes Poo picking much easier anyway.  He also needs to be gelded ASAP.  The belly?? If he is really the age you have been told this is very small, even allowing for the way you measure (we measure differently over here)  I have to say that, with the height and the legs and the belly, and the head - domed and dished can be another dwarf trait- you have a lot of pointers towards dwarfism so I would be inclined to hold off aggressive anti-worming until you know.  Panacur- the liquid- at double dose, for five days (you need to weigh him) will gently remove everything except Tapes- and I would not worm for Tapes until I had got rid of all the others.  After the five day you need to wait TEN days (life cycle of most worms) and then worm again with the exact amount of Ivermectin based product.  This will get anything the Panacur has not got.  Your Husband should do complete bloods on this chap NOW, and that will give a good idea of whether he is lacking in anything and whether he has Tapeworms, too.  He is probably not eating because he is stuffed full of grass- I have no problem with this myself, I am happy to see fat foals- will he be living out or stalled during the Winter??  If he really has no interest in feed you need to get an analysis of your grass to make sure it is not badly lacking in anything- if it is there are a lot of good supplements you can get.  Your local feed store should know if the area is lacking in anything.

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I'm sure I did buy on impulse (I went with my mother to buy him...she would have spent her life savings to buy the whole bunch of them). I wasn't looking for a show mini, I wanted one that was super friendly and gentle, that I could love on...and Tuff was perfect. My husband does the equine dentistry, and he said that he is 5-6 months old. I would love to find him another little mini to be friends with, but I need him to be healthy before I go taking on more responsibility. Plus, I feel extremely guilty that I don't know how to properly care for him. I don't want to have him gelded until I know that he's "up" for it, and that he's not sick. I have absolutley no plans of breeding him to a mare, so him being gelded is in the plans...I just have bigger concerns right now. He is around 22 inches, I bought a mini-measureing stick (the people at the feed store didn't know what they were, so they marked them down to $5 bucks). We worm our big horses regularly, so we know that procedure. I did read last night on the internet, that miniature horses that aren't interested in feed may have stomach ulcers. I got an appointment with our vet, and they're going to check him over for me.

Also, the lady I bought him from is obviously a quack. I paid nearly $700 for him, and she was supposed to mail me his papers (he SUPPOSEDLY) is double registered. She said the papers take forever to come back, and that I should have them within 2-3 weeks (this was 2 months ago). I've called a dozen times, with no luck.

I am planning on leaving him exactly where he is this winter. Our winters are fairly mild, and he has a cozy 3 sided barn in his area. It hasn't snowed over an inch in probably 10 years, and it rarely gets below freezing (if it does, we'll put some heat lights in his barn). I'm not going to clip him until spring, and his coat is already thickening up.....if I'm wrong on this idea, let me know! If anyone has an extra small blanket for sale, I'm also in the market!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I think you really are trying your best for this chap, if there is a fault here it lies with the irresponsible person who sold him to you- I would never do this. I am still not at all happy that a newly weaned foal has no company- as I said, horses and goats do not speak the same language. I think having the Vet is an excellent first step- I had thought you had said your husband was a Vet, so I apologise for getting the wrong idea there, but having a dentist "on site" is wonderful. If you have not wormed him with the Panacur five day routine there is every chance that, Dwarf or not, he is still carrying a worm burden as it does not sound to me as if the breeder will have wormed him. I would count on him being at the lower end of your husbands estimate- although it is possible that he is just small, you have not actually paid a huge amount of money for him- not nearly as much as you could have paid for an animal as small as you make him- so you have not done too badly!!! Do you know his breeding?? If you did you can apply direct to the registries to find out if his registration has been applied for- it no longer takes all that long to get the papers back although useless people like me, waiting until the last moment to register foals, does not help at this time of year!! Even if you do not know his breeding you can apply to find out if the breeder has registered any colts yet. That having been said all my foals are actually departing for their new homes without their papers this year (very BAD Breeder

BAD!! Should have got this all sorted months ago!!) so his papers might well arrive.

You should not need to rug him until he is first clipped- although do not encourage clipping horses that are not shown, yearlings are an exception as they will not shed out naturally and I usually clip mine around May/June time to get rid of the "constipated Yak " look!!! You will need a couple of rugs then, but I suggest you wait and see how big he is next year- there are a number of places that are excellent value for rugs and will help you with sizes etc.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

How wonderful! The first mini is so exciting. If you can get Omelene you should be able to get Equine Junior or Strategy by Purina. I love those. It sounds like he is just underfed. Minis tend to be pudgy but think of the starving children you see in pics with their tummys distended. Many have intestinal parasites and aren't eating enough. Take a stool sample to your vet and worm accordingly. You could use the 5 day panacur or go every two weeks with alternating wormers for a while. He should get what ever he'll clean up in a reasonable amount of time. I feed 3 cups to my little girl who is only 3 mos. She is not huge tummyed. You can see pics at my site. She gets 2 cups of Equine Adult as she was sensitive to the alflafa in the Equine Junior and 1 cup of strategy. The Junior/Strategy and such is a soft pelleted feed that is so easy to chew and digest. Give it a go and let him graze. A back yard is plenty for him. Offer a soft hay regularly also. They love Cheerios for treats. Good luck and do keep in touch. I'd be happy to post pics if you get them. Look at out main page under Breeders Connect and click on Texas. There are lots of wonderful folks there that would be happy to help you too. You may find that another will be a super thing. Sounds like your boy is bright and happy so I would think he is healthy as well. Have you have a vet do shots yet?