Overweight 32" Gelding "What to do?"

[HPFminis]

I need some advice

We have a beautiful little gelding who is my daughters youth horse, and might I add she ADORES him to death..... and for some reason he keeps gaining weight despite being worked! We have decreased his feed, and have continued to work him, but nothing has changed!! I swear he looks bigger, and he waddles when he walks.

lol... He is a beautiful little guy & very active! I just dont want him to blow up like a baloon.....

Does anyone know what to do, or can lead me in the right direction??

I have shown for a few years, and usually its the other way around for me... Im usually working on increasing feed and maintaining good weight, NOT decreasing! sigh...LOL

Any suggestions??

Thanks

 

[BigDogs & LittleHorses]

Sounds like hypothyroidism. Easy to treat with thyroid powder if that's what it is. Can be dangerous if it turns into laminitis (founder). Have a vet do bloodwork ASAP.

 

[HPFminis]

Thats what I was thinking as well.... Ill get him in ASAP

Thank you for your suggestion

 

[Jill]

I would also try a low starch feed.

 

[HPFminis]

I have never experienced this before.... Its almost like you can feed him a treat, and he gains 10lbs! LOL He is on the Purina mini feed, beetpulp and hay. I feel like Im starving him because he gets so little, but I can not feel his ribs at all... We have shown this little guy for the past two years in the youth classes, and he is soooo cute. However the last show we went to, everyone commented how chubby he was getting! uggh.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I have one gelding that tends to get that "jelly jar" look as my kids call him. I don't give feed, just supplement with enrich 32. I feed grass hay, and I have a dry lot. He only gets grass with a muzzle. We are holding our own with this as well as supplementing with remission as I suspect my boy is insulin resistant. I would skip the purina feed and beet pulp, for some those two combined can really pack on the pounds.

what type of hay do you feed? Some are richer than you would think. I buy plain grass. take care and best wishes.

 

[Helicopter]

Beet Pulp is great for fattening horses.

I'd suggest you do as Shorthorsemom advised.

 

[Knighthawke]

This is great info to hear. I just got a mini stallion that is fat and I have him on a dry lot and hay. I have started to drive him to help with exercise let alone him having acess to run the fence and look at the mares. He has lot some but needs more.

 

[wingnut]

Get some baseline blood work done before changing anything else. If you suspect thyroid issues, as for that specifically. You could spend months bouncing from product to product with little to no results. Or you could hit upon the right thing the first time around. Or you can have at least a nearly definitive direction to go in within just a couple of days.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Equines do not get hypothyroid disease.

There is no good validation for FT4 or TSH values and T4/T3 values are only valid if run as a TSH stimulation test.

Hypothyroidism is a vastly over-diagnosed/treated condition.

Equine metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance) and Cushing's Disease are quite common and lead to similar signs/symptoms you are describing. I would encourage you to involve your Vet and run the appropriate tests for these conditions.

Dr. Taylor

 

[HPFminis]

Any pictures of this little guy?

I was trying to upload pictures for you to see.... however I cant figure out how? LOL

 

[HPFminis]

Equines do not get hypothyroid disease.

There is no good validation for FT4 or TSH values and T4/T3 values are only valid if run as a TSH stimulation test.

Hypothyroidism is a vastly over-diagnosed/treated condition.

Equine metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance) and Cushing's Disease are quite common and lead to similar signs/symptoms you are describing. I would encourage you to involve your Vet and run the appropriate tests for these conditions.

Dr. Taylor

Thank you Dr Taylor.

I have contacted my vet, and will see them next week. They asked me not to change his diet yet, until we know what the problem really is.

I cant imagine 1 cup of wet beet pulp would cause so much weight gain... He only gets 1 cup of purina mini horse feed each day as well along with his hay, and he is on a dry lot.

I remember his mother being a big girl too.... but because we didnt show her, we didnt really worry about it.

 

[chandab]

Thank you Dr Taylor.

I have contacted my vet, and will see them next week. They asked me not to change his diet yet, until we know what the problem really is.

I cant imagine 1 cup of wet beet pulp would cause so much weight gain... He only gets 1 cup of purina mini horse feed each day as well along with his hay, and he is on a dry lot.

I remember his mother being a big girl too.... but because we didnt show her, we didnt really worry about it.

If its only 1 cup wet beet pulp that he is getting, its not likely to be the cause of his weight gain. [if your beet pulp has molasses added back for flavor, you might consider rinsing the beet pulp to get rid of the extra sugar.] Mine all get more than that everyday all winter for hydration, without weightgain issues. I do have one now getting beet pulp and oats to try to put weight on her, and it is slowly working, but she's getting 4 cups of beet pulp and 2 cups oats daily (that's all dry measure, wet the beet pulp is 2-3 times as much).

Do you know how much your mini should weigh? [How big is he currently? Weight and height?] HOw much to feed depends on how big they are.