Request for ideas

[stormy]

First of all before I post any photos please understand this filly has been under special care from day one in consultation with a veterinarian. Even with constant attention sometimes we run into things we can not find an answer for and this little girl is one of those.

This filly is a yearling. Has done well up until a month ago when she started dropping weight. I moved some of the more aggressive eaters from her pen (all my young horses are housed in groups outside with run in shelters) and upped the grain, also started second cutting hay. Still losing. Brought her inside into a stall, grain and hay free choice, hand grazing, started on rinitadine on advise of my vet...also probiotics. Still losing. Vet call number one, now markedly thin but very active, plays, bucks, was a handful to examine. Floated teeth though no obvious issues, added carafate 3 times daily, ulcergard, upped the dose of rinitadine, yogurt, 100% alfalfa hay, grazing during the day...that was one week ago. Vet drew blood friday, no results yet.

Any ideas out there...this is killing me!! Still bright, bucked and played yesterday when turned out.

 

[muffntuf]

Have you tried some B vitamins to encourage appetite? Otherwise, its a mystery - maybe someone else has run across this.

 

[albahurst]

Worms? I have seen horses with a fairly large worm population that did not have a wormy looking belly, so maybe this is a possibility?

One of my friend's horses was impacted with worms even though it had been dewormed routinely and was looking like this. If I recall correctly, the horse was dewormed again (I think with the 5 day Panacur??), put on daily dewormer and given Neigh Lox for many months. The Neigh Lox was given for keeping the digestive tract soothed and protected while the gut healed from the worms. The horse was somewhat older than yours, but now looks great. This horse had been under the care of another vet who thought it had cancer, but it had worms instead when checked over by a different vet.

Good luck to you.

 

[stormy]

She has been wormed regularly, was on daily dewormer as a weanling, now is wormed sith Ivermectin/Strongid or Panacur every 2 mths. Am going to start 5 day double dose Panacur tonight on my vets recommendation. Blood results were all normal except for very low Albumin.

 

[Carolyn R]

Equine senior works really well, not that you want to make any drastic changes to a feed program. It is a broken down easily digestable formula. Adding warm water turns it into a mash in 2 minutes, making it even easier to digest. I have always had luck incorperating it into a hard keepers feed program.

 

[Margo_C-T]

Sounds as if you are trying many things that have been known to work. My only suggestion might be to try soaked beet pulp, and perhaps a good brand concentrate formulated specifically for 'junior' horses.

I have to add that I am one who does not believe in daily dewormer, ESPECIALLY for something as young as a weanling...all of my horsekeeping instincts say there is too much risk...worms becoming resistant, among other things. I have no 'proof', just my instincts based on learning all I could about management/care over the past 60 years of being the day-to-day steward of my horses' care.

I DO believe in the 5 day double dose of fenbendazole (Panacur mor SafeGuard); agree with trying that, and do hope it helps!

I hope you'll keep us posted; what is the meaning of the low albumin level, and how things progress for the filly.My best wishes to her and to you, as the one working to help her.

Margo

 

[Sue_C.]

Sounds like something that is, or has affected her liver. I would think toxic weeds, but for the fact she was out with others who are not affected.

It could also be a sign of malnourishment, which shouldn't be, but for some reason her body is not processing it properly.

Sounds similar to cases of Lawsonia that I have read about...it wouldn't hurt to have your vet check it out.

 

[stormy]

I had thought of liver too but with her bloodwork normal except for the Albumin levels (a kidney function factor) liver problems are not likely. Also she is drinking normally and no other kidney function indicators are off. Doesn't Lawsonia cause diarhea? Her stools are fairly hard, small and dry.

Definately will talk to my vet about Lawsonia.

 

[muffntuf]

Did your vet ask to run more liver function tests than? Low Albumin does indicate there is something going on. What diseases or liver functions suggest that they are not processing protein or absorbing nutrients correctly? She may be eating tons, but her body isn't absorbing the nutrition like a normal miniature would.

 

[stormy]

My vet did a full blood panel...I hit the jackpot and a rep was in demonsrating their new machine. Liver function showed normal....everything normal except Albumin. Looked up Lawsonia and sure does sound similar, will ask about adding Chloremphenical to her treatment. My feeling at this time is can't hurt though with all the ulcer meds absorbtion of antibiotic may be impacted.

 

[Little Hooves]

Have you tried adding oils to her feed? Is she well hydrated? We sometimes would give our horses diluted apple juice to jump start their hydration and appetite. I wish I could say I knew, but my advice is to keep plugging along until you find out what is wrong. Good luck! Poor little gal...

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Is she eating?

What is she eating?

 

[stormy]

She is being offered 2 types of pellets, a 12% pellet that completely dissolves in water (will drink the sweet water but eat only a few pellets) and stopped yesterday to pick up Nutrena Mare and Foal. She also has 100% 2nd cut alfalfa and some soft grass hay, she picks at these but doesn't really eat much. She is put in a portable pen during the day that we move daily so she has new grass, she will pick at the grass on and off, eats more grass then anything else but not enough to sustain her....will be trying alfalfa cubes soaked and apple juice tonight when I get home from work. Started a five day course of Panacur upon my vets recommendation last night.

This is really making me ill with worry, my vet is excellent, he too is stumped...am scheduled to go to Nationals next week but can not leave her like this.

 

[Becky]

My guess would be ulcers. How long has she been on the sucralfate/UlcerGuard/ranitidine and at what dosage?

 

[MindyLee]

I know what your going through! I just went through this myself with my Lady Bug (Bay). And it too was pretty much the same road I took trying to find out what was wrong.

Good Luck!

 

[stormy]

Moon Danze (my filly) has been on ulcer meds for 10 days, no change. Am I expecting changes too fast? What have others experianced with treating for ulcers? She is on Carafate ever 8 hrs, ulcergard once a day and on a differant schedule then the Carafate so they do not interfer. Antiacid 2 times a day, yogurt...40cc twice a day.

 

[happy appy]

I like to use Brewer's Yeast. Purina sells it under Pur-A-Yeast. It helps bring their appetite back, great for stomach issues like ulcers (along with ulcer meds) and it puts the hind gut flora back. A lot of processed feeds now come with it added but for the really hard keepers I put in the extra supplement. It has always made a big difference.

 

[wildoak]

Can't add much to what's been said, but I will throw out another product worth considering. I use Stomach Soother a good bit - it's 100% natural papaya pulp, horses seem to love it and it has brought back a couple of "iffy" eaters for me. It's cheap, about $13/bottle and might be worth a try. With all the ulcer products you are using, have you tried Gastroguard? There is a small company with resident vet/owner that you might run her situation past, just as an additional resource. He's a very nice guy & would be glad to help I imagine - it's gomersinc.com and their products are geared towards boosting the immune system. Hope you get her figured out quickly, I know how frustrating it is to watch them decline. Sounds like you are covering all your bases though.

Jan

 

[wingnut]

{{{{{hugs}}}}}

My hard keeper had me worried all winter/spring. We're just now seeing improvement. She turned her nose up at practically everything we offered to her. It is so stressful to have a furkid who you can't seem to help no matter how hard you try! I know I had many sleepless nights and stressful days worrying about her.

I finally found the the combination of Omolene 300 and additional Amplify was to her liking and after almost 3 months, she's showing steady improvement. She's also on the pasture grass more hours than before...often out by herself while the easy keepers watch from the dry lot! I also got samples of SmartGain 4 from SmartPak. It was a supplement she would eat! It really smells good, even to me.

 

[stormy]

I think I am seeing a slight improvement, keeping my fingers crossed. She ate most of her grain last night and hay was all strun about the stall this morning instead of still sitting there as a whole flake. She is now on Ulcergaurd, Carafate, Rinitadine, Nutrena Mare and Foal, her regular pellet is mixed with the Nutrena, 3rd day of 5 day Panacur double dose, 2nd day of Chloremphenical...she is definately tired of getting things stuck into her mouth!!! At least no needles!