Worming

[tinypony]

New to the mini world. Bought a grulla stallion, 3yrs old recently from a person who couldn't pay the vet bill. He is anemic. He was skinny and lethargic when I got him. She had just used Ivermectin that day on him so I didn't worm him. Took him home, fattened him up, longed him, and now he is pot-bellied. I took him to the vet for shots and she says he isn't fat, he is just right. How can this be? His pot belly is enourmous and his blanky won't fit. What should I do? I was hoping for a sleek, skinny mini. He is 28.5". Is he wormy, poorly fed, or just fat? (yes, that is a dog collar in the pic. He has an abcess on his nose that is currently being treated by a vet)

 

[Ashley]

We really need a better pic to tell.

HOwever you said he was skinny and sickly when you got him. When you bring a horse back from beings skinny alot of times they will get a pot belly and it will take awhile to go away.

 

[tinypony]

Thank you. I will try for a better picture. At this point, what grain should I feed? The vet didn't have any good recommendations (not a mini expert I suppose). I feed grass hay, green pasture, tiny bits of alfalfa, and no grain recently.

 

[Ashley]

Everybody feeds differently .However all that hay and grass will make him bloated and not give him the nutrition he needs.

I feed several different things depending on the horse.

I feed beet pulp, alfalfa pellets, senior and broodmare and foal feeds and a bit of sweet feed.

 

[DrivinTime]

It looks like he's coming along nicely! His coat looks good.

You may want to consider a grain with a higher protein level than average. Some minis seem to need more protein to put muscle on their top line and minimize the belly. I've been having good luck with a ration balancer (really high protein, low calories, to "balance" the hay ration) called Grow n Win, by Buckeye. I started using it after several long-time forum members talked about how they use it.

Good luck!

 

[mininik]

I would definitely consider a ration balancer as mentioned, and adjusting how much hay/grass he gets accordingly. What have you been deworming this horse with, and how often?

 

[Minimor]

If you haven't dewormed him again since you got him (how long have you had him?) I would suggest giving him another dose of dewormer--I've sometimes dewormed monthly until a horse got all the worms cleared out. If they're run down & haven't been dewormed much/ever, it can take awhile to get rid of the entire load.

A horse that has been run down and is very thin will often get a belly first, then lose it gradually as the rest of him fills out.

I'd like to point out that you should never judge "fat" by the size of the horse's belly. To judge fat you want to look at/feel the top line, also the ribs--are the ribs quite prominent, or are they well padded with a layer of fat? You can have a horse that is very thin and still has a big belly--this is due to a lack of protein, and does not mean the horse is fat. Sadly, there are people that don't realize this.

 

[Miniv]

I'd worm him again.........AND feed him a 14 percent grain with some alfalfa pellets.......along with the hay and pasture.

A pot belly can be either worms or lack of protein or both. )

 

[tinypony]

Thank you all for the advice. He is a sweet, friendly guy and I want to keep him super healthy. I will buy alfalfa and some grain for him. He is getting too much hay at this point. I will also worm him again soon. Next year I would like to breed him so he needs to shape up this winter so he looks nice for the ladies.

 

[tinypony]

Oh poo, I forgot to ask how much hay he should be getting?

 

[New2Minis]

I would say a lack of protein also.....14% grain would be my recommendation.

 

[DrivinTime]

For hay, the usual rule is 1.5 to 2 percent of body weight. He's a tiny little guy, maybe 150 pounds? So maybe 3 pounds a day? (Others on this forum have much more expertise than I, so you may get better advice, but I think it's a good place to start.)

 

[tinypony]

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions. I wormed him last night again with Pyrantel, brought home some new grain (higher protein), and lessened his hay intake. He also has a salt block. His hair is thick and fuzzy, but soft so I guess he is healthy enough. The vet says his teeth are unusually perfect for such a small mini. So for any of you in Oregon, he is open next season for the girls. He is AMHR registered (permanent) at 28.5", grulla with 2 blue eyes, vet says nice conformation and not a defect in sight.