i have a 22 year old ranch horse--- he is losing weight.. i feed twice aday--- he eats everyhing at the evening feeding , but about half of feed in the am..i havent switch feed, he is on stongoid c daily.. teeth are good...he doent eat much hay-- i have good clean coastal--- grazes on grass,okany idea..?
Greetings, and sorry to have missed you on chat.Sorry to hear about your horse's weight loss. There are many possibilities that could account for his problem. Initially, I tend to look at oral health and deworming, both of which you mentioned in your initial question. Which brings me to a few questions for you!1): What type of work does he do?2): Is he on any type of feed supplements, and if so, what kind?3): Have his teeth been examined by a vet, and when did he last have any dental work?4): Have you had a fecal analysis done recently?5): Has he had any recent health problems?6): Is he housed with other horses, and if so, is there competition for feed?Thanks, XXXXX XXXXX'm looking forward to hearing from you.
teeth have ben floated, i feed my horses in their stall- no competion, he was treatd for some type os stomach problem a year ago,found it by doing blood work-- hi white cell count- the vet gave him some type of powerful shot and i had to treat him daily with milk o magnesia & peptobismal @20cc orally.. my vet had a heart attack and is not back to work yet, so i am thinking that this problem my have come back.
Thanks so much for getting back to me. Sorry for the delay in my response, I've been having computer problems.It's unfortunate that your vet is unavailable, as with your horse's history it would be a good idea to recheck his bloodwork at this time since he has had previous problems. That withstanding, however, I still wouldn't rule out internal parasites as the possible problem. Even though you are giving him Strongid C daily, parasite resistance to many common dewormers is becoming more of a problem. Along with that, there is an internal parasite problem that can't be detected by fecal analysis. One of the common worms in horses is known as the small strongyle, and these have the capability to form cysts (cyathastomes) within the small intestine. Regular deworming doesn't affect these cysts, which can cause irritation and inflammation within the intestine, leading to weight loss. This is not an uncommon problem, especially in older horses. I would recommend that you consider treating him with a product called the "Panacur Powerpac", which is basically a double dose of dewormer (fenbendazole) given orally five days in a row. This treatment is designed to rid the small intestine of the cyathastomes, and is normally very effective. I've seen many older horses do a positive turn-around as far as weight gain following this treatment. The dewormer is very safe, and is usually available at your local feed store (there are some other generic products using a different name, just be sure the active ingredient is fenbendazole). It's something that you can do that certainly wouldn't hurt, so it's worth a try. You can also continue giving the Strongid C while treating with the powerpac. It usually takes several weeks following treatment before results are seen, and if that is his problem, the weight gain will be evident. Other than that, hopefully your vet will be back on his or her feet soon, and your horse can have the appropriate diagnostics if he is still having the problem. You might also consider supplementing his diet with a senior diet supplement, as well as rice bran, which is a great source of fat in the diet.I trust I've been of some help, and please let me know if you have any further questions.Many thanks, XXXXX XXXXX of luck!-Dan
i hauled him to another vet saturday-- did bloodwork --all checked normal--the vet said he was normal, thought sinc bloodwoork was good a poop teat was needed....I like your idea of the 5 day treatment---i 'll source the med u suggested or equal too, i do have him on Purina equine senior allready..
thank you for you help--- i'll keep the email open and let you know what happenn in a week or two....
Thanks for getting back to me.I'm glad you got him to a vet for the diagnostics, and that all is normal as far as the bloodwork. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you soon.All the best,-Dan