Mare with foal looks thin

[MindyLee]

OK,

I have a mare with a 2 month old filly on her side that has a big belly (looks like she's about to foal another baby) but all her ribs show. She has'nt shedded out very well and I am wondering what kind of feed to put her on to help. Now I know this did'nt happen over night and have been waiting to see if the wormer & new hay would help BUT it has'nt yet...

So I wormed her with Equimax about 2-3 weeks ago and did it again with Ivromec yesterday. Also I just got some fresh 1st cutting hay on Monday as well. She gets a flake of hay in the morning & evening. I have her on a scoop of Stratagy/Mare & Foal mix 2 maybe 3 times a week and tonight I just started her on Omegatin. I also tie her out a couple times a week for a couple hrs for lawn grass too.

 

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP HER OUT MORE? Should I up her grain and hay?

Also could someome please help with posting a pic of her. THANKS!

 

[Miniv]

How much do the flakes of hay weigh?

And yes, I would be giving her a lot more grain.....She should be getting grain every day. The products you mentioned are all good, but she's not getting enough, in my opinion.

 

[chandab]

sorry about the typos, i sprained/wrenched my wrist today and its swollen, sore and being iced; anyway... Sounds like she might need more protein in her diet (how does her topline look?) in addition to more calorioes, but hard to say before pics, Lactation is the hughest nutritional demand put on a horse.

give her free choice grass hay ( even mix would be fine) and she needs the grain every day.

 

[rubyviewminis]

My mare with a 2 week old foal gets alfalfa in the morning and grass hay in front of her all day, Enrich 32 balancer for grass forage 1/2 cup 2 X daily with 3 cups of Safechoice 2 X daily. They also have a mineral block now with Selenuim in it, since it is deficient in this area (just found this out today). 3 cups in most pelleted feeds, not grains, usually equals 1 lb. Now I had her on more but she started to put on a little too much weight. IMHO it sounds like your mare needs more feed. The balancer is safe for her and the foal, and provides vitamins and minerals they need without dangerous sugars or starches. Safechoice is for mares or foals and is a safe feed. This is just what I do and my horses are shiny and sleek and full of energy. I am constantly evaluating what and how much they get and what their condition is. I don't know about a lactating mare, but a younger horse who doesn't have enough protein gets a pot belly.

By the way, Purina and Nutrena have websites and miniature horse guidlines for feeding using Strategy which Safechoice is an equivilent to.

 

[Becky]

You're only giving her one 'scoop' of grain 2 - 3 times per week?? That's not nearly enough! She's starving. How much does your scoop hold? She should be getting grain twice a day in addition to hay or pasture unless you have lush pasture. Feed that mare!

My nursing mares are on good pasture during the day and they still get 1 - 2 lbs per day of Progressive Nutritions' Growth Formula feed, plus 2 - 3 lbs of alfalfa pellets twice a day. I feed whatever it takes to keep their weight up nursing a foal. You are feeding two horses not just one.

 

[Windhaven]

You didn't say what kind of hay you are feeding her. Hay type would make a difference in what amounts of grain you feed her.

But it does sound like you are not feeding her enough. Feeding a foal for some mares is more draining on her than being in foal.

This is what I feed my mares with foals.

I will have mares that require less and mares that require more. Lower dose if for easy keepers and higher does is for the not so easy keepers.

1-2 cups beet pulp

1-2 cup oats

1 cup Omelene 300 (for my hard keepers only)

1 cup alfalfa pellets

daily supplements

All the hay they can eat. I feed grass hay, so they are free fed.

This is fed 2 daily until they are out on pasture all day. Then once on pasture I do cut them back to once daily, and may reduce the quantity if they are getting fat.

I would suggest putting up a creep feeder for the foal also. Because if the filly starts eating some hay and grain she will not nurse as much on mom and hopefully stop pulling her weight down. It is good to get them started so they are eating good by weaning time.

Increase her feed and good luck.

 

[MindyLee]

Yes, I only grain her 2-3 times a week and lawn grass her the same as she dose get colicky and sore on her feet very very eaisly & fast. She's normally a way easy keeper and can be over weight very fast as well. I will see how she dose on more hay as it's only 1st cutting grass/tim mix so may not be as bad as her 2nd cutting alf/clov/tim/grass mix hay that she was on last season. I did however buy some of that this yr BUT need to wait for it to be cut/baled till then, it sounds like I am under feeding her as Im used to mares who foal out that are MUCH smaller in weight and size where I have to feed them that much or they will be huge. I will also feed her more grain BUT start out with smaller amounts once a day to make sure she dose'nt get colicky on me.

Thanks for the reality check and not beating me up about this. That is why I depend on all of your answers/tips on this Fourm.

THANK YOU ALL!

 

[Ellen]

I throw alot of hay to my mares. Alfalfa/timothy. About three large heavy flakes a day. I also feed one large scoop 16% Legends mare and foal, twice a day.. If they show topline of ribs I give rice bran. If your mare is prone to laminitis, could you split the grain up into smaller more easily digestable meals through out the day to increase calorie intake? If that won't work, could you use a mineral suppliment and increase hay. Have it infornt of her all day. And see if that helps.

Hope all goes well, Good Luck.

 

[chandab]

IF she gets colicy and sore on her feet, you may have to totally change her diet to reduce teh sugars/starches in her diet (they are the two biggest culprits in those kind of problems). Since, she's usually an easy keeper, personally, I'd go with a ration balancer and grass hay. [Many companies make ration balancers: Purina has Enrich 32, Buckeye GroNWin (I think that's right), Progressive Nutrition has two (one for alfalfa, one for grass; I feed the grass formula to everyone) and I"m sure there are others.]

and, its best to feed same feed daily to keep their diet consistant, horses are prone to digestive upset with frequent feed changes (which is what only feeding grain a few times a week is).

[Wrist is still vry sore, so that's all for tonight.]

 

[Ashley]

I had an older mare like this. She needed her teeth done but I could not get them done due to her being bred. What I did was got Front Runner (equivilant to strategy). She was tied out on grass everyday if I had time(this was before the pastures were up). Given free chocie hay, alfalfa in one area grass in another and she got 2 scoops of grain a day (the big quart scoops). She gain and put it back on fast.

 

[MyBarakah]

My first question would be her teeth! When was the last time she's had her teeth done?

 

[mizbeth]

Hi

I agree your mare needs more feed, especially protein. I have a hard keeper here too when she has a foal on her side. I built her a special pen - movable and rotate her on a large grassy area, but feed her nearly three times what I feed other mares with foals and still she is thin in my opinion - I feed strategy.

It does sound like your mare has foundered at some point if feed causes her feet to get sore. Not sure what to do in that case, perhaps not breed her again once this one is weaned. I hope you find a solution to this, there are some knowledgable folks on this forum that can help. I will be watching this thread also. I would think if it were her teeth - she would be dropping feed - to make her that thin her dental problems would be very noticable.

Good luck in any case.......

 

[Becky]

Since your mare has issues with laminitis, then she should not be fed grain or pasture. Dry lot is best. But she does need an increase in calories. As Chanda mentioned, grass hay and a grass balancer is a good start. Here I feed my laminitis prone mare grass hay, a protein/vitamin/mineral supplement, grass pellets (either orchard or timothy) and if addtional calories are needed, ground stabilized flax seed works well. I like Omega Horseshine. It's recommended for horses with metabolic issues.

 

[minimomNC]

You didn't say what the baby is getting besides what it eats from the mares feed and still nursing, but that baby needs to be getting feed as well. Part of the problem with not feeding the baby too is it will take more away from the mare. So fix a creep feeder for the baby and keep a good quality feed there and that could also help the mare as she wouldn't have to supply all of the nutrition for the baby.

Good luck with her, I hope she comes around quickly.

 

[bevann]

You didn't say what the baby is getting besides what it eats from the mares feed and still nursing, but that baby needs to be getting feed as well. Part of the problem with not feeding the baby too is it will take more away from the mare. So fix a creep feeder for the baby and keep a good quality feed there and that could also help the mare as she wouldn't have to supply all of the nutrition for the baby.

Good luck with her, I hope she comes around quickly.

From the symptoms you describe I suspect Cushings disease.The non-shedding and big belly with evidence of ribs showing are a true sign of Cushings.Have your vet do a blood test on her, but test may not show evidence of disease.I had 2 previous cases and not confirmed until 1 was put down and necropsy showed tumor.I am now treating 3 cases all with different symptoms other than non shedding of coat.Oldest mare 23 is on Pergolide and doing well-even shed some after initial clipping of year.1 has fat neck deposits which are not responding to anything.Tried D Carb, Remission, cinammon,and Heiro-still has fat deposits-no other issues..1 is on Heiro , beet pulp and alfalfa pellets.Had sore feet is now fine.All are out on pasture 24/7, but there is nothing since it hasn't rained in over a month.Good luck with your mare.Beet pulp might help some.Keep us posted.

 

[ohmt]

I have one little mare who does the same thing-she gets a big belly and you can see her ribs. ONLY when she has a foal. This year I decided to try something different-she is on a 2 acre pasture all day with a big round bale of free choice grass/alfalfa hay mix. She gets 2 cups of omelene 300 morning and night with a cup of oats. Now, this is a 28.5" mare! She looks awesome right now and is filled out beautifully-and she's not overweight either. I know it sounds like a ton of feed, but some mares just need it. Her dam had a foal this year too and I have her on the pasture with the free choice grass/alfalfa hay mix as well but she only gets one scoop of omelene 300 a day with 1 scoop of oats and she is a little overweight-she is 17 this year and 31". You'd never guess they were related

ETA-just read that your mare is laminitic so my regime would not work, but it looks like others have given some great advice. Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[Windhaven]

Just one more suggestion. I have fed founder mares during their pregnancy and after they foaled.

The key to keeping them sound and healthy is a very strict diet that is not changed from day to day. You must get your mare on a more consistant diet. She should be fed the same thing every day.

My founder mares got all the grass hay they wanted.

1-2 cups beet pulp 2 X daily

1-2 cups plain oats 2 X daily(ad this slowly) My mares did very well on 1 cup twice daily and when they needed it I had them up to 1 1/2 cups with NO problem and under a vets referral.

Also be careful when switching to new hay. I always made sure mine had cured 60 days (fresh baled hay) in the barn before feeding it to my horses. Grass hay cures better so 30 days would be fine. I worked very closely with equine specialist and they all recommended letting hay cure. If you don't it can cause founder and colic in some horses.

I did not put my founder horses on pasture.

Also there is a supplement called Quiessince (not sure it is spelled right) that is good for foundered horses.

If she where my mare I would start her on 1 cup beet pulp, 1/2 cups oats and supplements 2 x a day. Then every 3 days I would increase the grain by a 1/4 cup per feeding and the beet pulp 1/2 cup. Once up to 1 cup oats and 2 cups beet pulp, I would monitor her weight and only increase the oats by a 1/4 cup until she was up to 1 1/2 cups and watch her carefully. Hopefully will will gain weight. Creep feed the filly to...

Good Luck!

 

[Marty]

Hi Mindy. Inconsistancy in feeding is not good and you should get her on a regular daily schedule. This mare needs to be fed 2 and 3 times daily, not just 2 or 3 times a week. Tieing her out with a foal on her side is a recipe for disaster. Way too dangerous for mama and baby. As the others have advised, plenty of grass hay in a dry lot situation and some really good feed for laminitic horses is a good plan. Purina makes a pellet Horse Chow in 10 and 12% that could work. You could provide the baby with his own little bowl by now and give him some Equine Jr. or something substantial often too. Best wishes.

 

[MindyLee]

THANK YOU ALL for all the helpful info. I now have momma on grain mix x2 a day & with hay in front of her x3 time a day. (Baby has been on Equine Jr this whole time.) I'm watching her very closly to make sure she dosnt get colicky or sore on her feet and she seems to be doing alright so far since I 1st started this post. I also put them into a pasture that was ate down by the other minis and was going to let it grow, but since the grass is way short, they are now in it instead of a dry dirt lot.

I was wondering if it would help out any on maybe giving her a little red cell also? I have a gallon of it when my stud needed it last fall.

Also I floated teeth back in March so teeth are fine.

 

[Shadows Fire]

Red cell is a good product but it does have sugars in it as does the short stressed grass. The site safergrass.com is really informative.

I know my arab mare who foundered a few years back tolerates the alfalfa hay the best. It is high in sugars but they are a different kind.

Marci