Need Help with a 15 Year old Broodmare

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carlenehorse

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I can't seem to keep her weight on for some reason. She is up to date on all shots and worming. She is fed a 14% protein pellet with 3% fat twice a day. Is this enough protein/fat or should I add something else to her feed. She is on a dry lot with hay 24/7. She has the mineral blocks which she loves.

Please any advice needed.

Thanks
 
Have you had her teeth checked?

Also, the worming may not be sufficient. Occasionally, for whatever reason, the wormer does not do the right job.

Check with your vet to see what they recommend, it could be that a five day purge or daily wormer, or a different type and amount of wormer might be more appropriate, just don't let them recommend Quest, as it is not safe for minis due to the small margin of error on overdose.

I would try to add some other form of fat to her feed. Just a little at a time, perhaps Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, or maybe rice bran...some beet pulp?

Best wishes!

Liz M.
 
Liz thank you so much for responding. Her teeth have been checked I will check with my vet regarding the worming program you talked about. I will see about adding more fat to her diet. I know the feed stores around my area doesn't carry the beet pulp I am not sure about the black oil sunflower seeds. Are there any other types of fat I can give her if my feed stores don't carry these items?

Thanks again for responding. I was getting worried when I had no responses.
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You can try a product called Weight Builder. It comes in liquid and powder, I prefer the liquid.

Also on the BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds), if they don't have them at your feed store, they have them in small bags at grocery stores like Albertsons. They are in the pet aisle with the bird seed. Just make sure it's pure black oil sunflower seeds and nothing has been added. I think the brand I used was made by Hartz.

You could also try adding a Prebiotic to her feed. Try Ration Plus. I love this stuff and any time I get someone going through a thing spell I use it and see a quick difference.
 
What I put all my hard keepers on regaurdless of age is a youth/jr feed.
 
Thanks so much for all the responses. I will check the grocery store for Boss. I live in Orange, TX. I feed her 4 cups of feed in the AM and 4 cups of feed in the PM. How much BOSS should I add to her feed. I have never used it before.

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I have a 20 yo mare that was being a very picky eater this winter. As soon as I added Equine Senior to her ration she regained her appetite and weight within a couple weeks. She seems to really enjoy the feed and it is supposed to be easier to digest. I'd try this along with good quality hay and a vitamin/mineral supplement for your area. The suggestion about worming is also a good idea.
 
I know for sure that my feed store carries equine senior. I don't know why she has loss all of a sudden because she has always been a good keeper. I have had her for 4 years now and she only gets in foal every other year. She always skips a year which is fine by me. She had a foal last year and turned up not pregnant this year. This has happened twice since I have had her but this is the first time I had other mares. I now have two foals one in July and one in August. Before she was the only mare I had. Could she be depressed with the foals running around?

Another thing she always has milk year round. I am just puzzled by this as it has never happened before.

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Is she competing with the other horses for food or fed separately? If she was doing better by herself she may be getting her food stolen.
 
She is being fed by herself but the hay is a round bale. They may be pushing her away for the hay. I didn't think about that. I may need to put her some hay at another location.
 
Carlene Maruiceville feed does sell beet pulp I have purchased it there as well as the black oil sunflower seeds, I too would put her on equine senior and doc (schniter) has told me down here we need to be agressive with our wormers, when I took Dusky in I did not realize at the time I took her she had wormes, shocked me since I worm every 6 weeks and he had me double dose her weight with safeguard and ivmectin the same day and do it again in 6 days and then go to the normal worming....and I have noticed at least with my quarter mare she was 19 when we started her on red cell.
 
I am just going to question the quality of your grain and hay.

If your grain is crap, they won't do well on it.

I was always a purina fan, but when the store closed I was forced to change to another company. I bought thier top of the line, the best they had. But still, within 3 weeks, everyone of my horses looked horrid. The feed was simply trash. I was having to feed twice what they normally got with the purnia and still they looked nasty. A lot of these "off brand" companies that spring up all over the place are hardly regualted in what garbage they sell. I really have issues with most pelleted feeds and I won't feed a pellet in the first place. I feel that I want to see with my EYEBALLS what they are eating. I know it's a hangup I've got, and my QH does eat Purina Senior which is a pellet, but that is the only exception.

So now we venture out of our way to Chattanooga twice a month to the next closest purina store.

The next would be the quality of your hay. Don't know about there. But here and other places, round bails aren't fit to even feed to cows. They are very hard to chew and not palatable from what I have seen of them in several states. They can also fall over on top of your horse too, or get her stuck as well. Don't like them. Won't have them. They are ususally over loaded with junk. My horses would just pull some of it out and then poop on it. If you horse is not cleaning up the hay, then it's probably not good hay. I have no waste in my at all and if I did, I would be questioning the palatablity of it.

Of course this is just my humble opinion. But winters coming up and I think you need to really have your hay checked and tested by your local ag dept to see what they heck kind of grass is in there. Maybe just a load of weeds like I suggested. I would get a good quality square bail of hay. You may ask your vet who they would recommend.
 
Thanks Deanna I will check with Mauriceville Feed I buy all my feed from Farmers Mercantile. I worm every 4 weeks but I will check with Dr. Schneider. Thanks

Marty the hay is good quality horse hay and they never leave a drop of it. They will eat the whole bale. I only have a small amount that is loss. I always check the hay before I buy it. I have been using the same feed for 5 years so I don't think it is the quality of the feed. But since she is older I will start her on equine senior. Maybe her digestive tract has changed since she has gotten older. Thanks Marty I appreciate your input.
 
I am sure the feed you are feeding is 14 % but what brand? Is it all natural with no chemicals?

I use a mixture crushed Redmond Minerals, Redmond Salt, kelp, food grade DE ( this rids them of any internal parsaites) The mixture I use in my all natural feed (available in 10, 12 and 14 % available) works well. I feed Muenster Natural.

Also feed Missing Link Equine Suppliment in the food. Yes this is all organic. I had issues with my older horses until I went all organic. Their systems get clogged and does not absorb well in older years as do elderly people. Beet pulp is mostly a filler but does have some good minerals in it too.

I feed only organically grown hays ( you have to either grow your own or buy early from organic growers because it is not widly grown yet. I have all natural grass pastures treated only with natural elements. I also put organic electrolites in their water.

You can get all this from your local all organic feed store. If there is not one in your area just shoot me an email and I will send you the name of the one in my area. They can ship anywhere. It is a little more expensive but their coats look great and I have haven't had a trip to the Vet for sickness, colic or anything in three years. Just routine shots. Oh, I have not had to chemically worm my horses in three years either. THe cost savings their is huge.

Good luck with your little one.

BJ

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Thanks BJ I will have to read the bag. To tell you the truth I have never looked to see if it was all natural. I will check tomorrow.
 
BJ we used missing link on our show horses as well WOW what it did for their coats and manes and tails! Carlene when we fed the sunflower seeds we fed about 1/4 a cup once daily.

D
 
If your mare were mine I would be putting her on one of two things, either Purina's Hi Fat Hi Fibre pellet and also give her some beet pulp on top of her daily hay ration or better if you have it in your area a new product by Purina called Trimax. Trimax has a high fat contentration but on top of that it has flax in it already and beet pulp and all the vitamins and minerals needed. I was using the Hi Fat Hi Fibre on my soon to be 30 year old arabian and I found that she wasn't flourishing as much as she did last year, I guess a year makes a difference at this stage and so I tried the Trimax and it is absolutely WONDERFUL!!! My vet recommended it to me and she sure was right.
 

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