neglected mini

[sams]

on wednesday i went to see my mares sire. he was in such awful shape i cried when i saw him. First of all he had foundered a couple of years ago, now his feet are so long that they curl up so much that the soles are facing the sky. he is being fed garbage hay in the middle of his pasture but cannot get to the barn to drink because he cannot walk due to the horrible feet that have also made his legs twist. when i saw him he hadnt moved from a 10 foot radius since the last time it had snowed, at least a week. he has no winter coat and is so skinny, also has no muscle tone at all due to not moving. I spoke with the owner and convinced him to give him to me. The next day my boyfrind picked him up for me. It took him an hour to walk him the less than quarter mile out of the feild. Long story not so short (sorry about the rammbling) my question is this what kind of feed do you guys suggest to put weight on a foundered horse?, what do you suggest for pain management? and lastly i dont think he has been wormed in at leat six years because the guy that owened him knows absolutly nothing about horses, so what type of wormer would you suggest and what dose? I dont want him to get impacted with the wormes if i give him to much and kill the off to quickly. Any and all opinions would be great.

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

God bless you for taking this horse on.

1. Dental check/float

2. Worm now with Ivermectin and again in 2 weeks,and then ask your vet what you can do to continue worming him.

3. Good quality hay, not alfalfa(too rich)

4. Might look into a low carb pellet.

5. Don't over feed him, small portions, he is not used to eating like this.

6. Blacksmith right away and schedule frquent visits to adjust his feet. Will take a long time but you will be able to see improvemnt right away.

7. Dust him for LICE just in case. The ivermectin will help a lot.

8. Vaccinations

Good luck!

Robin

 

[Floridachick]

Bless your huge heart. Get a really good Farrier out ASAP. Talk to your vet about pain management and anti-inflammatories.

I would personally get him on freechoice hay (he may need his teeth floated too) and Soaked Beet pulp with a mineral/salt and Rice Bran Oil. Carb guard grain 3 smaller meals a day. goodluck and take pics we would love to see him. I can't stand stupid people!

 

[Margaret]

Hi, and Bless you for having compassion on this stallion, and rescuing him..

There seems to be an epidemic of starving stallions out there as I am currently nursing my third stallion so far for rescues..

Its amazing how people just let them get this way, and dont feel for them. Here is what I usually do.

At first I would offer him only soft burmuda hay, in smaller portions frequently durring the day to eat,

as he is not used to getting fed properly, so right now the richer food choices could could cause him to jam up and colic.

Also you could call a vet to see what they might suggest, for the first few days, to get him slowly and safely adjusted..

So first thing is to get his digestive system used to getting regular timed meals and make sure he's passing stools also.

Can you arrange for a knowlegable farrier to come out and see what he can do for his feet?

That too would be on my priority list. If you could get him a jacket, and keep it on him when it is cold, that will help him retain some calories, as they burn up calories just trying to stay warm.

If he is as thin as you say you might want to see him eating and passing stools well before trying to worm him .(I never worm, or vaccinate a sick horse, as it can set them back.)

And then only choose a gentle type wormer like safe guard paste at first.

Hopfully soon you will to see a glimmer of light in his eyes, telling you that life is worth living again..

 

[mizbeth]

Bless you for taking this guy. How SAD.

The first thing I would do is call the vet and have him examine him. Then you can make your decisions based on his opinion. Everything that he will need cannot be done all at once. Only good coastal or grass hay now until the Vet sees him would be the best.

Best of luck to you, I sure hope the little guy turns around for you. Please let us know how he is doing?

Beth

 

[Miniv]

Oh Lord......Your description of the little guy makes me cringe.

Since he has foundered, I agree with everyone who has mentioned a good quality GRASS hay. Normally, I wouldn't put "Jammies" on a horse, but under those conditions I would!

Speak to your vet about the worming. You are wise to be cautious about that.

His feet are going to need a very patient farrier. It's going to take a number of visits to get him half way normal again.

Bless you for taking the fellow in.

 

[Tenltraining]

I agree with starting him out with smaller meals and not too rich as he was foundered as well. It will take a few hoof trims to get him going on the right track poor fella.

ONe VERY important thing, when worming him, use a milder wormer the first time or two, like panacur to lighten his load of worms in an easier way. If you give him ivermectin at first, you can overload his system with the dead worms and he can become toxic and die. I have heard of this happening on a few occasions especially if they havent been wormed regularly. If he does alright with Pancur first, then maybe another milder wormer, three weeks or so later, then ivermectin in another month and that should get him on track. Or you can get his feces tested prior to worming too by your vet to give you a clue as to what he has.

Im so glad you were able to rescue him out of there!! Hes a lucky horse!

 

[shorthorsemom]

Not much to say that hasn't been suggested... Bless you and your kind heart, Kind of like finding black beauty at the end of the movie. Hope you find a happy ending. I do think he needs vet as soon as possible. Doesn't sound like he would have lived much longer without some help. At least the poor boy will know some love and kindness after the abuse. Best wishes.

 

[SilverDollar]

Bless you for taking him in. I'll be keeping good thoughts for a successful recovery. Do get a vet to look at him and go from there--that's the best advice.

Pete Ramey has some excellent information on trimming foundered feet, even the "elf shoes". Here's his website: Pete Ramey

 

[turtlecreek]

I can't add anything else off hand from what the others have already told you.

And again, BLESS your heart for taking this guy home.

 

[Sandee]

If you suspect he hasn't been wormed in that long, then use panacur or safeguard (fenbendazole) in a regular dose. If the load isn't too high (and you will be able to see it if it is), then you can try ivermectin in 2 to 3 weeks. If he has a lot of worms you might want to retry the (generic name) fenbendazole again. This wormer is very mild and very safe - almost impossible to overdose. It also won't get ALL types of worms which is why you want to then use the ivermectin in a few weeks.

After worming, just to help his digestion you may want to give him a day or two of probiotics in his food to keep his gut working smoothly.