Neglected Mini

[cat_in_the_hat72]

Hello everyone! I just joined here and hope someone can point me in the right direction. I had a friend of mine tell me about some minis her neighbor had and said he was looking to get rid of a couple. Due to his ignorance the one he wants to get rid of is in pretty bad shape. I went to look at this poor mare Saturday and what I saw broke my heart. She is currently nursing a 4 month old foal and it has become quite a drain on her. She is really underweight. You can see every rib, and her hip bones and backbone are sticking out. She is so small, and if she's over 28" I'd be suprised. Now worse that her weight was her feet. The owner says she has foundered and since he can't fix he pretty well has left them as they are. You could see where her hooves had grown so long and he had hacked the long toe off. What she had left barely resembled a hoof. It just made me what to cry. I don't know if left in this condition she would make it though the winter. He decided he wanted $25 for her and even though in her condition I think he's crazy I'm willing to pay it to get her out of there. Now I'm looking for help on how to get her back into decent shape. She will be nothing more than a pet but I want her to be healthy and comfortable. She will need to see a vet for a coggins and I doubt she has had any vaccinations. Should I have them vaccinate her now or wait? Should he take X-rays of her feet to decide the best course of action? What questions should I ask my farrier to make sure he knows what he's doing to fix her feet? Will getting the baby off her and a good worming be enough to get weight on or should I feed her something special? I hope I haven't driven you all nuts with my questions. Any answers would be greatly appreciated or any other info would be great. I have a full sized horse so I'm not ignorant to horse care, but anything specific towards minis I should be aware of? I really hope someone can help me.

Thanks

 

[Marty]

The first thing to do would be to buy her!

Then the rest is not that hard if you have a really good vet lined up. You should do that right away. You don't want to do anything to upset her little system as weak as it is.

Have the vet give her a complete exam and he will guide you through everything she needs and her little baby too. He'll probably do shots and well, who knows what. But begin with the vet.

 

[Little Wee Horse Farm]

Hi -Welcome to the forum. It's a great place!

First, let me preface that anything I say on this thread is HORSEKEEPING advice, not veterinary advice, just so I don't get sued.

It sounds like the little girl has all sorts of things going against her. I'd be concerned about worms. But, I'd ask the vet about what to do there. Perhaps a wormer that's not so potent to begin with (like Panacur or Safeguard) or perhaps the vet might say to wait to worm her because if a horse isn't wormed for a very long time, suddenly killing all of them could block up her system & colic her.

Also, Id' start any feed program very gradually. The temptation is there to feed her up quickly, but let's face, it's going to take time. You need to go slowly & gradually build her up. Ask the vet what protein level to go with or about additions like beet pulp. He might suggest a particular vitamin supplement.

Don't know about the timing for shots. I think each case is different & the vet would give the best advice there.

I'd give her free choice hay. Don't know if everyone would agree with that, but I would do that.

Also, if she's going to be on grass field, let her get used to it gradually as well. Just a little session at a time if she's not used to grass. Especially if it's lush grass, you need to be very cautious. Maybe start with a 1/2 hour morning & again at night & gradually increase if you wish.

I'd ask the farrier & the vet about x-rays. But, your farrier has to know enough to know what he's seeing in the x-rays, so they may or may not be helpful. It's very nice that you are concerned enough to so want to do the right thing.

I guess the keywords here are: gradually, slowly, cautiously.

Have you gotten her yet? I've done rescues before & they've been some of my biggest blessings. Please let us know how she's doing for you. Best of luck & she'll know you saved her & repay you a thousand times.

 

[dmhstacy]

I had a rescue once that was in such bad shape it could not walk (kept stubling & falling).

I started her on a handfull of grain and VERY gradually built it up.

Also I gave her adlib white hay.

What I found worked the best was ab lib seaweed meal. I left this in a feeder and she just ate what she wanted. She was much better on her feet within 24hours

But yes talk to a vet before doing anything with her!!!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

OK I'm going to disagree- much as we all want to jump in and feed them up you will actually cause a lot of harm allowing her to stuff her face full of grass or hay after starving. You need to keep her up, off all grass or on a very short paddock. You need to wean the foal straight away. You need to worm her, now, do not wait as she can not put on weight whilst she is feeding a belly full of worms. Get the Safeguard/Panacur- they are both exactly the same - Fenbendazole- worm every day for five days with her correct weight- NOT double dosage- wait ten days and give the correct dose for her weight again. This will very gently remove most of the big nasty worms in her system, but it is a very mild wormer and will not take care of everything and will not kill everything stone dead, either. Do the foal at the same time and be prepared for a shock, in both cases. IF in four weeks time you feel she has improved greatly- enough body weight gain to be happy with, worm with an Ivermectin based product for the correct body weight ( a weight tape will do under the circumstances, weighing is better) If after another four weeks you are still happy with her progress use a Tapewomer- I prefer a Praziquantel based product, I have had severe colic with Pyrantel (Strongid) You can do the same routine with the foal. Remember two things about your Vet (unless you have a very good working relationship with him/her and know they know their stuff) Some Vets do not know very much about de-worming, and rely on the hand outs from the suppliers. NO Vet likes to appear not to know what they are talking about, but the answers you get may come off the side of a packet, not form personal experience. The other thing is that some Vets get a kick- back from some companies, SO whatever you are told, DO NOT USE QUEST!!!!!!!! After you have completed all the de-worming you will need to does at double rate with the Guard to remove encysted small strongyles (This is what Quest is supposed to do- unfortunately it can sometimes do it by killing the animal housing the worms!!) Feeding? There is a very good site about feeding emaciated horses that I will try to find for you. Do not give her free choice is she is really that thin, you will kill her. I had this with a Fjord mare I got from the knacker- even he felt sorry for her!! She also had a foal on her. It took six months but she came good. I had this with Amira after colic surgery- that took three months as she had been in good shape before. Bless You for doing this, take it easy and slow and you will get there in the end.

 

[DunPainted]

Welcome to the Forum

There is some excellent advice given here. About the only thing I can offer is to listen to your heart and purchase this special mare and her foal. You will be more blessed than they, as it is such a rewarding experience to nurse a wounded (emotionally/physically) animal back to health.

Because she is so emaciated, it may take a few weeks for a grooming brush to feel good to her. Lots of hugs and time in the stall/pasture sitting with them while you read a magazine/book so they get to know you is a good idea. I don't know much about horses, but I've a few horses in this condition and they prefer to observe my behavior with other animals and get a sense of my spirit....and begin to trust "in their time".

God bless you for opening your heart to these precious creatures. I sure hope you will keep us posted with BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER photos of her progress.

Cindy

 

[Little Wee Horse Farm]

ok, rabbitfizz -- whenever I see you've posted to a thread I've already posted on, I can almost always predict that you will disagree, no matter what I've said.

So, here's my disagreement back. I still maintain that worming this mare or any horse who has not been wormed in a very long time is a very dangerous thing to do. If the previous owner didn't feed her, you can almost bet that he sure didn't spend the time or money to worm her.

The fact is that if you kill a possible huge load of worms, they would all be dead in there & would need to be eliminated thru the horse's system.. The big mass of dead worms can become a blockage in the intenstines & kill the horse. Don't agree? Ask a vet. I'm sorry, but your suggestion that the horse be wormed soon and often is out of line, I believe. I must disagree. Again, I'd take the advice of a vet. If HE/SHE says to worm the mare, then I'd do it.

NO ONE here is suggesting the horse "stuff her face" with unlimited grass or hay. I would give her hay, yes, & I posted the possibility that some would not agree. Horses who have shrunken stomachs eat surprisingly little hay when allowed to have it. They mostly are seen picking at it, not scarfing it up like a bear. I'm suggesting free-will hay so that she has something to munch on all day. It can be given to her several times a day in small amounts, but I'd keep it in front of her.

I said Safeguard or Panacur BECAUSE they are the same by different brand names, but the way you state it, I was wasting words & didn't know they are the same. Gees. But I DO AGREE with you about Quest & I forgot to mention it. Good point. NEVER NEVER use Quest on a mini.

Cat in the Hat: I forgot there was a foal involved. Four months is old enough to wean, but you have to be sure the baby is eating something else with gusto besides mom's milk. If they weren't being fed, I doubt it is. So, I'd again ask the vet what to do. Maybe a milk replacer until you can get the baby on grain?. That would at least relieve mom of the depletion from lactating & giving what little energy she has to the foal.

Since you are a newcomer here, I'd like to say that even tho the advice on this forum is well-meant & usually good, remember to take it with a grain of salt (including my own advice) & ALWAYS refer to a vet on veterinary subjects, except where QUEST is concerned. Many vets don't know about what Quest does to minis.

 

[Minimor]

I too would deworm with a mild dewormer immediately; I have waited for a horse to "get built up" a bit and have ended up with colic. So, I now deworm each & every horse as soon as I get it. The exception would be a horse that was so malnourished that it was weak, so weak that it's in danger of not staying on its feet. With a horse at that stage of starvation, then I would wait to consult with the vet & perhaps try to get the horse stronger before deworming.

 

[cat_in_the_hat72]

Thanks everyone for all the info. I have not get her home yet as I have to wait til they get an area set up for her where I board. I hope to pick her up by Monday. The foal will be weaned when I take her as he is keeping the baby. He is asking a lot more for the baby and I have a feeling I will need that money to get the mare back in shape. I don't have a vet I trust 100% so I like to have some knowledge before hand. A great vet seems to be hard to find around here. I do have a good farrier but as to what he can do with X-rays I'm not sure. I'll have him out to look at her and see if he wants them done before he proceeds. She is currently on a grass pasture and appears he's been feeding them corn. It is just so sad to see her this way in the hands of an owner who can't see he's really doing her harm. When I went out to look at her she tried to avoid being caught. Poor thing couldn't run though so it didn't take long to catch her. Once we caught her and she realized we weren't going to hurt her she stood and soaked up all the attention. My husband was petting her and found and itchy spot and she just melted in his hands. I will post some pictures when I get her home and I'm sure in time you won't recognise her. Thanks again for all the great info and support.

 

[kaykay]

this is really going to stress the mare and foal by weaning them so ubruptly. I do not recommend this at all but if you have no choice I dont know what you can do? Please be on alert for signs of colic or stress induced ulcers. Due to forum problems I am not going to post feeding strategies here but please feel free to emaiil me

kay@chancesminihorserescue.org

 

[chevycouple]

The only thing I can recommend is a natural balance farrier for her feet. I just watched my farrier bring back a foundered mini. It was awsome. Of course my farrier works side by side with my vet. here is the natural balance website www.hopeforsoundness.com make sure if you go this route to find someone that does this type of shoeing/trimming full time. Farriers that only do this stuff part time don't get the experience that they need

I am one for free choice hay...but I would start with a grass hay and work your way to what you normally feed and monitor her through out the day if you can. I know that can be hard when you board horses.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

boy talk to your vet but i strongly disagree wtih weaning so quickly this mare is in a condition that she cant handle to much stress and i would bet the baby is as well. I wouldnt de-worm for a couple of weeks either i would feed her several small meals a day of hay and then slowly on vets adivce add grain.

I think it is wonderful you want to buy her and you will be repaid by her ten fold

oops i see now where you posted she doesnt come with the foal at her side so i guess you have no choice

 

[Miniv]

If I were in your shoes (and I was once a few years ago) I would be sure to have your vet AND the farrier working together.

When we picked up the colt we rescued, we called both our vet and farrier ahead of time and went directly to the clinic. The farrier met us at the vet's and we all put our heads together.

Basically, every change we did - we did very gradually, both in feeding, worming, and hoof trimming.

I'm sure you are going to do just fine with her.....whatever you do will be better than what she's HAD!

MA

 

[js1arab]

Well, if he hasn't cared for them any better than this then my suggestion may be pointless, but I'll offer it anyway. I agree with the others that abrupt weaning may not be a good idea at this point due to their present state of health, so maybe, if you asked the owner he would be willing to allow you to slowly wean the foal then place it back with him. It would be heartbreaking for you, but remember that you are still taking one out of a poor situation. If you thought the owner would consider this, then you could write up a contract stating that he would not be charged any boarding fees etc. and that the foal would return to him after weaning and I would specify a date within a reasonable amount of time. Just a suggestion. he has it in writing that the foal is his and he won't be out any money for care and it allows you to do the best thing for both mare and foal. Good Luck!!!

 

[cat_in_the_hat72]

I am going to pick her up Monday morning. She will see the vet on the way out to the barn to decide the best course of action. I will ask him about the baby but somehow I don't think he will go for it. If he doesn't I'll be sure to keep a close eye on her. I want to thank you all for the advice. I'm sure I will have tons more questions along the way.

Thanks

 

[chandab]

I don't know what article or website RabbitFizz was referring to for nutrition for a starving horse, but I don't have one bookmarked. Here's the link:

http://www.completerider.com/nutrition.htm

You have already gotten plenty of advice and I have nothing to add, so... Good luck with her. And,

for taking her on.