Underweight Mini

[Dee214]

I just “watched” a horse auction on Saturday…I couldn’t let the meat buyer get this poor girl! She’s now in my yard, safe, and our first pony.
Her coat hides her pultruding bones. Her feet are horrible.
The farrier is booked to come out and I will call the vet tomorrow.
I’m hoping it was just lack of food and/or bad teeth and not medical neglect in that she is ill. Even though both are abuse.
Until the vet comes out I need some help with feeding her.
I just gave her some good quality grass hay tonight.
Is there any Complete feed (step right) I should have her on? Are Alfalfa cubes too much being a pony. Being thin I don’t want to just chick food at her and cause issues with her gut.
Her papers say she is 15, but I think she could be older.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I’m use to my fat standard horses and not a skinny pony.

 

[chandab]

UC Davis' refeeding protocol for starving equines is probably the best option, I'll get you a link.
How tall is she? Miniatures are measured to the last hair of the mane, and go up to 38" tall. Over that they are ponies and measured to the withers like all other equines. Getting a height will give us an idea, as to what she should weigh, so we know how much to try to feed her daily.
Small frequent meals of forage for now are all she needs, after she is accustomed to regular meals and gains a little weight, then feeds can be introduced. Do not rush refeeding, as that can cause it's own set of issues; so slow and steady is the way to go.
She may appear older than she is, due to her poor condition.
Here's that link to UC Davis refeeding: nutrition-hr03jul.pdf (ucdavis.edu)
And, a more simplified version: UC Davis Emaciated Horse Diet – Horse Plus Humane Society
All the feed amount recommendations will need to be reduced to mini sized portions (knowing her height will help us find the right ballpark for that math).

 

[Dee214]

I will measure her tomorrow. Letting her settle in.
I’m guessing she is roughly 38”.
I will definitely just stick to hay for now.

 

[Capriole]

Thank you for rescuing this poor little girl!
Have you named her yet?

 

[Dee214]

My oldest who’s 2 1/2 years old named her, “Ketchup” lol
At first I was like we need to convince her to pick another name, but it’s pretty cute she came up with that. Today upon meeting her for the first time my daughter also said, “dip dip pony!” Lol dipping the Ketchup!

 

[Kelly]

Dip Dip Pony looks so sweet and relieved to have finally found you. You will have her all fixed up and looking good in no time. Take your time and follow that UC Davis refeeding program that chandab mentions above. Good luck! This time next year you’ll be asking, how do I get weight off a fat pony

 

[rgsiiiya]

I have a mini that struggles to keep his weight on.
He has no medical conditions...Just burns up calories fast and easy...

My Vet has him on the following IN ADDITION to his normal pasture/hay intake.
He gets all this on exercise days, or whenever he's running on the light side.

Full portion by weight of a Complete feed. I'm currently using the following as it is easy to get around here:
Miniature Horse & Pony Concentrate Feed Supplement | Purina (purinamills.com)
plus, a full portion by weight of Purina Amplify supplement

But, i agree with the above, start your new friend out on the UCDavis protocol at first.

 

[HersheyMint]

Congratulations! I'm so glad you saved her and can give her a loving home.

 

[chandab]

Full portion by weight of a Complete feed. I'm currently using the following as it is easy to get around here:
Miniature Horse & Pony Concentrate Feed Supplement | Purina (purinamills.com)
plus, a full portion by weight of Purina Amplify supplement

But, i agree with the above, start your new friend out on the UCDavis protocol at first.

There are much better options for one that is hard to keep weight on than the Purina Mini and Pony feed, it's a better choice for easy keepers as it's low fat. What options do you have locally? Senior horse or not, I like TC Senior to help with weight; it's low carb with a higher fat level and it's a complete feed.