VERY HUNGRY HORSES

[jeanniecogan]

A friend came over Friday and said his nephew needed to get rid of a couple minis. I went over and looked but was sure i wouldn't take them. until i saw them. Mother and son. HUGE winter coats, skin and bones. The mare is tiny and her son is taller. He is two years old . They are pathetic. So you guessed it i picked them up Saturday morning. oh they had a 100 gallon water tank with about 6 inches of water in it. Mom couldn't reach it.

Any how i need some advice. I gave them a bucket (18 gallon size) filled with water and a huge pile of grass hay. A mineral block that they are still licking. Also i wormed them Saturday night with ivermectin. Last night i gave them their grass hay and a little 1/4 flake of alfalfa. also i want to give them strategy and vitamins, but am not sure how much will be too much. i figure if i gvie them plenty of grass hay so they aren't hungry they will pick up.

How much is too much? any advice is awesome please help.

 

[jeanniecogan]

I forgot to ad that their feet are horrible. and they were together in a small pen. I suppose she is pregnant.

 

[poniesrule]

Start slowly, chances are anything is going to shock their systems, the poor things. I would have a vet our as soon as possible and even do a fecal check to see if/what kind of parasites they have and get that treated. If it was me, I would give them grass hay for a week or so, then start working strategy into their diets. Any idea how much they currently weigh? How much do they need to gain? Go off of label to determine how much they should be eating at proper weights, and slowly increase the amount you give them over 7-10 days depending on how much it is. I feel so bad for them, kudos to you for taking them home. Would love to see pictures to follow their progress with you.

 

[wingnut]

I thank you for stepping up and helping these poor animals. Others here are more familiar with dealing with situations like this one, but I know they alway say to keep it simple at first. Hay and water is a good start. Add anything else very slowly. Getting the feet taken care would be my next priority over what feed(s) and supplements to use at this stage.

Good luck and God Bless!

 

[shorthorsemom]

awwww. that's sad.

How about checking over on the mini horse adoption spot here on this forum... last chance I think its called... ... ask Marty or somebody over there what they do when they get the rescue minis in and how they go about bringing them back to where they should be...

corrected... says Chances miniature horse rescue board... I am sure they have a ton of experience and can get you started. You should document with photos and keep track of everything you are doing. Once a friend of ours took in some horses that were sadly neglected and folks kept calling the SPCA on her because they thought she was the person that got those horses into that condition.

 

[JAX]

Yes please talk to someone like Marty as feeding a starved horse can end up killing them if their systems are so far down. I took one in and fed her only alfalfa until I knew she was good enough to start get a handful of grain at a time...literally a handful at a time. It was slow going, but ended up great. Good luck

 

[Minimor]

Yes, if they are severely emaciated they need alfalfa to start--no grain for a little while--grain too soon can cause organ failure and death. Now perhaps these two are not that bad, but it is something to be aware of.

 

The alfalfa is the best to start them on, I believe, as it will give them good protein, and acts as a tummy soother as well. Slow and easy at first to give their systems time to make small adjustments, and then slowly start adding the grain -- a small ration several times a day would be good.

I'd have their feet done, just to make them as comfortable as possible.

And KUDOS to you for saving them!

 

[Marty]

Hi Jeannie, thank so much for saving these little ones. I surely wish if anyone knows of these situations to point them to CMHR because we are there to help.

All good advice I see here and yes, at CMHR we advise everyone to "go slow" . If you get in a hurry to pack the pounds on, its going to backfire in a very bad way. I know its so hard to look at them outside your door as they are but trust everyone here that you will achieve so much more if you tread slowly.

Our beginner regimine for all new horses coming into CMHR is

1. a complete vet exam, coggins, health paper, vaccinations where they stand and all mares are ultrasounded. No one moves ani inch unless the vet says they can. We will never bring any form of illness to our foster homes which we are very protective of. The reason we ultrasound right away is so we put them in an appropriate foster home that has knowledge of foaling out.

2. Horses are brought back ever so slowly with usually whatever feed our foster homes have on hand. However It does also depend on their individual needs; some require low starch low sugar, others do better on something like equine jr or senior feeds. It just depends on the individual horse. Small handfuls at first. Small amounts of hay. Again, everything is introduced so slow and in super tiny amounts can be given maybe 3 times a day as not to shock their system. We do not give vitamins at that point unless there is a specific urgent need but do offer a salt and trace mineral block .

3. All horses are put on probios and ulcer meds and are de-wormed with Safeguard 5 days in a row. As time marches on everything will increase but all in due time. Once stablized, stronger and settled in, then we'll do a teeth float and a hoof trim and de-worm with ivermectin.

Best wishes to you

As always everyone, we appreciate your support and can always use foster homes.

 

[jeanniecogan]

Boy, thank you all sooo much. You suggestions are so good and i feel that i am on the right track. This is a wonderful place to be able to come with any questions.

I will take some pics tomorrow and try to get them on and then i will try to post updates with pics once a month. will call the vet tomorrow. They are soooo sweet, and very thankful , i am sure. thanks again.

 

[jeanniecogan]

Pics are No 1 Corky's back feet

Corky's hip bones, fur and all you can still see them

Better pic of his hip bones

Last two are of Mama. her feet look the same and her ribs and back bone and hips

They are doing well, eating and drinking a lot of water, the vet said to proceed as i was and a little green grass won't hurt them. did not have mama ultrasounded, i will next month. money is tight and i didn't expect this.

what do you think of the grass thing.?

Thanks for your wonderful advice, and Marty that list will be my bible with them.

 

[jeanniecogan]

Well, here are some pics. I brushed them and got a lot of hair but they still have a lot of hair, so you really can't see how they feel.

I let them out for 1/2 hour to graze in a sparse field. they were very happy.

 

Personally, I think I'd get the farrier out there to trim the feet, if you can pick up their feet without stressing them at this point. If they have no problems with you picking up feet, etc., and as long as they are doing well, it would help them to be more comfortable standing, as those feet must be quite uncomfortable for standing and walking.

Again, thank you for saving these little ones. I think some easy grazing is just fine, and good to help keep their systems moving.

 

[jeanniecogan]

i am trying ti find a farrier, they just don't want to come this far for minis

 

[lucky seven]

Ask your vet for a farrier recommendation, that's how I found mine. I had fired one I had had for years and couldn't find one that I liked. The one I have now is worth his weight in gold. Best called I've made.

 

[poniesrule]

There are some pretty cute little horses hiding beneath a sad costume! You can try to search online to see if your state has a listing for farriers, otherwise try a 4-H program (Extension office?) and see if anyone has any ideas. Also, are there any mini clubs around? I think when you describe what you are looking for, people will jump at the chance to help out. It's going to be a long road, but a rewarding one! I would send mine over, but I think an 18-20 hour drive is a bit of a stretch Keep up the good work!

 

[supaspot]

The poor little mites , they are so thin and those hooves are awful

`Thankyou for helping them

 

[jeanniecogan]

Well, the story will end now. happy ending so read on. i took them to a friend that lives 90 miles away. We got them out of the trailer and my friend started to trim their feet. she was practically crying. Her and her family fell in love with them, so they now have a forever home. These people work with their animal control all the time and they won't sell them unless it is a very special home. i feel really good about this as i am 72 and two little wild horses were taking their toll on me.

Thanks for all the advice im sure it was good advice. it sure worked while i held them.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

That's fantastic they have found a home to take care of them. What was even better is that they came across you in the first place.

 

What a wonderful ending, and none of this would have happened without you opening your heart to save them! KUDOS to you!!!!