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Barnyard Buddies:  My horse won't eat  |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 10:50:44 AM
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I know there are alot of horse people out there and was wondering if anyone has ever had one that just stops eating. I have a 20 year old gelding that occasionally stops eating. He will just quit and ignore his food. He starts to loose weight and gets very lethargic. I have taken him to three vets and they can't figure out what is wrong. He is now on Thyroid meds and he has been treated for ulcers. I end up trying several different feeds before he finds one he will eat. He eats it for a while then stops. Then the search starts all over. He has gone as much as three weeks and lost tons of weight. He is naturally a hard keeper so these episodes of not eating are very hard on his general health. Usually it is the food he goes off of but once he even stopped eating his hay. His teeth are done on a regular basis and are in great shape.
I was just wondering if anyone else had ever seen this.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 11:56:52 AM
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First, have a liver panel done, and kidneys. Does he have good gut sounds? I had an old mare do this and she had eaten a rock, had to have it surgicaly removed. I would recommend a warmed senior sweet feed, try soaking it in hot water, also check to make sure he has no gum abcesses or ulcers, check tounge and roof of mouth. Make sure he isn't in pain anywhere, cause enough will cause him to quit eating also. Try hand feeding everything, including hay. Is he drinking enough water, sometimes when you get extreme cold, and they are not used to that, they don't want to drink cold water. Good luck
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
Edited by - 1badmamawolf on Dec 27 2009 11:58:25 AM |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 12:24:07 PM
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Great gut sounds, yes has his teeth floated every 6 months to 1 year depending on what the vet thinks when he comes in every 6 months for a check-up. Has his mouth checked every 6 months no problems in there, vet always makes me look in there myself. Has had every blood test the vet can think of to do, x-rays etc. Have stood for hours holding his bucket to get him to eat. Have tried three different senior feeds, soaked, with applesauce added with molasses added, water not a problem and since it isn't that cold in south Texas cold water isn't a problem. He gets legend shots every three months or arthritis plus he has joint supplements and magnetic therapy. He is now on two kinds of senior and sweet feed to tempt him to eat. Just a tiny bit of sweet feed. He has been on one and only, 12/6 pellets, three kinds of senior, beet pulp, once and done, etc, etc. He will eat each one for 4 to 6 months then he stops eating again. If I am not at the barn for more than 4 days he stops eating, Even my vet is totally stumped.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 12:46:22 PM
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I wonder if he is just being a picky eater and loves you lots and is throwing temper tantrums? My dog won't eat when I have to leave her behind. Hmmm. I can't think of anything else right off the top of my head. Maybe next time he goes on a starvation protest, don't feed him anything at all- don't even offer for a good 24 hours. Let him have all the water he wants but no hay etc, then give him a flake of the best grass hay you can find. Maybe if he is really hungry he will go for it. But I would check with your vet first incase there is some reason you shouldn't do that. If he was being really stubborn I would say go as much as 36 hours.
Also is he out on pasture? Could he be grazing and actually getting food that way?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
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Edited by - Alee on Dec 27 2009 12:48:49 PM |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 12:46:33 PM
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Beth, you said he stops eating if you are not around, maybe its lonlyness for you? Is he in a stall, or a paddock, is by himself, away from other horses, no competition for food, maybe he needs that stimulis, a pony or goat for a friend/competition?
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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Hosanna
True Blue Farmgirl
466 Posts
Hosanna
Alton
Virginia
466 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 12:53:08 PM
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Whoa. Does he have pasture buddies? Is he depressed? I know some people scoff at the idea of a horse being "depressed," but I have seen it over and over.
I had a foal that lost her mom at 3 months and she was depressed and wouldn't eat for a while.
Last year one of my Off The Track Thoroughbreds got real depressed, wouldn't eat, wouldn't hardly even walk around in the pasture.
I have one right now who is acting angry all the time; I took him out for a walk on the lane and his mood perked right up. (Weather has been too grody for riding/moving around.)
Maybe I'm way out there; but I think some horses get depressed in the winter time .......
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www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com
www.CarolinaRoses.etsy.com |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 1:08:22 PM
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Those are all great thoughts. He is in an acre pasture with two other horses that he has been with for some time. He is never alone. They stay out if the weather is good and have stalls, his is 13x26 half inside/half outside, for when the weather is bad. Even in his stall he has one of his pasture mates on one side and a sweet little mare on the other side that he seems to have a thing for. They have an acre pasture and there is 50 acres of other pastures with other horses all around. It is a very nice stable with full time turn out if you want. He has people that come out to feed him twice a day and the pasture is seeded and fertilized every year. I feed in the evening and my friend feed in the morning. If I am out of town someone in my family feeds in the evening. My vet is so use to him pulling this that he calls randomly to see how Faran is doing. Sox and Dunbar eat everything in site. The worst he ever got was when my DD had a serious car accident and I went to her house to care for her for 3 weeks. After the first week the other people that stable where I do started calling me and telling me how bad he looked. My friend took him in and they did a battery of test, there were so many I don't remember them all. After it was over the vet asked where I was and they told him out of town and he said "This horse is just grieving." But then four months later he did it again and I was there. I do sort of think it is depression but I can't seem to put a finger on what is triggering it. Most of the time he eats just like any other horse and bangs on his door if we are late getting there. But then he has a spell and you never know what triggers it.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 1:46:00 PM
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yup we did the Vit b shots the first time he pulled this and twice since. No joy. We even did blood sugar tests. We tried taking away all the meds and when he started eating again, added them back one at a time to see if he stopped eating when we added a particular one. Nope, kept eating through it all then randomly months later stopped eating again.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 3:27:00 PM
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I am completly stumped, I would get on a bunch of differant horse boards and tell them the same thing you told us, and our replys, and see if anyone out there has had the same experience as you and your Gelding is having. Please let us know what you come up with, and we will continue to rack our brains.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 5:39:29 PM
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Thanks I appreciate the help. I have had tons of experience with horses but never this. I have never even talked to anyone that had the same issue. I just feel so helpless. I just got back from the barn and discovered 3/4's of his breakfast left in the bucket. He ate yesterday and the day before. I hope it was just because the mare next door came into heat. Thanks for your help and if anyone thinks of anything I haven't tried please let me know.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 5:57:02 PM
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Beth, is he still ridable, and if so are you riding him as much as normal?
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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stefffic
True Blue Farmgirl
151 Posts
Stephanie
Cherryville
NC
USA
151 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 6:39:34 PM
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Have you checked him for Cushings? Chronic Laminitis?
My mare was misdiagnosed for about 2 years as everything under the sun. She had episodes of extreme lethargy, laying down, not eating. My brilliant (yeah, right) vet NEVER PUT HOOF TESTERS ON THE MARE! Farrier figured it out - she'd had sore feet all the time. Once we dealt with it the random lethargy quit.
Also, my mare loves Seminole Wellness Senior feed - it's low carb, low non structured carbs, and is a textured feed. I also soak feed in Apple Juice sometimes, it'll tempt most horses to eat. If sugars/starches are a problem then you can't do that, though.
"A quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself."
"One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries." A A Milne |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 6:40:35 PM
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He sounds like a very sensitive horse, so I'm wondering if he would respond to one of the Bach Flower remedies? I don't know what the dosage would be for a horse, or even which one to recommend, but if you consult someone who specializes in them, they might be able to tell you.
Cindy
"Dog is my co-pilot"
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 7:43:21 PM
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Yes he is still ridable and yes I am actually riding him more than before because I got laid off. But not so much that it should make a difference. He is very smart and he is very very well trained. I got him from a Girl Scout program that was about to send him to slaughter. He had already been to the auction house once and the Girl Scouts got him from there. When they decided to get rid of him I managed to pull a fast one and get him from them before he went to the auction. I had him about six months before he had his first episode of not eating. I changed to different feed and he picked up pretty good. Girl Scouts told me that he had had his teeth floated the month before we got him. So a year later I took him in for a float and discovered a nightmare. He had already had the one not eating episode. The vet found that he had three broken teeth and figured since he had trenches dug across his upper pallet and the broken pieces of teeth were in holes in the roof of his mouth that had abcessed he figured they had been broken about 5 years. The girl scouts had been using him for trail rides and lessons for 5 years. The vet said putting a bit in his mouth was torture and he couldn't believe he was letting a bit be put in. He said his nasel cavity, eye, jaw and mouth were in excrutiating pain. So 6 weeks and $500. later he had all the broken pieces of teeth removed, was cool with having his mouth powerwashed and was no longer in pain. About 4 months after that we had the second episode of no eating. He ate all through the dental work. About 4 months later we had the second bout. We had just discovered that he had deformed ankle bones and had started him on meds. We thought it might be the meds. But no that wasn't it. Now he does this about every 4 to 6 months. We change feeds until he starts again. The last time he lost about 200lbs and the vet treated him for ulcers. After trying about 4 new feeds we found one he would eat. He ate two bags of it and then stopped again. He ate a feed that we had tried before and he wouldn't touch. I have tried apples, applesauce and apple juice He just refuses to touch anything with apples. He will eat some carrots but not many. I haven't tried the Seminole Wellness Senior I will put that on my list for next time he quits eating. I have a friend who is a natural therapist and she had me using magnets on his arthritis which the vet says is a result of his deformed ankle bones. I know she does the flower remedies so I can ask her what she suggests. I know she used them on her mustang when he ended up with a very bad trainer. He (my horse)is such a sweety and a wonderful ride. He use to do reining, he has done some cattle work, he does barrel racing, pole bending and he has the smoothest trot I have ever ridden. A novice can pick his feet and groom and tack him he is so well trained and gentle. He can be steaking across the pasture as fast as he can go and if I yell whoa he is stopped on a dime. It just breaks my heart every time he stops eating. I thought I would never get a good weight on him after I got him from Girl Scouts and he starts to drop weight the minute he stops eating. He is a 16.2hh grad draft/quarter mix about 20 years old. he is ok for anyone to work with, with the exception of one woman in our barn. He can't stand her and the minute he hears her voice his ears go back. He has bitten her twice for no apparent reason. I have caught her twice trying to give him treats. I just feel so helpless when he starts the no eating thing.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 8:02:41 PM
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The women he hates at your barn, this is a sticky statement, but I'll throw it out there, could she be doing ANYTHING to him??? If he hates her so much to lay back his ears when he hears her voice, it makes me wonder???
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 8:05:05 PM
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Oh, and one more thing, those Girl Scouts, and their leader should have their merit badges taken away and the leader should be slapped, imo!!!
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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pinerootsavage
Farmgirl at Heart
7 Posts
Deb
Ontonagon
MI
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 8:06:01 PM
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| Have you tried a probiotic supplement, also a bit of rice bran, I have a couple of hard keepers and picky eaters, and also a couple of tubbies so I feed everyone separately, sounds like you have tried about everything...also a couple of mine get some warm soaked alfalfa cubes mixed in their ration, a good probiotic is Source Weight but I have used Optizyme and several others....if you haven't used rice bran, start at 1/2 cup and go up to a cup slowly...I feed a mixture of beet pulp, grain ration, source, rice bran, alfalfa cubes all soaked in hot water....plus their hay, I only feed this to the hard keepers. Maybe the probiotic will keep him eating onece you can get him started. Wishing you luck..... |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 8:13:30 PM
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Funny you should say that. I didn't think about that until I was typing that sentence that she might be. Strange you should reinforce that random thought. I just can't think what she might be doing. You would think that if she was feeding him something it might have shown up in all the different groups of blood work we have done. Or at the least make him colic. I don't know but I am going to have my friend keep an eye out in the mornings and I am always there in the evening. It certainly is a possibility.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 8:31:36 PM
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I have used probiotic supplements. But have not used rice bran, I have used soaked alfalfa cubes and soaked beet pulp. The weird thing is he will eat if for a while then stop. I have given away tons of different feed that he has stopped eating. We have five bags of purina senior that I hope will keep for a while so I can put him back on it eventually. He seems to do the best when he is on senior feed but he has eaten then stopped eating four different kinds now. And the Girl Scout thing wasn't a troop leader it was an older level girls program. They have a barn that belongs to the council and they have 40 riding horses and two draft horses with a wagon. The do lessons and trail rides at one of the camps. They also use the horses for the girls that go to summer camp. He worked there for 5 years every weekend, every summer full time 6 hours a day during the South Texas summers in temps of 100+ degrees with three broken teeth and inexperienced riders jerking on his bit. He is a saint among horses. They decided to get rid of him because he started trying to bite the girls grooming and tacking. That was after he ran a t-post through his lower jaw. They didn't even get the teeth fixed when that happened. I spent 3 hours with him picking maggots out of his face because they didn't even find the wound until it was full of maggots. The vet that saw him said the teeth were absolutely broken before the t-post accident. Yes I would love to be able to at least have them admit they didn't treat him right. But no, even after the vet they claimed floated his teeth, sent me his records and a letter stating he never did his teeth, they won't admit that the paper work they gave me was not correct. But, I digress if I get on to how badly they treat their horses I will go on all day. It is great of all of you to send suggestions. I will try the Seminol Senior Feed and rice bran. I will also talk to Alexa and see if she has any Bach Flower suggestions. I will also adjust my schedule so that the woman at the barn is not there with him if I am not.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 9:17:22 PM
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Beth, I called an old friend, she is retired now due to a rouge horse, but she was a surgical equine vet at Davis Vet college in Davis cal. I read her your posts and replys and your replys. She said that "sometimes" thru no fault of anyone, when a horse has had teeth broken and those and the peices left in for as long as your boy did, pieces can become inbeded down deep in the gums, and even when a vet pulls all the bad teeth, and broken pieces out, one or two might have been hidden and remain, as he gets older, and the gums start to shrink back naturaly, those pieces can get closer to the surfice and start bothering him, without breaking thru or causing any swelling or abcesses, they will float in a sense around in the gums, so it bothers him now, but not in 4 weeks, stays good for months and here we go again. She said have the vet there x-ray his upper and lower jaw to see if any of those pieces are in there, and if so, a quick nick with a scaple and pull them out and his eating problems are gone. I hope this will help, and I hope this is the problem, not human abuse again.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 9:37:02 PM
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You know that sounds like the most plausible idea yet. Thank you so much. That would certainly explain why it is so random and with no apparent reason. I will get the vet to do an x-ray he is going in soon for his Legend shot and I will have him do it then. That is unless he doesn't eat tonight. His breakfast was only 1/4 gone but Hickory was in heat and bothering him. If his dinner is still in his bowl in the morning I will call the vet right away. Otherwise I will wait until our regularly planned visit. That sounds so likely. Thank you so much. Please tell your friend how much I appreciate her help. I too hope that it is not human interference. I would die if I found out someone was hurting him, yet again. When I am in charge of his care. You have all been so great. Thanks so much.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
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Sarahpauline
True Blue Farmgirl
672 Posts
sarah
Ringgold
GA
USA
672 Posts |
Posted - Dec 28 2009 : 06:35:19 AM
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I had an aged horse that would eat but she wouldnt eat enough. I always made her a big mash, including soaked beet pulp and soaked senior and then in another tub I soaked hay cubes for her so she could chew it well. One thing that really worked well for her was weekly vitamin b12 injections. It fuels the appetite evidently and did help a lot. You can get them at tractor supply.
Not all those who wander are lost...
www.SarahPauline.com
www.AbraxasBaroque.com |
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Barnyard Buddies: My horse won't eat |
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My horse won't eat
