Elderly horse has stoped eating

Asfaloth · 12-24-2004, 11:49 AM

One of the older horses at our stable refuses to eat his grain. He is about 36 and is on a senior feed so he really can not go without it. he has very few teeht. He does chew his hay but spits it back out mostly since he can't chew well enough to eat it.
About three weeks ago he had a fever and was put on antibiotics just in case he had a bacterial infection but it was thought to be a virus. He stoped eating at that time.
We have tried diferent feeds and giving him bran mash and grated up carrots and apples. He will eat a little but then he ignores it. He always goes to his bucket and looks at the feed but refuses to touch it.So we think he wants to eat but he won't for some reason.
We have checked his mouth for problems and found nothing other than that he has not many teeth
We tried a diferent feed bucket in case he did not like the one he has.
he is loosing weight now and his owner is very worried about him.
I tried offering him a little beet pulp today, he turned up his nose.

Does anyone else have any ideas what his problem might be or is he just old and thinking about dying?

Top Dun · 12-24-2004, 11:57 AM

Older horses already have acompromized digestive system and then when you give antibiotics you kill off more of the beneficial bacteria in the gut.
1. Call the vet first because they need to be aware of the situation and the vet can diagnosie if there is more going on here. There could be any number of problems including It is time for this horse to say good bye.
2. if the vet approves give a dose of beneficial bactera (probiotics) and a dose of vitiman b-12 to help stimulate the appetitie. You may have to keep him on a probiotic supplement.

::Miss Kitty:: · 12-24-2004, 11:59 AM

If he can't chew his hay you could soak haycubes for him. They are really easy to eat and most horses love them.

Asfaloth · 12-24-2004, 12:07 PM

I told her about probiotics. She has been giving him some yogurt I think but I was going to offer her some of my Focus Sr to get started.
She can't use Alfalfa cubes as he has foundered in the past which is why I had hoped beet pulp would tempt him. He is not interested in it though. Am thinking maybe rice bran. Anyone know how to get a small amout to see if he will eat that?

ibsammy · 12-24-2004, 01:59 PM

I used to volunteer at safe haven horse rescue. They had quite a few horses who couldnt chew due to abuse and age. They used sweet feed, but i dont think it was as rich, soaked for those with less teeth, and it kept them going for a while. One I knew eventually died, but she had a very abused past and was starved in a pasture. The owner thought she would be fine,a s she was in a pasture full of grass, but she had no teeth to chew so she was really skinny. well neways...

ejforrest · 12-28-2004, 07:00 AM

Sometimes when a horse is put on antibiotics, they can develop an ulcer. Have the vet check. Only way to really know is with an endoscope. Some signs are: wieght loss, altered eating behavior, recurrent colic, change in attitude or disposition, sub-optimal performance, diarrhea, and or dull coat.

Moostang · 12-28-2004, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibsammy

I used to volunteer at safe haven horse rescue. They had quite a few horses who couldnt chew due to abuse and age. They used sweet feed, but i dont think it was as rich, soaked for those with less teeth, and it kept them going for a while. One I knew eventually died, but she had a very abused past and was starved in a pasture. The owner thought she would be fine,a s she was in a pasture full of grass, but she had no teeth to chew so she was really skinny. well neways...

Thats really great of you to volunteer there, they do great work!

I would have the vet check out the hores' mouth, they can look a lot better than you can, since they know what to look for. Also they may want to run a blood test, the horse may have some kind of internal inflammation or infection.

CJ · 12-28-2004, 12:56 PM

Some days my old horse wuouldn't eat unless there was Animax(Purina)/ Calf Manna in his food. Applesauce is also supposed to be a pretty good lure.

KZWestern · 12-28-2004, 05:24 PM

Feed him mash instead of grain, and soak hay cubes along with his hay. I have a friend who has the EXACT same problem with almost the exact same aged horse. Thats what she has to do.

linda j · 12-29-2004, 01:49 AM

instead of hay how about wetting some dengi-the older guys seem to love it and it will help keep weight on.

12-24-2004, 11:49 AM	#1
Asfaloth Senior Member+ Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh Posts: 1,025 Images: 36	Elderly horse has stoped eating One of the older horses at our stable refuses to eat his grain. He is about 36 and is on a senior feed so he really can not go without it. he has very few teeht. He does chew his hay but spits it back out mostly since he can't chew well enough to eat it. About three weeks ago he had a fever and was put on antibiotics just in case he had a bacterial infection but it was thought to be a virus. He stoped eating at that time. We have tried diferent feeds and giving him bran mash and grated up carrots and apples. He will eat a little but then he ignores it. He always goes to his bucket and looks at the feed but refuses to touch it.So we think he wants to eat but he won't for some reason. We have checked his mouth for problems and found nothing other than that he has not many teeth We tried a diferent feed bucket in case he did not like the one he has. he is loosing weight now and his owner is very worried about him. I tried offering him a little beet pulp today, he turned up his nose. Does anyone else have any ideas what his problem might be or is he just old and thinking about dying? __________________ Happiness is Owning and Riding Somthing Extraordinary

12-24-2004, 11:57 AM	#2
Top Dun Senior Member+ Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New Mexico Posts: 5,702 Images: 183 Blog Entries: 1	Older horses already have acompromized digestive system and then when you give antibiotics you kill off more of the beneficial bacteria in the gut. 1. Call the vet first because they need to be aware of the situation and the vet can diagnosie if there is more going on here. There could be any number of problems including It is time for this horse to say good bye. 2. if the vet approves give a dose of beneficial bactera (probiotics) and a dose of vitiman b-12 to help stimulate the appetitie. You may have to keep him on a probiotic supplement. __________________ Cattle Producers DO NOT want NAIS: When asked if they thought NAIS should be a mandatory system requiring all U.S. cattle producers to participate, 21.22% of respondents said yes, 50.32% said no, and 28.46% were undecided.

12-24-2004, 12:07 PM	#4
Asfaloth Senior Member+ Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh Posts: 1,025 Images: 36	I told her about probiotics. She has been giving him some yogurt I think but I was going to offer her some of my Focus Sr to get started. She can't use Alfalfa cubes as he has foundered in the past which is why I had hoped beet pulp would tempt him. He is not interested in it though. Am thinking maybe rice bran. Anyone know how to get a small amout to see if he will eat that? __________________ Happiness is Owning and Riding Somthing Extraordinary

12-24-2004, 01:59 PM	#5
ibsammy Senior Member+ Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: California Posts: 726 Images: 181 Blog Entries: 1	I used to volunteer at safe haven horse rescue. They had quite a few horses who couldnt chew due to abuse and age. They used sweet feed, but i dont think it was as rich, soaked for those with less teeth, and it kept them going for a while. One I knew eventually died, but she had a very abused past and was starved in a pasture. The owner thought she would be fine,a s she was in a pasture full of grass, but she had no teeth to chew so she was really skinny. well neways... __________________ "If the horse says no you are asking the question wrong" Proud owner of Sunshines Pride, 1/4 morgan, 1/4 appy, 1/2 qh mare who looks like a foundation appy!

12-28-2004, 07:00 AM	#6
ejforrest Senior Member+ Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: U.P. Michigan Posts: 2,719 Images: 395	Sometimes when a horse is put on antibiotics, they can develop an ulcer. Have the vet check. Only way to really know is with an endoscope. Some signs are: wieght loss, altered eating behavior, recurrent colic, change in attitude or disposition, sub-optimal performance, diarrhea, and or dull coat. __________________ ej ----------- And God said to horse, trust no man if you cannot see your own image in his eyes.

12-24-2004, 11:59 AM	#3
::Miss Kitty:: Senior Member+ Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: (}~~{)Canada(}~~{) Posts: 2,307 Images: 5	If he can't chew his hay you could soak haycubes for him. They are really easy to eat and most horses love them.

12-28-2004, 12:56 PM	#8
CJ Senior Member+ Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 5,738 Images: 48	Some days my old horse wuouldn't eat unless there was Animax(Purina)/ Calf Manna in his food. Applesauce is also supposed to be a pretty good lure. __________________ One Mare Can Make a Difference Pinky Ribbon

12-28-2004, 05:24 PM	#9
KZWestern Senior Member+ Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 3,643 Images: 35	Feed him mash instead of grain, and soak hay cubes along with his hay. I have a friend who has the EXACT same problem with almost the exact same aged horse. Thats what she has to do. __________________ Kristie + Isis = Krisis!!!!!!!!! Isis - slaughter rescue Grattitude - Swedish Warmblood

12-29-2004, 01:49 AM	#10
linda j Full Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: connecticut Posts: 251	instead of hay how about wetting some dengi-the older guys seem to love it and it will help keep weight on. __________________ THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.

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