[BlackAsMidnite]

I was talking to a man at the horse show....and he told me..that he bought a Black tennesse walking horse mare at the sale...or i think thats what he said. Anyways...this mare is starved to death..and i mean starved...i havent even ever seen this before..it looks worse then...on that animal planet show..where the animal precient ppl..come in and get the starved to death horsess...anyway...she would have died..prolly next week...or maybe early...thats how bad she is..anyways..when i went to see her...the man had her turned out on pasture..i mean like 120 acrs..or more...of green grass...what he was gonna do..was ...fatin her up..and sale her(which i dislike) anyway the horse is really old..and her dad was the world grand champion...sooooo..i decided i wanted the horse...and to give her a chance....soo.. MY QUESTION IS WHAT CAN FATIN A HORSE UP QUICK? i mean at least to where her back bone isnt sticking up 3 inchs off her back. I cant stand tto even look at her..cause my heart just breaks...is there anything i should feed her like corn or sweet feeed? i will have her turned out..in the pasture...but is there anything else...guys im tell ya if u saw her...well lets just put it this way..if we drive down the rode and get pulled...over...they would take us to jail..b/c the poor thing...is soo starved...sooo please help this poor lil girl

[clyde-gal]

Hummm. I think I'd start slow. It is good she is in the pasture and can eat what she can handle. Depending on her age I'd give her a little sweet feed and slowly give her a small amount of vitamins and minerals. If she is really old she could have a problem and that is a reason for not gaining weight, she could also have organ damage - I'd talk to a vet, they would be able to give you the best plan for saving her life and doing it healthy, it would be worth the vet call. Good Luck and applause for saving her.

[UnDun*]

hmmm,well you don't want to over do it too quickly, if this mare is half starved, anything too rich will probably make her sick. I'd keep her on grass for a bit, and offer her free choice hay. You could start giving her SMALL amounts of beet pulp, or horse crunch to help fatten her up, but keep in mind your going to really have to ease into it. Try your local feed store, they tend to have mixtures for wieght gaining purposes, often in a pellet mixture. Just read the lable to make sure it doesnt have to be soaked first (like beet pulp).

Grass is quite fattening though, she should start picking up some weight. Also, you may want to de-worm her if she hasnt been already.

[eventin_papa]

rice bran, and beet pulp is the best to fatten a horse up, also you should get blood work done,. she might not have enough rebblood cells, and that could be why she isnt gaining weight.

[BlackAsMidnite]

Originally Posted by clyde-gal

Hummm. I think I'd start slow. It is good she is in the pasture and can eat what she can handle. Depending on her age I'd give her a little sweet feed and slowly give her a small amount of vitamins and minerals. If she is really old she could have a problem and that is a reason for not gaining weight, she could also have organ damage - I'd talk to a vet, they would be able to give you the best plan for saving her life and doing it healthy, it would be worth the vet call. Good Luck and applause for saving her.

yes, she is old..her papers says she was born in 1984...soo she is pretty old....so she can have something wrong wtih her organ....well the guy i got her from said...that the owner was a drug dealer..and he got caught..and...didnt tell anyone wher the horses where...and someone found them...and sold them on him...soo...ohhh im hopin its not a problem...with her.......

[MistyFawn666]

My horse Buddy was pretty skinny when I bought him a month ago, but he looks pretty good now. I fed him a mixture of sweet feed and oats and turned him out to pasture all the time. I also gave him healthy treats like apples and carrots. Whatever you do just do feed her too much too fast or she may founder and that is a death sentence for an older horse. If she is as old as you say it could be that it is just her time. My Misty in her last months got so skinny (If you have seen Black Beauty, remember how thin he was at the end, that is what she looked like), even though we were feeding her plenty. The vet said she had fluid around her heart and her liver was failing. Finally one day she fell down and didn't have the strength to get back up so we had to shoot her. She is now buried in the same pasture that Buddy and Fawn graze.

[MissBandit]

Originally Posted by BlackAsMidnite

MY QUESTION IS WHAT CAN FATIN A HORSE UP QUICK?

You cannot - I repeat - CANNOT fatten up a starved horse quickly. To do so, especially in these severe cases of starvation, will cause more harm than good. If you bulk this horse up suddenly on concentrated calories you put her at serious risk for internal organ failure. The frightening thing about this, is it will not happen immediately. It can occur up to a week after that first meal.

PLEASE read this link on How to Feed the Starved Horse. It is very informative, and explains what happens to the body during and after starvation.

Here is a portion of that link:
Our research showed that starved horses had very different responses to several diets. We found that the best approach for initial refeeding of the starved horse consists of frequent small amounts of high-quality alfalfa. This amount should be increased slowly at each meal and the number of feedings decreased gradually over 10 days. After 10 days to 2 weeks, horses can be fed as much as they will eat. The horse will show signs of increased energy after about two weeks. Ears, eyes and head movement will be the first noticeable movements. Some weight gain can be achieved in one month, but three to five months usually are needed to rehabilitate back to a normal body weight. Veterinary care and nutritional advice should be sought as complications can arise.

[Putte]

Since most people cant differentiate between a thin and a starved horse it would be good if someone with that knowledge could have a look at her.
A dental check could also bee a good idea.
How long had she been out on pasture when you got her? Is she on pasture now and if so for how long?
PL

[Lindsayanne]

Great advice. It would probably also be a good idea to get her on a multivitamin supplement. This is one fomulated for horses under stress: http://www.smartpakequine.com/Produc...ductclassid=78

[haunani]

Talk to your vet!! That's my best advice.