UPDATE! Mare still pregnant but skinny, need help here guys!! Pics added.

KiereeAngel86 · 03-30-2009, 06:25 PM

All right everyone. You all don't know me well here but let me tell you, I am very anal about the care of my horses. I get ribbed by my friends all the time for it but even my vet is completely confused about what to do for my mare.
This is the story. My girl was bred in July, so we are figuring she is due around the middle to end of June sometime which would put her around 240-250 days along. I had her ultrasounded which showed her in foal but as time has gone by I have questioned if she was still pregnant because of her weight.
So, I finally had the vet come out and take a look at her. Even he said that he doubted she was pregnant. You should of seen the look on his face when he felt the baby. We went over what I have been feeding her, he checked her teeth( which will be done on Thur but are not bad), took a poo sample, and drew some blood.All results have come in and are normal and no large load of worms or sand.
She is up to date on everything. She was on mare & foal but have put her back on 5 lbs x2 daily of Cadence, vigor pellets, flaxseed, and alfalfa pellets. She has all she can eat orchard grass hay, and is getting ready to be put on new pasture in 2 weeks. The only change she has had since being pregnant is that I changed her to mare & foal in Oct.
Other than her weight, she is acting completely normal, no changes what so ever. I am open to any suggestions here or stories that anyone might have that resemble what I am going through. This is my girl and I just cant fathom life without her. I have put up pics that were taken 2 days ago so you can all see what I am talking about.

Thank you for looking.

Jess! · 03-30-2009, 06:31 PM

Could you perhaps try a Ration Balancer? My mare was the same way, healthy and getting lots of food but not gaining. As soon as I put her on a RB, she started picking weight up within a week.

tbtrainer · 03-30-2009, 06:43 PM

I'm wondering how old this mare is, and what her condition/fitness was before you bred her?

I give my mares Vitamin E and Selenium supplement while pregnant and nursing.

PeggySue · 03-30-2009, 06:48 PM

I think if I remember right you are OVERfeeding the Cadence...

can you get thier Gro N win??

actually the cadence should work fine it only has a small amount of oats... hmmm

KiereeAngel86 · 03-30-2009, 10:08 PM

She will be 10 in May and if you look thru my pics, you can see that she has always been in good weight. She has never been a big girl by no means but even not pregnant, she has maintained better weight then she is now

. She is getting the vigor pellets for xtra. I would have to see again what all it has in it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbtrainer

I'm wondering how old this mare is, and what her condition/fitness was before you bred her?

I give my mares Vitamin E and Selenium supplement while pregnant and nursing.

KiereeAngel86 · 03-30-2009, 10:09 PM

I actually have thought about that. I will talk to them tomorrow at the feed store.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jess!

Could you perhaps try a Ration Balancer? My mare was the same way, healthy and getting lots of food but not gaining. As soon as I put her on a RB, she started picking weight up within a week.

KiereeAngel86 · 03-30-2009, 10:11 PM

The vet actually said to give her more but I am not wanting to give that much grain. I can look and see if they have gro N win

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeggySue

I think if I remember right you are OVERfeeding the Cadence...

can you get thier Gro N win??

actually the cadence should work fine it only has a small amount of oats... hmmm

HeatherCK11 · 03-30-2009, 10:59 PM

Pretty mare.

From the pictures, your mare is showing ribs and has a poor topline. It's good that her bloodwork and fecal testing has come up normal, but does not explain the lack of conditioning in light of her feeding program. I am not familiar with Cadance feeds.
Identifying problems with her teeth is always a good start.
Personally, I would approach this mare on multiple angles:
1. Address any dental issues the vet finds
2. Deworm with a Power Pack...easy on the stomach and effective. Yes, I'd do this even with her prior neg. results.
3. Evaluate the protein content in her feed. Lack of a topline/reduced muscle mass indicates a need for more protein in the diet. My choice would be a ration balancer such as Progressive, TDI, Buckeye, etc. Many on the market to chose from. Whichever feed company you chose, contact their nutritionist...because they are a GREAT resource!
4. *actually weigh the feed* with a scale. Small postal scales work well and easy to find in a pinch.
5. Calories. Her show of ribs indicate she's not getting enough. Instead of increasing the amount at each feeding (if you are concerned), I would add a small 3rd meal. Makes for increased utilization.
A good way to increase calorie load WITHOUT addition of more grain is to add a fat supplement. My easy choice is corn oil. It's palatable, easily accessable, relatively inexpensive, gives a nice sheen to the coat, and also helps to buffer the stomach against ulcers. Added fat = bonus calories.
But, there are "weight builders" on the market specifically targetted for this purpose as well. One of my favorites is the Ultimate Finish line. Not always easy to find though (at least in my area).
6. Probiotics or 'pre'biotics may help gut function (absorption of nutrients). Kinda falls under the "cant hurt" catagory.
7. If this mare has pasture mates at feeding time, make sure they aren't running her off of her feed.
8. Forage, forage, forage.....taylor it to whatever feed program you continue or change to.

Hope this helps and my best to you and your mare.

KiereeAngel86 · 03-31-2009, 10:01 AM

Thank you for your input. You have actually given me some ideas that I had not thought of yet

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeatherCK11

Pretty mare.

From the pictures, your mare is showing ribs and has a poor topline. It's good that her bloodwork and fecal testing has come up normal, but does not explain the lack of conditioning in light of her feeding program. I am not familiar with Cadance feeds.
Identifying problems with her teeth is always a good start.
Personally, I would approach this mare on multiple angles:
1. Address any dental issues the vet finds
2. Deworm with a Power Pack...easy on the stomach and effective. Yes, I'd do this even with her prior neg. results.
3. Evaluate the protein content in her feed. Lack of a topline/reduced muscle mass indicates a need for more protein in the diet. My choice would be a ration balancer such as Progressive, TDI, Buckeye, etc. Many on the market to chose from. Whichever feed company you chose, contact their nutritionist...because they are a GREAT resource!
4. *actually weigh the feed* with a scale. Small postal scales work well and easy to find in a pinch.
5. Calories. Her show of ribs indicate she's not getting enough. Instead of increasing the amount at each feeding (if you are concerned), I would add a small 3rd meal. Makes for increased utilization.
A good way to increase calorie load WITHOUT addition of more grain is to add a fat supplement. My easy choice is corn oil. It's palatable, easily accessable, relatively inexpensive, gives a nice sheen to the coat, and also helps to buffer the stomach against ulcers. Added fat = bonus calories.
But, there are "weight builders" on the market specifically targetted for this purpose as well. One of my favorites is the Ultimate Finish line. Not always easy to find though (at least in my area).
6. Probiotics or 'pre'biotics may help gut function (absorption of nutrients). Kinda falls under the "cant hurt" catagory.
7. If this mare has pasture mates at feeding time, make sure they aren't running her off of her feed.
8. Forage, forage, forage.....taylor it to whatever feed program you continue or change to.

Hope this helps and my best to you and your mare.

pantha11 · 03-31-2009, 04:06 PM

It is good that you had the vet out and did bloods.

I would be suggesting you now look at the gut flora....when the gut flora is off, not working properly, your horse will have trouble digesting/absorbing vitamins/minerals....so no matter how much you feed, your horse just won't gain the weight.

A "Digest Aid" certain herb mixed together will help get the gut flora working properly.
If you are interested PM me and I will tell you what herbs you can use....if you decide to do this your self...please be aware some herbs cannot be given to pregnant mares.

03-30-2009, 06:25 PM	#1
KiereeAngel86 Senior Member+ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: centralia, wa Posts: 994 Images: 221	UPDATE! Mare still pregnant but skinny, need help here guys!! Pics added. All right everyone. You all don't know me well here but let me tell you, I am very anal about the care of my horses. I get ribbed by my friends all the time for it but even my vet is completely confused about what to do for my mare. This is the story. My girl was bred in July, so we are figuring she is due around the middle to end of June sometime which would put her around 240-250 days along. I had her ultrasounded which showed her in foal but as time has gone by I have questioned if she was still pregnant because of her weight. So, I finally had the vet come out and take a look at her. Even he said that he doubted she was pregnant. You should of seen the look on his face when he felt the baby. We went over what I have been feeding her, he checked her teeth( which will be done on Thur but are not bad), took a poo sample, and drew some blood.All results have come in and are normal and no large load of worms or sand. She is up to date on everything. She was on mare & foal but have put her back on 5 lbs x2 daily of Cadence, vigor pellets, flaxseed, and alfalfa pellets. She has all she can eat orchard grass hay, and is getting ready to be put on new pasture in 2 weeks. The only change she has had since being pregnant is that I changed her to mare & foal in Oct. Other than her weight, she is acting completely normal, no changes what so ever. I am open to any suggestions here or stories that anyone might have that resemble what I am going through. This is my girl and I just cant fathom life without her. I have put up pics that were taken 2 days ago so you can all see what I am talking about. Thank you for looking. __________________ There is no better therapy than a horse!

03-30-2009, 06:31 PM	#2
Jess! Senior Member+ Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: SoCal Posts: 11,327 Images: 76	Could you perhaps try a Ration Balancer? My mare was the same way, healthy and getting lots of food but not gaining. As soon as I put her on a RB, she started picking weight up within a week. __________________ (¯`·._¤ Jess!·._¤ ´¯) ♥ Haute Couture Arabians♥ Purebred and Half Arabian Endurance Horses

03-30-2009, 06:43 PM	#3
tbtrainer Senior Member+ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 7,849 Images: 450	I'm wondering how old this mare is, and what her condition/fitness was before you bred her? I give my mares Vitamin E and Selenium supplement while pregnant and nursing. __________________ *http://www.freewebs.com/pilotscovefarm/index.htm* *"My treasures do not clink together or glitter; They gleam in the sun and neigh in the night."* *In my experience, the best way to slow down a runaway horse is to bet on it...*

03-30-2009, 06:48 PM	#4
PeggySue Senior Member+ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Dennison, Illinois Posts: 19,246 Images: 1438 Blog Entries: 15	I think if I remember right you are OVERfeeding the Cadence... can you get thier Gro N win?? actually the cadence should work fine it only has a small amount of oats... hmmm __________________ *I have been gobbled X7* *Sexy Fairy Man X4* Has no dog in that fight, so please leave me out of it I have enough of my OWN problems Thank you

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03-30-2009, 10:59 PM	#8
HeatherCK11 Full Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 29	Pretty mare. From the pictures, your mare is showing ribs and has a poor topline. It's good that her bloodwork and fecal testing has come up normal, but does not explain the lack of conditioning in light of her feeding program. I am not familiar with Cadance feeds. Identifying problems with her teeth is always a good start. Personally, I would approach this mare on multiple angles: 1. Address any dental issues the vet finds 2. Deworm with a Power Pack...easy on the stomach and effective. Yes, I'd do this even with her prior neg. results. 3. Evaluate the protein content in her feed. Lack of a topline/reduced muscle mass indicates a need for more protein in the diet. My choice would be a ration balancer such as Progressive, TDI, Buckeye, etc. Many on the market to chose from. Whichever feed company you chose, contact their nutritionist...because they are a GREAT resource! 4. actually weigh the feed with a scale. Small postal scales work well and easy to find in a pinch. 5. Calories. Her show of ribs indicate she's not getting enough. Instead of increasing the amount at each feeding (if you are concerned), I would add a small 3rd meal. Makes for increased utilization. A good way to increase calorie load WITHOUT addition of more grain is to add a fat supplement. My easy choice is corn oil. It's palatable, easily accessable, relatively inexpensive, gives a nice sheen to the coat, and also helps to buffer the stomach against ulcers. Added fat = bonus calories. But, there are "weight builders" on the market specifically targetted for this purpose as well. One of my favorites is the Ultimate Finish line. Not always easy to find though (at least in my area). 6. Probiotics or 'pre'biotics may help gut function (absorption of nutrients). Kinda falls under the "cant hurt" catagory. 7. If this mare has pasture mates at feeding time, make sure they aren't running her off of her feed. 8. Forage, forage, forage.....taylor it to whatever feed program you continue or change to. Hope this helps and my best to you and your mare.

03-31-2009, 04:06 PM	#10
pantha11 Senior Member+ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Australia, Victoria. Posts: 2,189 Images: 51	It is good that you had the vet out and did bloods. I would be suggesting you now look at the gut flora....when the gut flora is off, not working properly, your horse will have trouble digesting/absorbing vitamins/minerals....so no matter how much you feed, your horse just won't gain the weight. A "Digest Aid" certain herb mixed together will help get the gut flora working properly. If you are interested PM me and I will tell you what herbs you can use....if you decide to do this your self...please be aware some herbs cannot be given to pregnant mares.