I HAVE A 26 YR MARE THAT HAS BEEN LOSING ALOT OF WEIGHT AND I AM TRYING TO KEEP WEIGHT ON BUT IT JUST ISN'T WORKING. SHE GETS HER SENIOR FEED WITH GLO MAX MEAL. AS WELL AS GRASS ALL DAY LONG. SHE WILL NOT TOUCH ANY HAY I HAVE TRIED T&A, COASTAL, O&A, ALFALFA, PEANUT. HER TEETH ARE IN GOOD SHAPE. HER BACK BONE SHOWS AND SO DOES HER HIPS I JUST WANT TO FIND SOMETHING ELSE THAT I CAN TRY TO SEE IF SHE WILL GAIN WEIGHT.

Where are you from? FL

How did you locate this forum? A FRIEND

Hello Sugar's Mom!

Poor teeth is the number one reason for weight loss in older animals, so I'm glad to hear that her teeth are regularly floated.

You mentioned that she is on grass all day long. If the pasture is healthy, then she doesn't need additional hay. If not, consider soaking some alfalfa cubes and see if she will enjoy those.

A very important factor in maintaining a healthy weight is the health of the microbes that live in the hind gut. You can feed the best forage available and your horse will not derive calories from it, if these bacteria are not in adequate numbers. So, I highly recommend Ration Plus. Give her 1 tablespoon, twice each day, until you see weight improvement. Then, you can give her a maintenance dose.

Another recommendation, in addition to Ration Plus, would be Hard Keeper for additional calories and omega 3 fatty acids.

And finally, she will likely benefit from a five day, double dose, of the wormer, fenbendazole. It is packaged as Panacur PowerPak and will kill encysted larvae that accumulate over time.

I hope this is helpful. Keep me posted.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO