Hello,
We have a 35-40yr old pony mare that is getting to the end of her life. We are debating whether to put her down or not before winter because she is very skinny and lost most of her muscle tone. She is deaf and partially blind. She has some arthritis in her legs, but not as bad as you would think for a horse her age. However, she still loves to run around every once and a while in the pasture, and takes joy in bossing around a TB twice her size. At her current weight, I know it would be unfair to ask her to go through winter outside, even with a blanket, and she won't eat in a stall.

We tried supplementing her with beet pulp, senior feeds, nutrena vitality, alfafa cubes, vegetable oil, etc. She absolutely refused pellets, and only picks at the other feeds.
She will only eat the grain she has been on for the last 10 years, which is mix of corn, oats, and soy beans with a small amount of molasses. We tried upping that, but she just loses interest after her normal rations worth. She will eat a bit more if she thinks she is competing with another horse for grain, but gets full after a while. We have tried separating her from the group and feeding her separately, but she won't eat at all if kept apart from her herd.

She gets alfalfa mix hay twice a day and is on 24 hr good pasture of alfalfa mix. She used to gain weight every summer to be alright for winter, but she isn't this year.

Any suggestions to get her to eat more, or should we give up and euthanize her, even though she is still pretty active?



Thanks in advance

Danielle

Where are you from? Wisconsin

How did you locate this forum? online- came up in a nutrition related search

Hello Danielle,

Congratulations on taking such fine care of her all these years. She is an old gal and I can certainly understand your concern. But the very fact that you've written to me tells me that you are not wanting to put her down as long as she is enjoying life. And I agree with you.

At her age, weight loss could be from any number of causes. I assume you have her teeth floated regularly, so she's able to adequately chew her feed and hay. And worms are also a culprit, so continue with a good deworming program.

She may have liver disease or even cancer at her age, which can cause weight loss. I have a few recommendations to try:

First, give her Ration Plus. This prebiotic will help her derive more calories from her forage by boosting the health of the microbial population in her hind gut.

Next, try flaxseed meal. Nutra Flax is pure flaxseed meal without any added fillers. The high omega 3 fatty acid content will help her immune system, reduce any pain and inflammation she may be experiencing, and offer calories to help her gain weight.

Keep me posted.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO