The vet came by today. He made a negative face when he saw Baasha, agreeing with me that he's too thin. Baasha, on the other hand, made a sweet face at him. When the vet started examining Baasha, Baasha sighed like "Oh gee, another vet. Another needle. Let's see - how many vets have I seen in the past 6 months? I can't even count them all. In fact, I don't know why you don't just move me in with a vet, huh?"I find myself being a little critical, because I'm wary in each new situation like this over here in a foreign land. Why didn't he ever ask my what my horse eats? Did he just assume the food is all good here? I called him for a blood test to see if that will show why Baasha's not picking up weight, now that the other horses are gone and he can truly eat as much hay as he likes every day.
I did like how he checked Baasha's teeth - doing that grinding test that the dentist always does, to see if his teeth grind smoothly side to side. Good job.
He kept leaning on Baasha as he talked to me, and Baasha would get uncomfortable from it, the vet is a big strapping man! And ever so often Baasha would meekly move away, hinting to him, "Stand on your own legs, I'm old and you're almost bigger than I am!"
The vet recommended a tapeworm treatment (Praziquantal) - that has been missed in my rotation schedule. He said it might not be necessary, because the blood test will show if he has tapeworms. I hadn't wormed him for those because the medicine comes mixed with Ivermectin, and Baasha got Ivermectin in America right before coming here. Darnit, if I would have known it a week ago, I would have given Baasha the double dose of Pyrantel, which will also kill tapeworms.
He looked in Baasha's eyes, which have been so gooey lately, and even used that light tool to examine inside the eye. He said it's not Uveitis, it's just Conjunctivitis, which he says is very common this year for some reason. Curious. Now I have to learn about this. He said for me to just keep treating it with saline solution. Interesting, I wonder why he didn't give me an antibiotic. hmmm...
He recommended I feed a corn mash every day, corn pellets soaked in water. Corn is very popular here, and Oats are the enemy. In fact, the grain Baasha gets is called "Oat Free". What is up with that? With all the recent information about the dangers of NSC, why is corn still the way to go over here? I really didn't understand him when he answered me.
He did agree with me that there is no real Senior feed here in Germany. He and I both read the labels on the stuff, and we both thought, "What's different about it?" cuz it's very low in fat and fiber. The high fat and fiber are what make a senior feed in the states. Strange.
I get the bloodtest results back Wednesday. If there is nothing there, I'll try to find some probiotics. I may have to order from America cuz probiotics are a "fringe" thing here, and none have the combinations and amounts of bacteria that make them worth buying. Perhaps a little soaked alfalfa pellets won't hurt. He's not competing anymore, afterall. I would usually avoid alfalfa, because of the calcium and then there's enteroliths, but a small percentage of his diet might be OK. Mixed with beet pulp. We'll see!
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11 comments:
Beet pulp will definetly help! It keeps our 24 year old in good condition, she gets 4 dry cups soaked twice a day with 8 cups of a 14% grain mix! Nutrena Vitality 14. When I had the vet out to check her teeth last, he said he would float them, ahem, if she had some to float, sigh, she only has about a 1/8th inch of tooth left on the bottom. He also said not to waist my money on commercial mix senior, but to feed alfalfa pellets and beet pulp, and maybe a fat source, like oil. (if you dont want to feed alfalfa, see if you can find hay pellets there, here you can get Timothy pellets, and a few others) So he made it pretty simple. So far she is still cleaning up her hay and her grain, when she starts having problems she will get a completly soaked diet. Oh and she gets her mash EVERYWHERE LOL as she dribbles it out of her mouth.
Reddunappy - thanks for the ideas. I'm so glad beet pulp is available in Germany! I've fed it for endurance riding, you know, mostly during ride weekends, but I think I'll get some for Baasha for a daily mash. He gets soaked grass hay pellets twice per day, but since he still has good teeth, it's not really necessary.
I really like your vet's idea of making your own senior feed. That's what I've had to do here - a mix of pellets, oil, and a bit of grain cuz he's finicky.
People here feed flax seed oil like crazy. I don't, because it's so expensive, and you have to be very careful with the stuff, keeping it dark and cool, to make it worthwhile.
The older horses here get a lot of ground ginger. It smells great, but I have no idea of the benefits or risks of feeding ginger.
I think I'll be following your model of mixing beetpulp and soaked alfalfa pellets and oil. It seems like a very safe, cost effective way of keeping older horses.
Thanks again,
lytha
food for old/skinny horses, courtesy of the equine nutrition goddess, Susan G:
beet pulp, definitely--same nutrition as hay, but easier for older horses to chew AND digest completely.
corn oil--again, easier to digest than the whole grain.
probios: try small amounts (half a little container) yogurt, which Susan G fed for years to Mildred, the elderly mule (age 45+). I mix yogurt half-and-half with unsweetened applesauce to make it taste better to horses. You can syringe this if he won't just eat it.
Keep us posted!
HI ya sweets! I loved your comment on my recent post today...ONE adventure at a time one TB at a time..I will proove them safe and sound!
I sure have gotten great results from Rice bran 50% fat and beet pulp. Oats are natural to horses...duh! Good scrub for the gut when whole.
Sometimes other countries seem so backwards...corn! I just stay away.
Flax bran(you can get organic and coffe grind it yourself. my mare really got alot from the omegas.
Sounds like you have a good start on your plan already! Can you get Milk pellets there?
KacyK
All horse stuff - Aren't you in Oregon? What are you doing up so late/early?
I have no idea if rice bran is available. I don't think I can afford flax seed here, and what are milk pellets?
The specialized feeds here are very strange, for instance, there is a food for ponies and horses with founder issues that is advertsied "Low Protein." huh? I thought it was the starch/sugar content that was dangerous for these horses. Protein?
There is no grain marketed as "Low Starch" here. That just hasn't arrived yet.
What really gets me is the specialized food for Western riding, Dressage, and Jumping. Yes, different feeds for each discipline. I wanna know if people really say "I ride western so I have to buy the Western food".
~lytha
I worked in feed stores for 8 years, I just am not sure about all this "low carb" buzzword stuff, I think that the commercial grains have gotten too high in protien, unless your riding endurance or competing heavily they realy dont need over 10-12% protien, oldsters are a little different to feed though. Milk pellets are like 21% protien and you only feed a 1/4 cup! it is a calf feed suppliment.
hmmmm if you are feeding grass pellets,and beet pulp.... what kind of hay are you feeding? Baashas protien might not be high enough?? Beet pulp is only 6-8% by itself, what does the tag say for protien on the bag?, assuming they tag them there similar to here??remember our local NW grass hay, it is only 5-6% protien, so a hard keeper would lose weight on it.and contrary to most belief, horses will lose wieght on to much protien. The beet pulp mixed with the alf pellets will get the protien to @ 10-12% which is good for our trail horses. The new train of though is feeding fat, and that really seems to work. I like to feed them all beet pulp, for the moisture in the gut, colic prevention.
LOL I will step off of my soapbox now LOL sorry so long
Just wanted to butt in and say that Reddunappy has some great advice!!! Has Baasha ever had weight problems before??? If not, I bet it does have something to do with his new diet.
I just got all caught up on your fencing issues, and I must say that your place is coming along nicely. :)
PS-I love Baasha's silver mane. Bo's has long ago turned white.
Reddunappy - I like the idea of mixing beet pulp with soaked alfalfa pellets. The soaked grass hay pellets he gets now aren't really helping anything, they're just fun to feed and mix with grain. He also gets 200 grams of Rapsoil every day. (That's vegetable oil, if my translator is working.) The hay is grass hay, and I've asked what type, and I don't understand the answer at all. Things in a foreign land are hard sometimes. It's not timothy, I can say for sure, it looks like normal orchard grass. I could save money and feed silage, like most people here (hay is difficult to harvest here because it's very rainy), but I just can't get past the stink of silage.
Melanie - He's been thin in winter for a few years now, and I really want to say I've tried everything because there must be a cause (not old age, as Fugly would say).
I talked to the vet yesterday and the bloodwork came back normal except for a low hematocrit. Since he was just tested for EIA I'm confident that's not the issue. Since the vet is very concerned about tapeworms, I have to go pick up the tapeworm paste today, as well as a blood medicine, not sure what that is yet. I asked him about probiotics and he said "In Germany you really can't get the good stuff; what we have isn't proven to work. I recommend you give him yogurt every day if you want to go that route." Hm.
In a few weeks I'll have him at home and start with the new plan!
~lytha
Sounds like a lot of adjustments for both you and Baasha. It must be so confusing and disorienting to figure out what to feed your horse with so many choices and many that are just so different from what you're used to (and that don't make much sense).
I feel for ya, Lytha.
I don't have any advice to give except that reddunappy seems to have a lot of experience and knows her stuff. I've read the same thing about beet pulp and corn oil..and yogurt. All good stuff.
I'd have never guessed he was underweight, though, from his most recent photos. I suppose he's not too much under his ideal weight. And I am guessing that once Spring arrives and he's living there with you on those rich green pastures that his weight will go up so much that you'll be thinking of getting a grazing muzzle. hehe
Best wishes,
Lisa
Reddunappy has good facts!
I fed the Milk pellets to increase the protien , when I had unreliable hay. I also fed some Lysine to help her absorb it.
From what studies I have for a one stomached animal( They pee so much of it out, it can take a toll) and I don't need that hot of food for a Throughbred. I have yet toi find a vet that was up to date on that one isssue..they all love it.
The Calcium/Phos in the beet pulp is unbalanced as I have read..and mix that with Alfalfa.?
I feed the BP in the dead of winter and also in the Hottest times of summer for the hind gut resourse for moisture and fiber.
Be careful with that Silage, We had two horses colic with the silage this past summer...it is so chopped, it can ball up if they eat faster. My mare would not be agood canitate... the barn sent it back as they were not notified of getting it.
HA! Different with the classes of riding being how they classify food types!
Having him home will probably help a lot! You can give him small meals more than twice a day then. I know giving our old mare a third mid day meal helps her a lot. I dont know if you can get it mailed to you but I have heard good things about Fastrack probiaotic by Conklin, I know they have a website, come in 10lb bags so I dont know how cost prohibitive that is for you.
http://www.conklin.com/pg.asp?p=126 I want to get Easy on it too.
And thanks!!Melanie.
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