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  Discussion on Malnourished Horses--Lifelong Issues
Author Message
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Sunday, May 9, 2004 - 6:15 pm:

Dr. O (or anyone else who might have information),

Have read all the info and postings on rehabbing malnourished horses. Very informative. Thank you.

Have not been able to find anything relating to lifelong impact (health issues) on horses who've been rescued from starvation.

I have an approx. 12-year old Clydesdale mare who was rescued by the SPCA and spent a year at an equine facility undergoing rehab. Her condition at the time of rescue was so poor that every bone in her body was visible through a lice/mange infested coat. She was, for all intents and purposes, a walking skeleton.

She stands 16.2 hands and her current weight is around 1600-1700 pounds. She is a small Clyde and I believe she's at or close to her ideal weight (nicely muscled out all over with no bones showing and no more hay-belly), shiny chestnut coat, mane/tail/feathers getting long and silky, and has gotten back all her gaits (couldn't do anything but walk/stumble at the beginning).

Her feet were a real problem at the beginning (cracked/chipped/soft), but she's been on a Farrier's Formula (recommended by the farrier) for over a year and her feet are very healthy now.

She's been getting chiropractic work done for some stiffness in her hips and has been put on Cortiflex (SP?) to help with same. She also has some stiffness in the neck but we've been doing exercises that are helping her loosen up.

She has a diet of 4 qt. grain daily (senior formula/pellets) with 6-8 flakes hay (mixed timothy and field grass). Supplements are as described above as well as a salt block and alfalfa cubes as treats.

She's turned out for at least 8 hours daily (longer in the summer) except in severe weather and has access to hay in the field during winter/early spring when there's no grass.

She's a rare treasure and I love her to pieces and am wondering if there are any long-term/lifelong health issues that rehabbed horses might have as a result of near-starvation.

Is their life expectancy shortened? Are they more prone to arthritis or joint issues? What's the long-term impact of starvation on a horse's vital organs?

My goal is to make certain I'm doing everything within my power to make her life as rich and healthy as it can be.

Thanks for anything you might be able to provide.


Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 7:29 am:

If there are no resulting muscoskeletal deformities, we think they recover 100% at this time.
DrO
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 9:26 am:

That's wonderful news! Thank you.
New Member:
cinder1

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009 - 11:49 pm:

I own a 2 year old Appendix paint mare that was malnourished for about 7-8 months before I got her. I would imagine she was about 6 months old when the previous owner got her and I picked her up when she was a little over a year old.

She has picked up some weight and looks much healthier but seems to be still very small for her age. She's only about 13'3 at 2 years of age. I have been feeding her a second cutting of alfalfa hay (3 flakes 2x daily), 2 pounds of
Strategy (2x daily) as well as Strongid, Horseshoer's Secret, and a Pro VM with EFA's.

First of all, I am wondering if her genetics will ever take over and she will mature to her full size (her head looks inordinately large compared to the rest of her) and is there anything that I could be doing that would help stimulate her growth?
Member:
ajudson1

Posted on Thursday, Feb 12, 2009 - 7:07 am:

Vickie,

Welcome to HA! Hey, I found this wonderful site when we rescued a malnourished Quarter Horse Mare, and I had no idea how to best care for her. We were told she was a yearling, but now believe she was only 6 months old.

If I may comment, why doesn't she have hay in front of her 24/7? I think the guidelines on here were to start slowly then all the hay she can handle, not alfalfa but mixed or grass.

I am not sure if our girl grew to her full potential size, but she is about 14.3 I think, filled out really nice, no lingering problems from her rough start. Being she if fine boned, I don't think she needs to be any bigger.

So I am thinking with constant good care yours will grow up just fine, but she may mature a little bit slower than she would have had she been cared for properly all along.

Curious as to what DrO thinks.

Good luck with her.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Feb 12, 2009 - 10:04 am:

Welcome Vickie,
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