This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Equine Nutrition, Horse Feeds, Feeding » Rehabilitating Malnourished Horses »
  Discussion on Rapid Weight Loss
Author Message
Member:
kchariot

Posted on Saturday, Mar 1, 2008 - 10:06 am:

My 8 year old, thoroughbred mare came home 2 days ago. I hadn't seen her in 2 months. She is in another state and being rein trained. I normally spend a week or 2 with her every month. Unfortunately, I was unable to travel.

I told my trainer 3 weeks ago to bring her home at the end of the month. He was to continue training at our place.

I am totally shocked at how poor her condition is!!! My trainer never said a word about any problems. She has lost about 200 lbs, is dehydrated (drank 20 gallons of water the first night), and eating like she is starving (which is what she looks like!).

The vet came out yesterday. She received electrolytes. Her blood work is normal. Her apples have no parasites, but she does have an accumulation of sand.

She is DrOoling and needs her teeth floated. The trainer mentioned he was using a hackamore on her because she was clamping down on the bit (he attributed that to her being a former racehorse.) Her teeth were checked October 26th - no problems at that time.

My vet thinks she is unable to chew well enough to digest her food. Its just passing right through her. I have read the articles about dental care and malabsortion. I would have thought she would eat less. I am confused and perplexed. Her teeth problems do not not explain the dehydration. She is willing and able to drink.

I would like to know what you think...
1. The trainer is an intermitant waterer. Is this the cause of the dehydration? (she had been with him for 5 months with no problem.)
2. My mare should have received sand clear. She was fed twice a day. Could the accumulation be due to milling about and eating every crumb off the ground because she wasn't being fed enough, if at all?
3. Do you think the teeth are the culprit for the weight loss or was she just not fed enough or both?
4. My mare had been given a dose of sand clear before her apples were tested. Would this cause there to be more sand detected or is there still a high level of sand?

She will have her teeth floated and a psylluim (sp) treatment Monday.
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Saturday, Mar 1, 2008 - 9:30 pm:

Hi Kathy,

How did your vet diagnose the accumulation of sand? Did your vet do bloodwork? What did your vet say about the DrOoling?

I personally have never seen points cause DrOoling or dramatic weight loss, though of course my experience is limited. Did the vet examine the teeth and explain how they might cause DrOoling? Does she have something else going on in her mouth?

Many horses become a bit thirsty on a trailer, depending on how long she was on there.

If her bloodwork is normal, I would carefully increase her feed and watch closely for possible signs of gastric ulcers (just based on the history you gave us). Psyllium doesn't necessarily eliminate sand. There is debate on whether it works at all, I believe.

Hopefully some TLC will bring her back to good health for you. Good luck with her!

- Elizabeth
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Mar 2, 2008 - 10:22 am:

Hello Kathy,
Since we were not there and the problems you describe may have several different causes it would be wrong for us to attribute them to something or someone we did not observe. There are some confusing aspects to your post. Does your horse have diarrhea which would support the veterinarians conclusion of sand induced maldigestion?

To try to provide more background information on your questions.
1) We discuss the current research on intermittent watering at, Horse Care » Equine Nutrition, Horse Feeds, Feeding » Water, Water Quality, and Watering Horses.
2 and 4) Concerning sand impactions and the effects of psyllium see, Diseases of Horses » Colic, Diarrhea, GI Tract » Colic in Horses » Sand Colic.
3) Teeth problems bad enough to cause problems eating require years to develop, so if the teeth were fine when she left, they certainly did not get so bad in the two months gone.

Only you with the help of your veterinarian can determine the causes of your horses weight loss but have you discussed the condition of your horse with the trainer and has he offered an explanation?
DrO
Member:
kchariot

Posted on Monday, Mar 3, 2008 - 12:10 pm:

Dr. O,

No diarrhea. The vet just said there was a lot of sand in the manure. Her appetite is fine. No rumblies in the tumblies. She is eating, drinking and pooping fine.

The vet attributed the maldigestion to her inability to chew the food well. Her teeth were checked in Oct and had been floated in Aug. Can eating sand damage the teeth? Can a bit do it? She is DrOoling.

The trainer has a vet for a client. He saw my mare 2 weeks ago. He said she was thin, but he attributed it to her being a thoroughbred. He didn't notice anything to be concerned about.

I left a message for the trainer. I said "My mare is really sick. She looks like she lost 200-250 lbs. I'm kind of surprised you hadn't noticed it. I had to have the vet out today." He hasn't called me back.

Can poor chewing cause maldigestion and dehydration? Can eating too much sand cause poor teeth, maldigestion and dehydration?

Thanks for your help!

Thanks for your help!!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 4, 2008 - 6:58 am:

When someone asks "Can...?" you can almost always conjecture some really odd circumstances where it might be possible. It is very unlikely that your horse would develop such tooth problems in 5 months and the hallmark of sand causing digestive problems is colic and/or diarrhea. What exactly did your vet say was wrong with the teeth?

The question that needs answering is "why has my horse lost all this weight". Since your trainer was the only one to be there when it happened a honest input from him/her would be very helpful. We do have an article on the diagnosis and treatment of weight loss at, Diseases of Horses » Colic, Diarrhea, GI Tract » Weight Loss in Horses » Overview of Chronic Weight Loss.

Kathy can you post a good picture of your horse that demonstrates his condition?
DrO
Member:
kchariot

Posted on Thursday, Mar 6, 2008 - 3:51 pm:

I can't get my photos posted.

My mare had her teeth floated. They were not as bad as they thought. The vet removed 4 stickers from her upper lip (the cause of the DrOoling.) He said they had not been there too long.

She has already gained about 50lbs and is doing well. The trainer has not called me back. He will have to give some answers to the Livestock Board. There were 2 reports on my mare because she looked so bad.

My vet feels the teeth may have been a factor in the weight loss. He does not think my mare was fed enough for her level of activity and she certainly did not get enough water.

Kathy
Member:
pbauer

Posted on Thursday, Mar 6, 2008 - 7:24 pm:

Dear Kathy,


Very happy to hear that your mare is doing much better.

Paul and I had a trainer ( yes, we checked his shingle) that did not want us around while he was training one of our horses. He said it would be too distracting. We learned two valuable lessons: need a system of checks and balances...always, and will never travel that road again!


Your Diligence and Dedication make a great combination.

My Best,
Tonya
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Mar 6, 2008 - 8:14 pm:

Kathy, for help with uploading images see, Help & Information on Using This Site » Uploading Images and Files Into a Posting.
DrO
Member:
kchariot

Posted on Friday, Mar 7, 2008 - 10:56 am:

Dear Tonya,

My mares will stay home where they belong. Any further training will be done at our place, with us there. Lesson learned!!!!

Kathy
Member:
kchariot

Posted on Friday, Mar 7, 2008 - 11:00 am:

Dr. O

Here is my first post of a picture
my mare

Kathy
Member:
kchariot

Posted on Friday, Mar 7, 2008 - 11:02 am:

Here a view of her rear
my mare2

Kathy
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC