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Discussion on Putting weight on a foundered, insulin resistant horse
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Member:
lsweeney
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2011 - 2:50 am:
My 23 year old Arab is losing more weight. I have 3 horses out on 3 acres. I have changed feed from 4 way wheat, barley, rye and oat hay to 80/20 Grass/Alafalfa trying to get the weight down on the Friesians. I have one Friesian that is borderline obese, another Friesian that looks pretty good now on the Grass hay, and a skinny 23 year old Arab.
Her picture is here from a little while ago:
https://www.horseadvice.com/horse/messages/4/349660.html
The Arab has classic insulin resistant fat patterns, but now has lost all fat on the crest of her neck, she is ribby and getting more angular in her hips, but still has fat bulges around her tail and poking through her thigh area.
She is getting hay and LMF senior.
Her teeth have been floated, and there is no evidence of balled up hay in the feeder or on the ground.
We feed enough so that she should not be competing for hay, and there is grass in our pasture for now, but will be gone soon.
Should I increase the senior feed and add some oil to it? Rice bran?
Suggestions?
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Member:
lsweeney
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2011 - 11:30 am:
The key word here is "foundered". So while I can find lots of articles on putting weight on horses, I want to make sure that I pick the best route that won't impact her founder tendencies.
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2011 - 2:51 pm:
I feed Purina Wellness L/S mixed with beet pulp, rice bran and corn oil to my one and only thinnish horse, who has "borderline cushings" and has foundered years ago. The L/S can be fed as a complete feed, but is pricey. I feed free choice grass hay also.
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Member:
paul303
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2011 - 3:50 pm:
I noticed right before my mare was diagnosed with Cushings 6 years ago, she began to look thin and poor. After her first year on pergolide, and getting the dosage straightened out, I realized that with her Cushings she was depressed, uninterested,and tired all the time. A lot of her thinness was due to muscle loss all along her top line. We had stopped riding her because we felt she was "showing her age" ( duh ). When she finally foundered, it triggered the chain of events that led us to discover her Cushings.
Once we got the Cushings under control, the rest followed. She moved around more, got her appetite back and re-engaged with the world. And although there's been a couple times that she became too heavy and we had to cut her back, we've never had another founder problem. We even rode her gently for about 3 more years. She's 31 now, completely retired and doing quite nicely.
Just keep in mind it might be cushings that's making her poor, and no matter what you feed her it might not work. My horse had free feed hay, 4hrs of great pasture and three feedings a day...the feed she left, or rarely finished, she dozed in the pasture and picked at the hay. I spent a small fortune buying her anything that would help...special hay, different feeds, weight on supplements, corn oil, cocosoya (man, put that cocosoya on ANYTHING and I'd eat it in a heartbeat). In the end, it all just came down to her illness. Something to keep in mind....
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 16, 2011 - 8:32 am:
Hello Laurie,
I know you said that the teeth were floated but were there any problems noted with the teeth?
At 23 your horse's IR is most likely secondary to Cushing's Disease. Does she display other symptoms of this see HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Endocrine System » Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID): Equine Cushing's for more on this.
As to assessing and feeding a difficult keeper consider the recommendations given at HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Colic, Diarrhea, GI Tract » Weight Loss in Horses » Overview of Chronic Weight Loss. From the information you give I see no problem with increasing the Senior and adding oil but study the Weight Loss article for a more complete view of this.
In general with the history of founder you want to avoid foods high in rapidly digestible carbohydrates and substitute protein and fat for those calories.
DrO
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Member:
lsweeney
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 16, 2011 - 1:11 pm:
No specific problems with teeth. Just filing down any points, etc.
The only Cushing's symptoms are the weird fat deposits and tendency to founder.
When we take her out, she is animated and frustrated with the Friesian's plodding pace. While we pony her, she is typically out front, dragging us along.
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Member:
lsweeney
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 16, 2011 - 1:19 pm:
Current pictures. 
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Member:
lsweeney
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 16, 2011 - 1:20 pm:
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Member:
lsweeney
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 16, 2011 - 1:21 pm:
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