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  Discussion on Underweight Mini
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Member:
judyhens

Posted on Saturday, Jun 15, 2013 - 1:13 pm:

We purchased a 28" mini stallion (6 years old I think) last fall. With a weight tape, he was about 165# when we got him, measuring around a LOT of hair. He was in full, bushy coat and, if anything, looked fat. We are only using him as a teaser for full sized mares and to have a little one the grandkids can pet, braid his mane, etc. , so he leads a pretty sedate life. He is energetic and eats well. Hasn't been sick or lame since we got him. Last fall we led the smallest grandkids around on him bareback (only ones 30 lbs or less) and he was great. Had him decorated with ribbons, bells, etc., for our Christmas picture with the kids and he did great even in the house. He has been in the Rose Bowl parade prior to our getting him. So...now we come to the problem: his hair was falling out slowly but by the handfuls. He was body clipped about three weeks ago. Underneath that heavy coat is a thin} little mini. We have handled him daily and never realized that this was a problem. We were told by the previous owners that he was out on grass 24/7 and never had a problem. However, a lot of our friends said that a mini that small would founder on our grass - which is fertilized and thick - so we have kept him stalled with access to a small paddock. He has had free choice coastal hay. Our same friends cautioned against giving grain or pellets for the same reason: causing founder or colic in such a small horse. Over the last couple of months, with many mares here for breeding, he has started acting increasingly studdy, rearing up on his hind legs and whinnying when he is out, even if he isn't near a mare. Seems the babies cause the same reaction. He is running around a lot more too. So I don't know if he's lost weight recently because of the heat and increased activity, or he has always been underweight and we couldn't see it because of his thick coat. He has been wormed and vaccinated regularly and has had routine vet care. No hx that we are aware of of any health problems.

So.... What can we safely feed him to get some weight on. (His ribs are slightly visible and his hips and backbone are visible.) We did add a handful of pellets twice a day and a small amount of alfalfa to his diet when we saw how thin he was after body clipping. And we re-wormed him. Someone here today suggested adding a little oil (tiny amount).

He is active, appears happy, and appears healthy. We don't want to precipitate any problems, but he does need to gain some weight. Even our visitors have asked if he needed to be wormed. No hx with minis. Want to do what is right for him. We love this little Pinto!

Any help would be appreciated!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jun 17, 2013 - 2:15 pm:

Hello Judy,
I suspect the changes you have already made will probably do the trick but if not continue to increase the quality of forage and the amount of concentrate until he reaches a condition of 5. I think a balanced diet makes more sense in this case than fat right now. He does not sound to bad at this time from your description.
DrO
Member:
judyhens

Posted on Monday, Jun 17, 2013 - 4:54 pm:

Thanks for the info. Will do. It's hard to tell if he is gaining from just looking at him day to day. Perhaps we will add a little more of each (alfalfa and pellets) if we don't see a change soon. He is so much more active now that he might be burning more calories than he did in the winter. Hopefully this will do the trick!
Judy
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