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  Discussion on Horse windsucking, losing weight, eating huge amounts.
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New Member:
soraya

Posted on Thursday, May 5, 2011 - 6:48 am:

Hi. This is my first post, and I know it's a big ask but I'm going to lay it all down and see if anyone has any ideas. I have tried another forum about a year ago, but no luck. So here goes.
I bought a 12 year old Thoroughbred mare from interstate (about 8 hours away) who was transported via commercial horse truck. She was in great condition, and had been grazing only - no hand feeding - before I bought her. Her temperament on the ground was very calm, she was almost pet like. I bought her sight unseen, but in videos of her being ridden she seemed a calm and easy going horse. During the time she was purchased life was a little chaotic, so she was in the yard (3 acres, minimal grazing with feeding ad lib from round bale oaten/wheaten hay) with our 2 smaller horses for a few months before we got around to trying to ride her. She had plenty of prep work on the lunge, and seemed happy until I mounted. She was very tense and hesitant to move forward when I put my legs on her. I didn't get the impression she was unhappy, she seemed uncomfortable. I got off and lunged her again and she was striding a bit short so I put her away and had her shod. However, next try was basically the same.
During this time we were moving house (3 km away) with same feed access, but 1/2 acre less.
A couple of months after moving she started losing large amounts of weight until she looked starved. Her worm test came back with a zero egg count. She was eating the same feed, but huge amounts of it. 1 round roll (about 20 bales) was lasting just over a week for her and 1 12 hh and 1 14.2hh. This amount will last the other 2 about 5 weeks without her. However, the amount of manure she produced seemed to equal, even exceed the amount she was eating so I assume she wasn't absorbing a whole lot. In this time she started windsucking, and her temperament became quite sour. On one occasion I noticed she had an odd lump on her belly slightly forward from her flanks that lasted a few days. It looked like someone had pushed a small dinner plate under her skin. Twelve months ago I put her out in 100 acres with a retired horse, and while she has gained weight she isn't what she was and will still occasionally be noticed grabbing a fence post to suck.
I don't have a huge attachment to this mare as she was a knee jerk buy after my last horse (who saw me through pony club and adult showing for 23 years) died. However, I would like to do the right thing by her, so would hate to sell her on if she's in pain or potentially a danger to someone else. The alternatives are just keeping her as she is until she dies of old age, finding a cure, or putting her to sleep. I do plan to bring her back in and have blood work done on her, but I'd like to be informed to hopefully save a lot of money. My old horse ran into $1,000's before and after being diagnosed with Cushings'. Hope you can help.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 5, 2011 - 8:29 am:

Welcome Leslie,
You cannot judge the amount of nutrients absorbed by looking at the amount of manure though poorly digested food often results in diarrhea. There is nothing in your post that specifically diagnoses a particular disease, have you had this horse examined by a veterinarian and if so what were the findings? I noticed you placed this in the liver poisoning by plant topic, do you believe this to be the case?
DrO
New Member:
soraya

Posted on Thursday, May 5, 2011 - 9:18 am:

I have discussed it with my vet while she was here treating the pony. She thought maybe a liver issue, but didn't mention poisoning, I'm still trying to psych myself into bringing her back home again so she wasn't here to be checked. I hadn't realised I'd put it in a particular topic, but that was what I was browsing at the time. I've never noticed diarrhea, but her manure was much more fibrous than the others. I don't know if that's because she wasn't digesting it well, or if it's simply because she's eating so much more.
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