Older gelding is very nervous and losing weight..

Tapsmom

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Hi all, my 26 year old Arab just came home Sunday night. He is now by himself with our 3 goats. He was losing weight before he came home and we were trying to get it back on him. He is also adjusting to being without another horse since he had been staying at my friend's house until my barn was ready and she has 5 horses. We have him on 2.5 qts SBP 1410 since it has a very high fat content, plus 1/12 cups of Sunshine pellets and beet pulp am and pm. Plus free choice hay and grass. He was on a dirt lot for the past year. Unfortunately, he is very agitated about being alone at the moment. He will nwo pace or a short time in the morning before settling down to graze and share some hay with the goats. But around 5/5:30 he starts to walk the fence. To throw another wrench into it, my neighbor's mares have started walking down their pasture until they are right on the other side of our barn and calling to him. (Unfortunately this neighbor does not like us so will not do anything about that). I have been giving him Vita-Calm. It seemed to help a little, but does not help when he gets to pacing in the afternoon. Tha pacing is killing any efforts to put weight back on him. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get weight back on him? I had been given the suggestion of rice bran and was also told that beet pulp doesn't actually put weight on them. Any suggestions? I want to do it in a way that is safest for him. I have had him since he was 3 1/2 and he has never been an easy keeper, but once he hit about 8 years old, he has held his weight ok. He did lose weight like this last year about the same time, but we were able to get his weight back up before the cold weather hit. I also wormed him about a week ago with Strongid.
 

bonbean01

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:hugsAt his age I would wonder about his teeth and his ability to chew hay and grass? Also, could he be in pain from arthritis and pacing for that reason? Poor old fellow
 

Tapsmom

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I am going to have the dentisit out to do his teeth. I am just concerned about adding more stress before he is settled in. He actually has lots of teeth and has no trouble chewing hay. He also has no arthritis. My friend has an Arab 2 years older that also has no arthritis..perhaps it is a breed bonus? LOL
 

sawfish99

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I see a few different issues. Please correct me if I have misunderstood anything.
1. Issue: He was losing weight before coming home, and now with the additional activity, he is continuing to lose weight.
Resolution: How much does he weigh? You described his grain ration, but didn't explain how it compares to what he had before he came home. Have you changed the type of feed, amount, etc? Yes, Rice Bran can help with weight gain. Beet pulp won't really add weight unless the horse isn't eating enough hay and does eat the beet pulp instead.
How does your hay compare to the hay at the previous place and had they recently changed the hay causing the weight loss? My horses do significantly better on second cut hay than first cut hay. Consider having an actual nutrition analysis done on your hay to determine if he is actually getting much of anything out of it.

2. Issue: the horse doesn't like being without other horses.
Resolution: Even though you have goats for companion animals, a 26 yo horse may not accept them as a companion if he has never had them as companions before. You have a horse, that is used to horses. You need another horse or pony. A quick search on CL will show there are TONS of cheap/free companion animals available. Just be careful that you don't get something with lots of medical/behavior/other problems as is frequently the case with free animals. If you can't find one, let me know and I send you the ads from my end of the state.

3. Issue: teeth.
Resolution: the teeth could absolutely be a contributing factor to the weight loss. Just because he has teeth, doesn't mean he doesn't have problems (sharp points for example) preventing good chewing and digestion of the hay. Definitely follow through with the dentist.

4. Issue: parasites
Resolution: the weight loss could be parasite related. You wormed him with Strongid. Did you have a fecal done before and after? Parasite resistance to wormers is a significant problem. If you did the worming with a fecal to determine the need, you will contribute to the resistance build up. This is actually a significant issue for your goats as well. A follow up fecal is also needed to verify the wormer had an effect. If it didn't, then the worms are resistant and Strongid (and all other wormers in that category) is a waste of money for you.

5. Issue: 5-5:30 behavior.
Resolution: Are you keeping him in a different manner than he was kept in before? This sounds like a typical boarding barn behavior (bring all the horses in from paddocks at 5-5:30 and lock in stall for the night). If you are leaving him out all night, it may be that he is nervous about the new environment. He may adjust, or maybe not. Again, an equine companion would help.
 

Tapsmom

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Update:
He is doing MUCH better! When I let him out in the am, he does a quick jog along the front of the fenceline, walks for a few minutes, then goes for a roll and starts tucking into either his hay or the grass. We have put him on or schedule so he is fed at 7:30 am and pm and still has free choice hay and grass. the last 2 evenings he has come into his stall very quietly and relaxed.
Thank you Sawfish for your wonderful response. I will do my best to respond:)
1. Issue: He was losing weight before coming home, and now with the additional activity, he is continuing to lose weight.
Resolution: How much does he weigh? You described his grain ration, but didn't explain how it compares to what he had before he came home. Have you changed the type of feed, amount, etc?
He was on the same amount of the SBP 1410 and the Sunshine pellets, but the beet pulp is new as is the VitaCalm. I started adding a cup of Rice Bran yesterday. I used the same farmer to obtain my hay as the barn he just came from. The hay did frequently change at the previous location, but I just bought 100 bales and have another 100 coming so it will be consistent. I will use the weight tape tomorrow. We have been building this barn for about a year and my animal stuff is all over..I just found the tape yesterday lol.
2.Issue: the horse doesn't like being without other horses. He actually has been by himself in the past and done OK. He and the goats are starting to hang out and h is acting much more settled..I am hopeful, but I do not know if it is due to him settling in and learning our schedule or if it is the VitaCalm. Unfortunately I cannot afford another horse at this juncture. If he does not improve then I will look into some other options..i.e. word of mouth for a "boarder"
3. Issue: teeth.
Resolution: the teeth could absolutely be a contributing factor to the weight loss. Just because he has teeth, doesn't mean he doesn't have problems (sharp points for example) preventing good chewing and digestion of the hay. Definitely follow through with the dentist.
I am looking for one to use and hopefully will have one lined up within the next week.
4. Issue: parasitesI have not done a fecal, but I will look into that as well. Do you send it to a vet or do you do them yourself?
5. Issue: 5-5:30 behavior. This seems to be settling itself. We are bringing him in later and he can actually go in and out of his stall as he pleases.
Have you ver used Vita Calm?
He is VERY bonded to me and that may be one of the big factors that may help him as well. Over the years when he has gotten very upset, the only way to calm him is for me to be right near him. I can generally quiet him down very quickly, luckily he does seem to be making progress. Your advice has been very helpful!! Thank you!
 

dianneS

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Was he fed at 5-5:30 at his other barn?

My mare would pace the fence lines any time I was even a minute late for her dinner. She eventually got over it and realized that the evening meal is eliminated during the summer months.

He just needs time to adjust to his new surroundings and schedules. Horses are creatures of habit, soon his new routine will be his habit. I bet he'll be fine.
 

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