Why does my horse get wild on feed? Is oats, hay, and pasture enough?

Hello. If she is not having any issues, then there is usually nothing more to give her except for plenty of good grass hay, some concentrates, either as a sweet feed or a pelleted feed, & a salt block. A senior pelleted feed might be appropriate for Destiny, but if you are concerned about a health issue, you should consult your veterinarian for this. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi again. Your main source of calories should come from good forage but if that is unavailable, you will need to add more fat to the diet. You can do this with vegetable oils, especially doybrsn oil rather than corn oil. Start with 2 ounces of oil twice daily & gradually build up to 8 ounces twice daily. Another source of fat is stabilized rice bran, which is about 20% fat & is palatable to horses. This is also less messy than an oil. You would feed the same increasing amount as the oil. Watch the manure for any signs of diarrhea or loose stool & back off the fats as necessary. Hope this helps & thanks againfor using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

First, be sure to have Boc's teeth checked. At 27 the teeth are probably not in the best condition and you need to then feed accordingly. Horses this age often tend to choke because they cannot chew properly. I personally would feed an Equine Senior type diet mash and no hay. Only “complete” pelleted feeds which are designed to be fed without hay should be used since many pelleted feeds are only grain substitutes and do not contain the proper mineral balance to be used as the major or sole source of nutrition for the horse. Soak the food for one hour prior to feeding. You could also used soaked beet pulp which is highly digestible and easy to chew once soaked. If Boc's teeth are OK then feeding hay is fine but I would still soak it first. If she is emaciated and you cannot get her to eat enough calories in order to gain weight then I suggest you add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oil (corn or vegetable) to the soaked grain. This adds a lot of calories and they like it! I hope this helps. If I did not answer you question you are welcome to post again or you an always opt to do a private consult where we can chat back and forth and you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes!

It may not be that Beau is lazy, it could be that he is sick or injured keeping him from moving faster than a trot as well as causing a decrease in appetite. I would give his equine vet a call to come and see him in the next day or two. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Hi there and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! My first worry with older horses is their dentition (teeth). If you have never had your horse's teeth floated, it may be time for that. Lost teeth, impactions of feed, uneven wear, etc can all affect how much and how comfortably your mare eats. Your vet can perform this, after an initial exam. Best pulp can be good to put some weight on them, if it's a simple caloric factor. Last but not least, if you haven't dewormed in a while-consider taking in a fecal sample to your veterinarian to be checked. These simple things I try to take care of first, I hope this helps you!

Hello. Your horse is severely underweight. It is important to go slow trying to put weight back on her. She should have access to pasture & a good prairie grass hay all day. If you did not worm her using ivermectin, that is what I would recommend ( Ivermectin Gold so you also get tapeworms ). I would normally recommend the Panacur Power Pack, but she may be too debilitated to use this now. Maybe in a couple of months come back with this. There is no one way to prevent colic or laminitis. Access to hay, controlling parasites, controlled access to concentrates ( grain, especially the sweet feeds ), and limited access to high energy feeds like corn & alfalfa should keep her healthy, but horses are horses & you cannot control everything. And do have a veterinarian come out & check her vitals, teeth, pull blood for a Coggins & update all necessary vaccinations. Thanks for rescuing her & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. You always feed for the ideal body weight, not the current weight. I would start out with the 2%, but if your horse cleans this up too quickly, then I would bump up the hay a little more. It is also important to know the carbohydrate content of your hay so contact you Cooperative Extension office in your county & see who can do a hay analysis for you. A higher carb content would mean feeding less hay. Lower carbs., more hay can be fed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.