What's the best food for my older horse to gain healthy weight?

Some brands you may wish to try are Triple crown Senior, or Purina Amplify, or Purina Impact senior. Senior diets have more calories and fats than general feeds. You may also wish to supplement with soaked sugar beet. Check for spoilage (mold) in the hay or haylage

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!

First you need to make sure his teeth are OK. If they haven't been checked or floated in a while that is the first place I would start. You can feed him anything you want but if he can't chew properly he won't be able to break it down and digest it. Next you should make sure he has been properly dewormed. After that, your best bet to help him gain weight is to feed him a senior diet (like Equine Senior) and add some corn oil and rice bran too. Be sure he has good quality timothy hay to eat too. This link may also help you. ( https://www.purinamills.com/horse-feed/education/detail/feeding-horses-for-weight-gain )

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 would not be ideal if she was pregnant but there is not much you can do about it now. I strongly recommend you have her teeth checked by your vet. She most likely needs her teeth floated and that will make a huge difference in her weight gain. I don't know what you are feeding her but I would recommend a senior formulated pelleted feed as it will have extra calories. Soaking it with water for 30 minutes prior to feeding it to her would also be helpful (easier to chew and digest). Add 1/2 cup of corn oil to each feeding will also add good fat and calories. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Provide food that is high in calories, like puppy food or a food that’s designed for active, athletic, or working dogs. Higher protein and fat pet foods are best. Underweight pets should be eating foods that are around 30% protein and 20% fat if they’re eating dry kibble; 7% protein and 5% fat (or higher) if you’re feeding a wet food. Intersperse your pet’s diet with small amounts of high-calorie supplemental canned food or canned products made of 100% meat sources. These will have a high protein and fat content, like 100% pheasant or bison, for example. They won’t say “complete and balanced” but rather “for intermittent or supplemental use” because they’re not meant to replace regular feeding. Some moist foods may be easier to digest, so your pet may retain more nutrients, and more importantly these products tend to be more palatable and tempting to a pet who isn’t eating enough. Any diet changes should be done gradually over a week's time as to not cause any GI upset. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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.