Why is my older horse losing weight despite an increased diet?

When you go to the feed supply, you'll see horse feed designed for older horses to "gain condition " there are many brands available.a common reason for horses to lose weight is due to teeth problems. Your vet, or a certified equine dentist can check and float Midnights teeth to remove sharp points. Also check the quality of your hay or haylage to make sure it's fresh.

Poor guy! Dental problems are common in mules, especially as they get older, and can often cause problems chewing and dropping food when trying to eat. Weight loss is also common with this problem, since he can't get much nutrition from his food if he can't grind and chew it properly. If he hasn't had a dental float recently, this is the first thing that should probably be checked. Other possible causes of this problem could include a neurologic disease of some kind that is affecting the muscles of the mouth and tongue, or exposure to something toxic in his field or pasture. I would recommend having an equine vet come out to take a look at your mule as soon as you are able to. He/she can sedate him to check his teeth and perform a dental float if needed, and may also recommend blood work or other testing to help determine the problem if the teeth seem fine.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm not an equine or large animal veterinarian but many many things could be wrong with your horse. Dental issues come to mind but many other things need to be evaluated by your large animal veterinarian. I would advise calling your veterinarian and let them handle this case. This could be something easily remedied or more complicated. A good physical exam, history, and possible tests would provide light on what is going on. I'm sorry I can't be more specific but a hands-on exam is definitely a place to start. Thanks for using Pet Coach!

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.

Poor Jim! It's certainly possible for intestinal parasites to cause weight loss, and you're correct that they can be resistant to many dewormers - so it would be a good idea for Jim to have a fecal egg count done by your vet to determine if this is the problem. It's also possible that he may need to have his teeth floated, as this is another common reason for weight loss if he can't grind his food properly. Systemic illnesses like liver or kidney disease, cancer, etc. can also cause dramatic weight loss like this. I would recommend having an equine vet come and out and examine him when you are able to - he/she can check his teeth and do a fecal exam, and may also recommend blood work or other testing if needed to help determine the problem.

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 )