How to prevent colic and laminitis in my rescued, underweight mare?

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.

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. If it has been quite some time since the surgery, then the alfalfa pellets are fine to feed. To get his weight up, you can try feeding him an extra meal during the day. This should help. But some horses that undergo colic surgery always seem to remain a little thin ( while others seem to put on too much weight). Adding an extra meal would be a good place to start as well as plenty of good quality grass hay. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You should do a 5 day Panacur PowerPac dewormer. I'm not sure where you can buy it there. It is the only dewormer to kill encysted small strongyles which can cause ill thrift and decreased weight. ( https://www.ubuy.za.com/search/index/view/product/B0035IWHKA/s/panacur-paste-horse-wormer-powerpac/store/store ) We'd like to help you but you really should ask your local veterinarian about how to help him pick up weight. We do not know what products you have available to you in South Africa. Your local vet would know. In the U.S. we use Beet Pulp quite a bit to help horses gain weight. If he wild he may be burning off all the calories he is taking in. It is best to have him gelded if he is not going to be used for breeding. That will also help him to gain weight.

Hello, as the owner of several overweight minis, I share your pain. Your pictures do not show a particularly heavy horse, so you have a good place to start. If you have ever been to a mini show, you have to wonder how they get those horses into such amazing shape. Very careful diets are 1 component, exercise is the next & maybe the most important. Those minis are worked, either by hand, or treadmill, or automatic walker non-stop during the show season. You will also need to be very judicious with the hay. Feed no more than 1.5%-2% of his body weight. No grain or pellets, period. And when he goes out on pasture, place a grazing muzzle on him. He will still be able to pick up a bit of grass, & of course drink. Do this, & your mini will look great in a few months. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. As long as there is very little grass where you let her out, she is better off being able to move around then being stalled up. If the grass does come up, you will need to severely limit her time on pasture to just an hour or so in the afternoons, or turn her out with a grazing muzzle. You might want to have her tested for Equine Metabolic Syndrome/Insulin Insufficiency, too. Thanks for 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!