Feeding a Starved Horse?
QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Worth,
Last night I met this old gelding that is slowly (or not so slowly) starving
to death. He is a registered Arab about 20 yrs old and he is so thin his
back legs are weak. He has no flesh anywhere on him and his ears look huge
and close together (of course his ears could be like that all the time) The
guy who owned him basically abandoned him saying he had plenty of pasture
and told the guy he got him from that he was his so he should deal with it.
I agreed to try to bring the old guy back because I think he deserves a
chance. Anyway I will be arranging to have his teeth floated in a couple of
weeks (that's how long before I can get someone)
Also besides free choice salt and mineral mix and plenty of grass hay what
feeding would you recommend? When is it safe to begin supplementing with
other feed such as soaked beet pulp and alfalfa? I have never dealt with
such an extreme case before and don't want to kill him with kindness so any
help or advice would be appreciated.
I know a vet should be called in, however, I live in a very unpopulated part
of Canada, and we have only one large animal vet here and she will not come
to me and I can not repeatedly haul this poor horse 1/2 hour to an hour
either way to see her. Basically the horse is in the position of me or a
bullet. Sorry to be so blunt but I am not exaggerating. Either I find a way
to help him or he dies. Slowly or quickly depending on the kindness of those
near him (If I have to choose that option I will choose quickly but in the
situation he was in it would have been slow). I am hoping to at least give
him a fighting chance. If I fail he will be humanely destroyed anyway.
Can you please give me some advice on how to go about feeding him, with what
and how much, in the beginning?
Also, do you know if I should de-worm him at all right now, or wait?
Thank you so much for any help you can give me!
ANSWER:
No. 1 with this old guy is go slowly, he needs hay, lots of good hay, soaked
alfalfa cubes and soaked sugar beet pulp with one good vitamin/mineral
supplement. Lots of small meals each day is best, little & often, allowing
the GI tract time to adjust to food. Over time add in some rice bran and
some whole flax seed, plus whole oats. Not all at once but slowly.
Once he is eating 3-4 meals of about 3lbs each time consisting of a mix of
alfalfa cubes plus sugar beet pulp, plus rice bran plus flax, the
mineral/vitamin supplement. Then you can begin to add in the oats or other
commercial concentrate feed.
He needs his teeth checked and if possible done, he needs to be wormed but
not a huge dose that would overload the system. I would talk to the vet over
the phone about the best worming method. YOU might want to do one normal
dose and then a daily wormer for a few weeks. Then repeat the wormer in 3-4
weeks. But check with the vet.
Check he has had his shots, don't do them right away but when he gains some
strength.
Allow him time to eat slowly and peacefully, make sure he is not bullied by
other horses. Starving horses need the best hay you can find, and they need
to gain the weight back slowly as too much too soon can kill them. Stay away
from sweet feds and other grains until he is used to eating again, fiber is
the safest way to get the GI tract up and running, then slowly add in the
other stuff. Think fat and fiber for safety.
|
