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Post by chalky284 on Dec 20, 2014 14:51:06 GMT
Posting for advice for a friend, Old native mare approx 30, usually lives out but brought in for a few days due to fast weight loss over 2 weeks. She has bad diahorrea all over the stable, is eating hard feed but not really the haylage. Has gone out during the day and eating grass well. Struggled to get up after lying down in the field but did manage it eventually. I advised feeding something like fibre beet as it can be made into a soup if she's struggling to chew. What else can I suggest? It's a difficult situation as friend keeps the mare rent free with her friends horses, she doesn't see her daily and the difference in the weight loss over the 2 weeks shocked her. She had a similar episode earlier in the year and bloods etc all came back normal, she was wormed and gas been fine all summer. I'm inclined to think that the mare just needs more feeding, teeth doing and shelter from the wet and cold. My friend has left instructions with her friend to call the vet to euthanase should she go down and not be able to get up. What else can I suggest? It's difficult as she doesn't want to upset her friend by asking her to do lots of work with her. But she can't be absorbing much if she has such bad diahorrea. Any suggestions?
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lovebird
Full Member
SandbankEarlybird & Freya, Evening Performance HOYS 2013
Posts: 348
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Post by lovebird on Dec 20, 2014 15:14:48 GMT
Contact the veteran horse society, they will give you a recipe for a veteran slopper mass over the phone, they are very helpful, they gave me the recipe & it kept my mare going for 2 years in her mid 30's. It went something like this 1 1/2scoops Dodson & horrel 16plus, 1/2 scoop build up cubed D&S, scoop of suger or fibre beet, 1/2 bucket fibre g, 1/2 bucket water, soak well. Sorry don't have a number.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Dec 20, 2014 15:15:12 GMT
Well at that age first think hard about her future, and I'd agree with the owner's instructions to her keeper. If carrying on, first thing is get teeth done - they can do very well on the right diet even with bad teeth, I had one who spend all winter on soaked fibrebeet and balancer when her teeth were all loose. The vet does teeth for mine anyway, so I'd be talking to him about her generally.
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Post by fanfarefan on Dec 20, 2014 18:01:20 GMT
well my first port of call would be the vet , and with such sudden weight loss ,i would suspect something internal is going on , and at 30yrs old it is quality of life not quantity , and maybe euthanasia is the right way to go , but if you think a shelter ,etc is the way to go give a try ,but with bad diahorea she is at risk of dehydration, which can have drastic consequences if not adtreated by a vet ,,, this is not a situation to leave to see if she comes right by herself, seek professional advice
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Post by chalky284 on Dec 20, 2014 20:48:12 GMT
Thank you all of you that have offered advice, be assured it will be passed on. I'll let you know how the mare fares. Xx
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Post by fanfarefan on Dec 21, 2014 13:13:12 GMT
best of luck sx
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