You can take a horse to.....

water but you can't make it drink you can't make it eat either. My 31 yr old little darling ( I am saying that through gritted teeth) has lost a great deal of weight lately. He has curshings disease and the vet came to check his teeth,he had 2 loose which were removed and some sharp bits filed off the others,well those he has left. We have to assume he is no longer able to eat hay,he tries chewing it for ages and not being able to get it to a pulp he is able to get down so he drops it out of his mouth. I have to feed him a soft diet which is the fibre he needs in a mash form plus as much cooking oil I can add that he will still eat it. He can't have nice things like treacle to make it tasty and we have to keep his diet low sugar low carbohydrate. He is fed 3 times a day which take me a hour each time some days he eats better than others, some I have to hand feed him,others he refuses to try ( he does graze but the spring grass is yet to grow.) Tonight I have just battled against 40-50 mile an hour winds horizontal rain and fed him, his reaction was to ignore his own food and steal Morris' instead, I am afraid I just left them to it I was too tired,wet and still had to struggle home and couldn't really see much with the rain.

I am just dreading the vets next visit when the boys are due their vaccinations if Sandy hasn't started to put some weight back on we may have to say good bye it can take 4 to 6 weeks for that to start to happen. It is 4 weeks on Monday so I am hoping to start to see some improvement soon it won't be for the will of trying.

Comments

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    Looking after elderly animals is so hard, but he still sounds a character. You’re giving him his best chance, and I hope the vet visit is positive. Xx

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    Thanks Liymary he is a huge character I have had him since 1999 and he has been with me all through my injury and arthur so I owe him big. I may not have been able to ride all this time but caring for him has kept me sane.

  • Jewels
    Jewels Member Posts: 202

    Hope he starts feeling better soon hun x

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    Well yesterday was the day we took a close look at Sandy and compared him with the photo from 4 weeks ago, there is a very small improvement his condition means he has problems with maintaining muscle,we have to see what the vet says in a couple of weeks hope it is enough.

  • Jewels
    Jewels Member Posts: 202

    Fingers crossed hun x

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    Thanks. It has been so stressful he looks so skeletal and it is not as if he isn't fed or has ever been neglected. He has regular vet checks blood tests and has been on a very expensive drug for his cushings disease that costs £2.60 a day ( double that if I bought from the vets). But at least all the effort to get to him and try to encourage him to eat is beginning to pay off and even if he doesn't always appreciate the extra feeds his field mate Morris does!!.

  • Jewels
    Jewels Member Posts: 202

    Aww I don't really know anything about horses but he sounds like a fighter and as long as he's not suffering which I know you wouldn't let happen just hang on in there with him 😁

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    After 6 weeks the vet has visited again today and he is pleased with the weight gain Sandy has put on we just need some rain for the spring grass to start growing and I can drop him back to 2 feeds a day. I am waiting for the blood results and hope his levels are okay or if his meds need increasing.

  • Jewels
    Jewels Member Posts: 202

    Aww that's great news Stellabean

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    Thanks I can't tell you how much I worried about him but our vet has said I am doing a great job he joked about sending me more elderly horses to care for but I have my hands full with the 2 boys. Morris had more treatment on the tumors on his leg and side some have had bands put around them to make them fall off and others have been treated with arsenic powder ( yep arsenic) to try to kill off the cancerous cells. He is feeling a little sorry for himself tonight but he will pick up in a day or so. Morris belongs to my elderly friend she rehomed him 11 years ago when he was only 8 and could no longer be ridden and I have looked after him with Sandy they like a married couple.

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    That sounds really positive @stellabean , hope he continues to rally under your tender care x

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    Sandy's bloods are okay we don't need to increase his meds. I have tried to increase his feeds but he just walks away when he has had enough his weight gain is now obvious to other people so I don't have to keep explaining about his medical condition every time someone says did I know my horse was thin.

  • Jewels
    Jewels Member Posts: 202

    That's good to hear hun I bet your relieved a bit now 😊

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    That is good news, they’re such a worry. Hope he continues to rally. Any chance of a pic?

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    Hers is Sandy eating his breakfast this morning but we had to tie him up

    Morris and Sandy finishing his meal some days it is like organizing toddlers they swop bowls tip them over and Morris likes to get his food all over his nose and wipe it on your clothes and hair. The legs belong to my husband who has been sorting out the much heap, he makes some good stuff for the garden and it is in high demand for the allotment sites too. There is one thing for sure there is always a supply from the boys!

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    😍 what handsome boys! ❤️❤️❤️

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    Including your husband’s legs of course! 😅

  • Jewels
    Jewels Member Posts: 202

    They're beautiful @stellabean 😊