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Re: [RC] help! Just got a project horse - Chris PausI've brought along several rescues and lost only one who just wasn't healthy enough to keep going. Yes, small meals, several times a day are better than a couple of big meals a day. I'd mix some equine senior with some beet pulp to make a good mash for him. Sounds like he might have some teeth issues. I recently bought a 21Yo stallion. when he stepped off the shipping van, I wondered what on earth I had done. he was very thin. One of the first things I did was get him to a good equine dentist. turns out the poor guy had front teeth so long his molars weren't meeting so he couldn't grind his food. He ate a lot, but it didn't do him much good. He really started picking up weight after we fixed his teeth! He looks like a much younger horse now and he's gorgeous! Just took some good groceries and dental care. The other thing about horses in sad condition like that is that they usually are wormy. Start slow. You don't want to flood the intestines with dead worms and cause an impaction. My regimine, and the vets can correct me, was to use Safeguard or Panacur in half doses a couple of weeks apart. Then I'd give them a full dose of Ivermectin about two weeks after that. He may need a good bath with a medicated shampoo. When they go hungry like that, their coats and skin take a beating. i found out with my rescue mares that their skin was a mess and they had a terrible case of lice. but after a few weeks of TLC, they started looking better. Their eyes can also get pretty icky when they are run down. you might get a triple antiobiotic eye oinment and give him a treatment just for good measure. you can even use neosporin. I hope this helps a little. Good luck with the old man. I'll bet soon you'll have a wonderful new horse! chris --- Kathie Ford <MsPoOh17@xxxxxxx> wrote: Okay ridecampers...I have one for you. I'm sure a lot of you went to the convention and hopefully had a wonderful time! Well, I didn't go, however, as I drove to the bay area to pick up a horse I thought was in okay condition because some folks were looking for a home for this guy. My sister-in-law had asked my brother to call me and he did. A horse needed a loving home. I had called an old friend and asked her to go check him out for me (sort of be my eyes) and let me know what she thought about him as she was only a few blocks away. She was happy to do it and did. Long story short, she called me back and said this guy was very very sweet, had good feet, and a really nice disposition. This is a horse about 18 yrs old, and the lady wanted a better home with a shelter for him. He was free. Anyway, after hearing a real nice report I drove down with my husband and neighbor who wanted to help out too, and it was her barn he'd be sheltered in till the weather got better. We drove from Auburn to Santa Cruz...when we drove up we saw this real cute face on this guy and from a distance he looked okay. I thought to myself, "of course we will take him home"...Once I got out of the car and we walked up to him we were shocked to see he was almost skin and bones! It was deceiving at first cause he is very furry. Three inch fur! I thought, oh my gosh. But his spine had absolutely no muscle, or anything whatsoever. He had completely sunken hindquarter and looked like he was starving. The family that had him were nice people and we soon realized that they were innocently ignorant about horsecare and feeding. I was shocked when the lady didn't really even realize how seriously underweight this horse is. Well, after taking a good look at him otherwise we decided we just could not leave him there so we took him home. I was worried about him hauling safely for a three hour ride, but he did extremely well, and was very alert both when we got home and this morning when I check him. I was very surprised, and gladly so. Despite his horrible weight, or lack of, he has such a sweet face and a very bright eye. He looks right back at you, and I sense a very innocent sweet soul. His fur does have a shine to it, and his feet were good and didn't show any signs of recent laminitis or anything bad. He seems pretty sound, however with several neighbors imput, he does seem to have a sore gaskin, and his stifle pops slightly. Nothing however seems to cause any head bobbing at the trot. He is willing to go forward...Anyway, now I come to you Ridecamp for advice...to help me and my wonderful neighbors, with great kind hearts help me with this sweet fella....HELP! I would really like some advice from the vets out there or anyone else who has brought back a horse from this sort of condition. In my "gut" I feel he isn't sick or anything...as he just looks to bright and alert. He walks around okay, ate grass and nibbled on some hay all day. Drank 10 gallons of water, and pooped normaly. But he needs about 200 lbs. of weight and needs desperately to rebuild his muscle tissue back. What I did notice is that he does dribble food, and there were long stems of hay in his poop because that is one of the first things I checked. I've been told to give him small meals at first so I'm doing that right now. The only thing that does have me worried is I haven't seen him pee yet. He does not seem to be dehydrated. I am going to call my vet tomorrow but any and all advice, stories of encouragement, and nutrition information I could get would be appreciated. That is one reason why I like RC so much... I've taken photos and we will be journaling his progress. Ironically, my husband has already bonded with him, cause he was injured in an auto accident 8 months ago, hasn't worked since then, was terminated friday by his employer cause he can't return to work yet, etc...and somehow, suddenly he has found purpose in this animal. I think there is a story in the making......for them both... thanks all! kathieGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ===== Chris and Star BayRab Acres http://pages.prodigy.net/paus ============================================================ Common sense should also be a part of the decision making process. If you see someone who doesn't have any, hand them your tool box. ~ Lisa Salas - The Odd Farm ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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