*Sez*
3rd Mar 2008, 08:49 AM
I've had problems with keeping weight on Salsa since he had osteomyalitis in January 2006. His weight dropped from 475KG to 412KG in two months, despite him still having a great appetite, and in two years I have never yet managed to get his weight back up. In the spring/summer, he normally hangs around the 458 mark on my weight tape.
When I turned him away, he had lost a bit of weight because it was winter and he hadn't been worked for a while and seemed to have lost some muscle and condition. On my weight tape, he was 438KG, but he still looked good - his coat was glossy, his ribs were covered but could be felt and he still had decent muscle coverage. Because he is out of work, and turned out 24/7, I spoke to a nutritionist about the best changes to make to his diet, and I was advised to drop the Calm and Condition a little and increase the Alfa-A oil. However, he began losing condition, although he was still within the 438 mark on the weight tape, so I increased the C&C a little a week ago.
The weather here has been pretty good and the spring grass seems to be coming through, so I was surprised to weight tape him this weekend and find that he had dropped to the 426KG mark :eek: This is the lowest his weight has been since he recovered from his illness two years ago.
He is currently being fed per day:
1.5KG Calm & Condition (I was advised that he only needed 1KG to get the minerals/vitamins)
0.5KG Alfa-A Oil
0.3KG Speedi beet (dry weight)
2 scoops NAF Pink Powder (recommended amount for horses out of work).
He is currently in a middle-weight rug because he was a bit too toasty in the heavyweight and he still seems warm and comfortable in the MW - he certainly isn't cold. His clip is growing out nicely, and there are places that his summer coat is starting to come through. There's six horses in a 16 acre field, and the grass looks pretty good for early March, although they're supplimented with hay. His wormer and worm count are up to date. He has never had much in the way of topline, and I did expect him to lose some muscle tone and condition over this winter, but I was hoping that he would spend the winter putting some weight ON, not losing it. :rolleyes:
What am I doing wrong?
When I turned him away, he had lost a bit of weight because it was winter and he hadn't been worked for a while and seemed to have lost some muscle and condition. On my weight tape, he was 438KG, but he still looked good - his coat was glossy, his ribs were covered but could be felt and he still had decent muscle coverage. Because he is out of work, and turned out 24/7, I spoke to a nutritionist about the best changes to make to his diet, and I was advised to drop the Calm and Condition a little and increase the Alfa-A oil. However, he began losing condition, although he was still within the 438 mark on the weight tape, so I increased the C&C a little a week ago.
The weather here has been pretty good and the spring grass seems to be coming through, so I was surprised to weight tape him this weekend and find that he had dropped to the 426KG mark :eek: This is the lowest his weight has been since he recovered from his illness two years ago.
He is currently being fed per day:
1.5KG Calm & Condition (I was advised that he only needed 1KG to get the minerals/vitamins)
0.5KG Alfa-A Oil
0.3KG Speedi beet (dry weight)
2 scoops NAF Pink Powder (recommended amount for horses out of work).
He is currently in a middle-weight rug because he was a bit too toasty in the heavyweight and he still seems warm and comfortable in the MW - he certainly isn't cold. His clip is growing out nicely, and there are places that his summer coat is starting to come through. There's six horses in a 16 acre field, and the grass looks pretty good for early March, although they're supplimented with hay. His wormer and worm count are up to date. He has never had much in the way of topline, and I did expect him to lose some muscle tone and condition over this winter, but I was hoping that he would spend the winter putting some weight ON, not losing it. :rolleyes:
What am I doing wrong?