Benny

[peeweesgal]

Hiya everyone!
Benny our Shetland is 34. This summer, ever since we clipped him (he has cushings disease and doesn't lose his winter coat) he has gone down hill. We had to clip him because he was overheating and getting dehydrated as he doesn't drink enough. He has recently gotten really thin. You can count all his ribs! He has a big bucket of feed every day. He can't really eat the grass in our field as it is really short and he has hardly any teeth. He has 2 slices of hay everyday and 1 or 2 slices of wheat straw, to try and keep the weight on him. He has stopped eating the hay and wheat straw, but happily tucks into his bucket. Whaat else can we do to keep the weight on him? I really don't think he will make it through this winter. :(

Thanks
Sarah xxx

[connieD]

a friend of mine has a elderly chat and she feeds him hayledge as he finds it easier to chew and it keeps condition on him better. also possibly try barley rings made soft with sugar beet - they help my girl get through the winter.
and finally the biggest suggly rug you can find!!

[peeweesgal]

We have just changed his feed from Hi-Fibre Cubes, MolliChaff and Rolled Barley to Hi-Fibre Cubes, Barley Rings and Mollasses.

Thanks

sarah xxx

[Sophie_Bailey]

i'd try him with hayledge too, its softer and yummier, also has more goodness in it. I'd also try him with chaff type things like readi grass or graze on, its shorter and he would find it much easier to eat.

xx

[Jessey]

I have exactly the same with our old chap, he is in his 30's, has cushings and a lack of teeth, and about 2 months ago started loosing weight and was scouring all the time.

I clipped him again (last done in march) as I thought it might have been the heat getting to him, then it started raining, that was about 2 weeks ago so now he is rugged :rolleyes:

Phoenix can't manage hay or haylage, just about manages long grass but still loves his bucket feeds :D

Last week I got some Simple Systems (http://www.simplesystem.ukfarmers.com/index.php) LuciBix which is dried Alfalfa (no mollasses or other junk in it) and you soak it before feeding. Phoenix tucked in to this like you wouldn't believe :D It stopped all his scouring (I think this was due to us feeding too much high value short feed rather than fibre) I will be ordering a bag full next week when my friend gets back from hols.

He was on 2lb of conditioning cubes twice a day, I have now swapped him onto 1lb of conditioning cubes, 1 lb of grass nuts and 1/2lb of HiFi twice a day, this is soaked in about a gallon of water to make a mash. I have also put him in a field alone (and with good grass) so he can take his time to eat this, it takes him about an hour :o When I get the Lucibix I will give him this by the bucket full in addition to his other feed, as a kind of hay/forage replacer.

I have to say that phoenix is now steadily gaining weight and much happier.

Feel free to PM me if you want, its really hard to know what to do for the best isn't it. I did post a thread about Phoenix, but think it was in the Cafe and has dissapeared already.

[Jessey]

Here is the old fart in march just after his last clip
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/Jessey129/General/ponies020.jpg
And this is what he was looking like a couple of weeks ago (this really doesn't show just how bad it was, he had nearly 6 months worth of coat growth here which hides alot)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/Jessey129/General/poniessummer2006063.jpg
I will try and get a picture of him tonight to show you the improvement since that last picture, thats if its not raining cats and dogs!

[peeweesgal]

Jessey: He does look really bad in that 2nd pic!
This is Benny before his clip:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b246/peasedown/DSCF0033.jpg

Sarah xxx

[Jessey]

Benny is really cute :D
Pheonix looks way better now, it was pooring last night and again this morning so I didn't get the camera out but he is looking much better :D
I think the grass nuts soaked into a pulp help alot, might be worth a go, they are not expensive. Also alot of people I have spoken to give adlib speedy beet to horses with bad teeth as its very high in fibre, phoenix isn't keep on it though, its too sloopy for him, at least with the grass nuts you can make a pretty dry pulp.

J x

[joey_olop]

Aw bless, my mate has a 35yr old TB and she thought he wouldnt last through last winter and he did.

She used to feed a lot of that speedi beet stuff with his veteran mix. He come out really good at the end of winter. Make sure you have some warm rugs and bring him in at night with a nice dinner waiting, Im sure he will be fine.

Let us know how you get on :)

[peeweesgal]

I would bring him in but we do not have stables only field shelters. Thanks for all your help and I'll let you all know how he is doing.

Sarah xxx

[Jessey]

I would leave Phoenix out if it weren't for the other 2, he is happier out and doesn't get so stiff (he has arthritis too).
Do you have a nice blankie for him :D
I got those pictures last night of phoenix, but by the time I got home and people 'dropped by' and all that I didn't have the energy to upload them, and am at work now so can't get away with it. I will get them on over the weekend :D