Ideas

[MrC]

Just looking for general views

I feed Kia a home made supplement consisting of

Turmeric
Cinnamon
Celery seed
Boswellia

He also has chaste berry as a hormone balancer as he gets too possessive and frisky with the ladies and takes it out on any boys in the vicinity. His last cushings test came out at 24 so not sure if it is controlling these levels or not but it helps with his herd mood, Inhand and under saddle he is a saint regardless.

Lately he has been refusing his feed, now he is 25 and not the best of doers and barefoot. He has been on the same feeds for a good while now and ate this feed in a larger quantity all winter but now is turning his nose up. He is cereal intolerant so my choice of feeds is limited, he will eat agrobs muesli and it meets his intolerance criteria so off to by a bag of that tomorrow.

I have noticed that because he has been refusing his feeds the last four weeks that he has changed movement and moods wise, I have been trying various things like breaking the feed down into single ingredients and offering him them but it's not really working. I have been adding dried mint and my usual go to of mint cordial but he is still refusing.

He has been having this herbal mixture for a few years now, I have changed the glucosamine/msn I used to add to the celery and boswellia with great effects, but in order to get those I need him to eat them. I am tempted to get a general supplement as well to see if his lack of appetite is to do with missing something from his diet but he has plenty to browse on in the field and it's not a lush field either.

Just looking for ideas really as I'm beginning to scratch my head a little, not sure whether to get his levels tested again or not or wait and see if the muesli and alfalfa tempts him like it dos last time........

 

[Jessey]

I would first think, even if the field isnt lush he must be getting lots off it at the moment, with it being so warm and wet the grass is growing like wildfire here, or at least he's getting enough bulk to be feeling full. Perhaps try after he's been in for a bit?

Also, will you share your supplement supplier and recipe please I'm bored of the hunt for a joint supplement that isn't mostly sugar!

 

[MrC]

If I leave him in then he will eat but I can be waiting hours And with going into hospital
For surgery and others feeding him they won't be able to wait the hours that I sometimes have to

Sent you a message

 

[Mary Poppins]

Have you had his teeth checked recently?

 

[MrC]

Yes they were checked when he got stung and his face swelled up, nothing to report the vet said will be due at the end of summer for check up as normal

 

[horseandgoatmom]

Maybe add a small handfull of timothy pelleds into it ???? Just a little something to change it up a bit??

I hope you can get it sorted quickly.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

My older Arab isn't really eating his feed at the moment, all he wants is grass. If he doesn't want to eat a hard feed, could you give him his supplements and herbs in a sandwich?

 

[joellie]

My oldie isn't eating his feed either, but he goes like this every summer as once he is getting enough grass he isn't interested in his bucket feed. I have also tried everything but he just will not eat it. He is 32 years old and i like to get his flax oil and pergolide tablets in to him. I am just having to push the tablets into the side of his mouth and hold his head up til they melt and stick to his tongue Sorry I have no answers to help you as I haven't been succesful myself.

 

[chev]

I looked after a tb mare who had anorexia due to liver failure. Adding sugar free apple juice helped tempt her into eating. Might be worth a try? She was fed little and often which can also help.

 

[Jessey]

I just thought, jess loves the agrobs weisencobs but since adding the prohoof shes been turning her nose up, the cure for her is a small handful of nuts added at the last minute, I guess it just changes the texture enough to make it interesting and she's now eating it without fuss, hopefully the muesli temped kia?