Yet More Feed Advice

[fairlady]

Morse has done relatively well through the Winter, has eaten loads in fact.

His feed twice a day has been 2 Large Scoops HI-FI, 2 Large Scoops Purebeet, and when I say large, I mean LARGE, carrots, apples, general supplement. Ad-lib Hay if in the small paddock, grass if in the large field, 3/4 bale of hay overnight, everynight which we have once again 'upped' and its all gone by morning.

NOW he has not 'lost weight' BUT he hasn't really gained any either and has now been changed to Youngstock Cubes, Nuts and Chaff. He has gained a little weight but still not as much as I thought he would have for the huge amount he is eating. He comes in on a night absolutely starving, and is like a man on a mission to get to his food Now I know he is eating his hay in the paddock because I have seen him, so he is not being 'kept away'. He IS hungry all the time, he is like a different horse once he has had his food.

He has been wormed regularly, never 'seen' anything on checking after, but the Vet is coming out on Monday to do second jabs, check teeth etc., I mentioned it to the Vet who came out last time, but she did not seem too concerned, should I perhaps be asking for a worm count and would that tell me if he had tape-worms?.......

 

[angelfben]

I think the problem with tapeworm is that... (and you're not eating your lunch are you??.... ) because of the way the eggs "burst" every now and then rather than at being continuously expelled in droppings they can't always be relaibly detected. The best thing if your vet is coming out anyway you could ask for him to run blood tests to check worm counts?

 

[fairlady]

Is that how they do it, blood test?? thought they took a sample of droppings, see you learn all the time. I would have looked a right numpty with my little pot of ****

Think I will have it done just to put my mind at ease.

Thanks

 

[Joyscarer]

If you look on the Westgate lab site it tells you what poo testing can pick up and what it can't. A right mine of practical information

I'm just starting the 3 in my field on poo testing with the only routine worming being a couple of times a year to combat the worms the test can't do for.

 

[angelfben]

You can do it via a poo sample and that's the easiest way It's just that tapeworm doesn't easily show in a poo sample so easiest to have bloods run if that's what you're looking for

 

[fairlady]

Will go onto that later and have a read. I know he is young and growing but quite honestly I can't quite get it out of my head that he has not got worms cos he just does not seem to be gaining any weight really, I know he has gone up, but would like to see him slightly more rounder than he is. Plus of course the fact that he seems to be 'starving' all the time. He is probably eating twice the amount of the others on the yard.

He has been on a strict worming programme and has in fact been wormed 3 times since he arrived in June and is due again at the end of next week with a general purpose wormer.

We too, are gonna start looking a worm counts rather than just worming but I need to know he is basically 'worm laden free' before embarking on that.