malnourishment

Question
I have an Arabian mare, age 24 and utd on vaccinations and worming, who may have received moldy hay last year while she was temporarily out of our care.  The first we knew she had a problem was when she fairly rapidly dropped weight.  We took her to the vet where she received a B vitamin and selenium injection and had her teeth floated.  She didn't improve, took her back to the vet and ramped up her feeding and supplementation schedule.  She still hasn't gained her weight back but eats well, has bright eyes, and a decent coat.  Her hooves are strong and growing but she is too thin to ride and is now obviously out of physical condition.  She runs in the pasture with head and tail up but tires easily.  I'm feeding 3 10# cans of senior equine feed with a vitamin mineral supplement and pre/probiotic supplement for malnourished horses.  She isn't losing weight anymore but certainly isn't gaining.  Oh, and a total of 8 leaves of alfalfa orchard mix (2 tie bales).  I can't have her go through another winter like this and two different vets have been unable to provide the info/treatment necessary for regaining her health.  Any ideas?

Answer
Hi GG!
Caring for geriatric horses can be a challenge.  It sounds like it may have been a year since your mare has had her teeth floated.  I would encourage you to find a vet/equine dentist who can get you on a 6 month rotation for her dental care and then a monthly deworming program if you aren't already doing it that often.  Parasites and dental care are probably the most common reasons for older horses to lose condition.  I prefer to keep older horses on at least full scoop of beet pulp twice a day mixed with a good pelleted complete feed similar to Purina Ultium or Nutrena SafeChoice.  Also, adding a cup of corn oil to her grain mixture could help put on weight as well.  My guess is that if you have not tried beet pulp yet, you'll love the results you'll get from it.  It comes in a dehydrated form so it will be necessary to soak it for at least 20 minutes prior to feeding it, but it's well worth the added work :)

I hope this helps GG ... please let me know if you have any other questions okay?

Thank you!