4 month old colt

Question
QUESTION: i have a 4 month old colt i bought from auction in very poor condition he was was very under weight and weak he only weighed 202 and is now 235.  he started to do nothing but lay down a couple of days after we bought him and we would have to pick him up. i made a sling in our horse trailer and we exercise him every day and then let him lay down. how long can he lay down with out causing harm and is there anymore we can do for him.

ANSWER: Ricky:

Its impossible for me to tell you what is wrong with specificity. However, I STRONGLY recommend 2 things here. 1) Horses go through auctions because there is something wrong with them- especially a young horse. 2)If you decide to look at or buy a horse out of an auction, I recommend that a vet go over the horse BEFORE you pay for it and/or take it home. This is purely a move to protect yourself.

Your horse could suffer from malnutrition and weakness due to that. Feed it well and keep it available with good clean water at all times. If the appetite is poor, there is something else wrong. Your horse could have severe parasite infestation but Ive not seen that cause a horse to be recumbent like this. He could be neurologically impaired, have a muscle disorder, organ dysfunction, a joint problem or other lameness and a myriad of other problems. I cant tell you what it is over the internet, thus I urge you to get an equine vet out to evaluate him completely. this will cost a bit. Your vet may also need to perform diagnostics- a further expense. This is what makes auction purchases not such a bargain and many times these horses have things that are not responsive or beyond the feasibility of recovery. Thus, often times, you spend more money in the end than you would have if you had bought a "more expensive" horse from a reputable source and had a vet give it the "once over" to check out for any major problems.

All I can recommend at this time is nutritional supplementation with whatever he'll eat at this point to continue to put weight and strength on (good grass or alfalfa hay and a junior pelleted or sweet feed). Deworm him well with what your vet recommends- probably ivermectin. If your horse continues to be unable to rise on his own, he will eventually succomb to this and he will die. Horses cannot stay in recumbency for more than a few days without serious muscle and nerve damage occurring. this is much more so for larger horses than a 4 month old. If your horse does recover, it is my guess that he will always be small. 235 pounds is very small already for a 4 month old. Get a vet involved if you want to work with this horse, but be reasonable and aware of the expenses you wiil incur. At some point this may not be worthwhile to pursue and euthanasia may become necessary if he does not respond, cannot get up on his own, has another problem, doesn not gain weight and/or expenses become overwhelming. I wish you the best of luck with him. Feel free to contact me again if you need to.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The horse is getting stronger every day now yesterday he started running and playing in my front yard, and when he laid down i did not have to help him as much to get up. my question today is, I'm feeding him a 14% allstock pellet and i keep plenty of dry hay out for him his appetite is good and strong. what is the best brand of feed i could give him. The money part of taking care of this horses is no problem thats why we bought him and i would like to give him the best possible, what feed do you recommend.

Answer
I recommend Purina Mills Equine Junior Feed- its a complete pelleted feed. It will be fed at about 10-12 pounds per day. the more frequent feeding you can provide the better- that is divide the 11.2 pounds by the number of feedings to determine the number of pounds to be fed per feeding. Keep the good quality hay in front of him in between. I still recommend getting a vet to go over him and to talk to you about deworming and vaccinations he will need. Im glad he's doing better.  visit the website:

http://horse.purinamills.com/products/Equine_Junior.asp

to learn more about this feed. good luck to you. keep up the great care and work!!