please help me rescue this angel

Question
QUESTION: I was called out to look at a horse that had been in a fence and was badly wounded, and to top that off she was malnourished. I got them to give me the horse because she was still full of life and alert but didn't have a chance with their finance situation. I have got her leg on the right path it is gone down a lot in swelling which was slightly bigger than a gallon can. But I am having problems with her weight she is a skeleton with hide draped over her, I'm feeding her 3-4 gals of sweet feed with 1 scoop of weight boost, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of corn oil all mix together and all the hay she can eat. She eats it all but yet she has only gained some visible weight and I've wormed her 2 times. With all of this going on she is also loosing hair, but at the same time she has new hair growing in the balding patches. What else can I do to help her back on her feet. She is very willing to do what ever is asked of her.

ANSWER: Thank you for rescuing her. There are so many that need rescuing right now. What kind of feed is she getting? If it is a horse and mule sweet feed then you will have to feed much more of it that if it is a higher quality, higher fat feed. Feed will normally have 3% fat with no fat added to it. You will need to feed a feed that has a higher fat level. Something around 7% or higher. I am assuming that the weight boost is a fat supplement. It would be better to spend the money on a higher fat feed than to buy a cheaper feed and then add a fat supplement to it. The corn oil is not good. It can upset the nutrient density to energy ratio and cause a protein deficiency. She will need protein to build muscle. She probably has very little being so thin. It was long ago metabolized to keep herself alive. Look at the feed tag and tell me what it says for protein, fat and fiber. What else is guaranteed? Are any amino acids listed?

You can also feed soaked beet pulp. It is a "super fiber." This means that it is much higher in calories than hay, but it is still a fiber. What kind of hay are you feeding? Is this a senior horse?

Whatever you do, do it slowly. The poor girl is in starvation mode. You can't give her any steak just yet. Make small increases and watch her to be sure she can tolerate them.

I look forward to hearing back from you.



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

QUESTION: The feed is Nutrena stock and stable 12% multi-species (oc)
protien 12%
fat 2.5%
fiber 18%

Where do you find the beet pulp, I can't recall ever hearing of that one?

ANSWER: This is not a good feed for putting weight in a horse. It doesn't have enough energy. You will need to feed a better feed that has a higher fat content and a lower fiber percent. The new feed will cost more per bag, but will not be too much more in the long run. For example, a 8qt bucket of each will vary greatly in calories. You could easily double the amount you are feeding of the lower quality feed to get the same calories in the better feed. See if your dealer carries the Legacy feed. It has 12.5% protein, 10% fat and 10% fiber. YoThu will see results in two weeks if you feed it according to the tag. You can save the money you are spending on the supplement and get off the corn oil that is probably robbing your horse of the protein it is eating. You can switch back to a less expensive feed if the horse is not a hard keeper, elderly, or exercised extensively when it recovers. But, like I said the better feeds are more per bag, but much more efficient. The cheaper feeds don't give the horse much nutrition.

Don't worry about the horses coat. The coat is the last thing that the body takes care of, the lowest man on the totem pole. The coat will recover as the horse does.

Thanks for asking. I wish you luck. You most certainly saved this horses life. Be sure and take before and after pictures. And don't get in a hurry. He needs to gain his weight back nice and slow. Too much too soon can cause trouble.



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

QUESTION: What about the Dumor weight booster I was adding with each feeding where it said to give to give 1 scoop a day, I had been giving her 1 with each feeding. The protein 14%, fat 40%, fiber 11%, calcium .6%-1%, phosphorus .4%, and omega-3 fatty acids 5%. Does this make up for the feed or do I need to change feeds and if so how would I feed the weight booster. The reason I'm asking is because this supplement is something I had already had on hand from last fall, and thought it would make up the difference. But if I need to buy her feed different from the rest of the horses I can.

Answer
Dumor doesn't do much. It doesn't make up enough of what the feed is missing. Its a little better than nothing. It won't hurt her, but it won't help much either. You can go ahead and use it up, but I would change feeds. I went to www.nutrenaworld.com and looked at the feeds. I wasn't familiar with them so I just looked at the guaranteed analysis. There might be another one they have that will work. Or if your feed store carries a local brand you can look at what they make and see if there is a similar one.