loss of appetite

Question

Elliott   QUESTION: i have a question about nutrition in my horse...
i have my horse very healthy, he gets eastern Oregon hay, not local, and for grain i feed him soaked beat pulp mixed with powdered rice bran, Purina Omolene 100, and a supplement called Trifecta 3-1 which has vitamins, hoof, and joint stuff in it.. he's always been very healthy since I've had him but recently he's been having a bit of a loss of appetite, he's been eating about half his hay then slowly maybe eating the rest throughout the day, as to where i used to feed him 4 times a day and he'd always clean it up.. and he's not wanting to finish his grain, i actually have to add a lot more sweet feed to it to get him to finish it.. his manure is still looking good which is a good sign, also he seems to be a lot more on alert lately, lots more energy, he's been rearing up at me and stuff when he thinks he's made me mad which is not like him at all..
any advice??
he is a 9 year old painted quarab gelding..

ANSWER: Hi Heaven,

Can I ask a few quick questions before I can make any suggestions?

Have you had his teeth checked or worked on lately?  And more than just checking for points, has the vet (or horse dentist)  checked for a slope on his teeth towards the back of his jaw?

Since Elliott has lost his appetite, has his body weight or body condition score changed?

Was there any change in diet around the time he began to lose his appetite, grain or hay?

Did he have any sort of ailment at all at the onset of his appetite loss?

The answers to these questions might help me come up with suggestions.  Thanks, Corlena



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

QUESTION: he had his teeth floated 11 months prior, but i did have the vet float them again yesterday hoping that that would help, because i thought of the same thing:)  he did have some points but no slope or anything..
before he lost his big appetite i was trying to get him to gain a bunch of extra weight for winter because for one he looks cute with a lil extra weight and two i like my horses to have some extra weight for the winter, so he was gaining the weight up nicely but since he's decided he doesn't want to eat anything extra he stopped gaining weight and did lose a lil, but he's not underweight, he just went back to looking like he does in the summer..
i believe he stopped wanting to eat around the time he injured his eye.. i didnt even think about that.. it's all healed now.. i medicated it so much that it completely healed in a week:) do you think that would have something to do with his appetite??

Answer
Hello again,
Thanks for answering the questions for me.  There is generally a reason why a horse loses its appetite, but sometimes pinpointing that reason is a trick.  I have found in the past that some medications can have an impact on either the stomach's health or the health of the microflora in the horse's hindgut.  Generally though, it's feed-through meds or injectable antibiotics that create problems.  If they are particularly harsh like bute, they can lend to the development of ulcers in the horse's stomach.  Ulcers can cause a lot of pain for the horse and can cut down on the effectiveness of the digestive process, resulting in a horse unable to use it's food as effectively.  Or sometimes antibiotics can disrupt/destroy beneficial bacteria that exist in the cecum of the horse, thereby limiting the ability of the bacteria to break down forages and convert them to a usable energy source for the horse.  So it is possible that a medication can create a loss of appetite and weight loss situation.

Now, if the medication caused an ulcer but the horse is no longer on the medication, the ulcer should clear up on it's own with a little time.  You could always have the vet scope the horse (use an endoscope to view the inside of the stomach) to check for an ulcer...and/or administer ulcer meds.  If the microflora of the hindgut have been affected, you may need to do something to help restore a functional balance.  I like the use of prebiotics like yeast (culture or live...either way)to help the bacteria population regenerate.  I also like the 'Lifeforce Formula' from Alltech in conjunction with yeast as a prebiotic that helps set the hindgut up for success.  You can order directly online from them...and no I don't work for them but a little recognition would be nice :-)

Additionally, it wouldn't hurt to have your hay analyzed for it's nutrient value...just because it's green and clean doesn't ensure that is nutrient dense enough to keep your horse going.  Having said that, if you're feeding it to all your horses and he is the only one that is nutritionally challenged (is that politically correct?) it may not be a concern.

I like the Purina products but in your case would prefer that you stay away from the Omolene 100 (and any other product that is starch based) at least for the time being.  If for whatever reason that starch is making it to the hindgut and creating an acidic condition (hindgut acidosis)  that could certainly create an uncomfortable condition that keeps the horse from wanting to eat.  Find a feed that is higher in fibre and in fat, and keep with the beet pulp...it's one of my favorites.

In this case, my theory is that something has disrupted his digestive process, probably more specifically in the hindgut.  Maybe it was the meds, or maybe some unknown factor occurring around the same time.  By re-establishing the balance that exists there, and keeping starch away from those bacteria at least for a little while, your horse will once again be able to put on weight...and will really want to eat.

Please let me know how this works as I really hope these suggestions help your horse.  Thanks, Corlena