is there certain things we should do for my 30 + + horse?
what can we do to prevent or help artheritis, is floating teeth really necassary?
what fruits or veggies should i give her for weight gain, or certain vitamins?
should pasture be open 100% of the time?
Teeth floating is necessary in geriatric horses. Horses in this age often have teeth that are decaying and rotting and need to be removed. A decaying tooth can cause a horse a lot of pain and cause them not to eat well. For the Arthritis I would suggest a supplement called ActiFlex, it has Glucosamine, HA, Chondrotin, MSM and other joint promoting compounds. I would recommend Equine Senior feed, you can add hot water to it and make a mash if your old fella has bad teeth. Turn out and pasture 100% of the time is a good idea, but you need to be careful in the spring when the fresh grass comes on, just like with younger horses. Blanketing your geriatric horse during extreme weather will not only help to keep him warm, but will help keep weight on him. Hope this helps!
Have your vet out if she's really skinny. Just because a horse is old doesn't mean they should be thin . Tooth floating is incredibly important, especially in an older horse. Research suggests that horses in their late teens and older should actually have their teeth done twice a year instead of just once. That could be the reason she's thin. Try switching to a complete pelleted feed and hay pellets, and water it down until it becomes mush. If she doesn't start gaining weight immediately, have the vet out to do blood work to rule out anything medical. If she's arthritic, that could also be the reason she's thin. Horses in pain sometimes have trouble gaining weight. If she's cold, blanket her - shivering will lead to further weight loss.
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You definitely need to have the vet out to offer an assessment. And you need to be ready to make a decision - if you can't put weight on her, or keep her arthritis comfortable, euthanasia may be the kindest option.
Older horses require more dental care then younger horses because they may have few teeth at that age. Horses in captivity also live to 30 + years because of the care they get where as a horse that's out in the wild will not live as long. Roughage such as hay also creates points faster then a horse that lives solely on grass.
You really need to consult an equine nutritionist if your horse is emaciated ... and call a vet out to have blood work done to check for other illnesses.
Your kidding right?
should someone as in-experienced as you even have a horse, let alone an old one.
for her artheritis - go to the vets.
Floating teeth - YES just because she's old doesnt mean she should suffer with painful teeth.
Fruit and veg wont help her gain weight, its more or less just like grass.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com and if she's that skinny then yes she should have rugs on because she'll have no fat to insulate her. also she should be stabled if its that cold.
Eugh!!
