UNDERWEIGHT HORSES

 

Unfortunately few studies have been done on chronically starved horse. Most universities that have conducted weight loss studies have used healthy animals carrying good weight who have fasted for short periods of time.

Much of the knowledge we now have regarding the rehabilitation of starved equines comes from humane organizations involved in equine rescue.

Equine rehabilitation is comprised of three separate steps:

 

  • Stabilizing
  • Determining cause of condition
  • Rehabilitation and physical therapy

 

 

STABILIZING

 

It is good management to discuss with your veterinarian what he would like you to do until he arrives to evaluate the animal's condition and prescribes a rehabilitation plan. Most veterinarians will establish "standing orders" for the most common situations which you will be faced with.

Your veterinarian will request from you a list of vital information he or she would like to be provided with when you call. Most often this will include pulse rate, heart rate, respiration, checking the animal's color (mucus membranes), gut sounds, a description of feces and urine, and a concise description of the animal's behavior. Below are some descriptions of malnutritionconditions which may be life threatening without medical intervention.

 
  • Condition 1. The animal is standing or is in sternal recumbency (lying down on its chest), appears alert and is able to support its head. If the animal is recumbent, it can stand with assistance and once up, support itself. Pain is not evident. The animal will eagerly eat hay or grain, if offered. Elimination of feces and urine is normal. Fecal matter may be small and hard and urine may be dark indicating possible dehydration. Often systolic murmurs are present.

 

  • Condition 2. The animal is down and may have some difficulty maintaining sternal recumbency. It may still be able to raise it's head but with difficulty and is less alert. The animal is still interested in hay or grain and will eat if feed is within reach or if hand fed.

 

  • Condition 3. The animal is in lateral recumbency (lying down on its side), unable to raise its head, and may be unaware of surroundings. It may exhibit paddling (moving the feet and legs aimlessly), muscle spasms, and harsh sounds during respiration and grinding of the teeth. The animal may still attempt to eat if feed is placed in the mouth.

 

  • Condition 4. The animal is in lateral recumbency and may be in a semi-comatose state. This animal will not attempt to chew if feed is placed in the mouth.

Unless there are immediate life threatening injuries or wounds, the first step must be to assess the animal for dehydration. Your veterinarian will show you how to check for dehydration. If the animal is dehydrated the situation should be corrected by administering oral fluids with electrolytes, if the animal is willing to drink. Note: Some animals will not willingly drink water with electrolytes added. If the animal is not willing or able to drink, fluids may be given under the veterinarian's supervision (and burros are a special case, as their physiology differs from horses' as far as tubing goes) via nasogastric (stomach) tube or through intravenous administration of fluids made up of glucose, amino acids, vitamins and electrolytes.

The veterinarian will prescribe the best treatment protocol for each specific animal. He or she will also access any other condition which requires immediate attention.

 

DETERMINING  CAUSE OF  CONDITION

 

When an underweight equine comes under your care, it is essential to determine the cause. Some conditions which cause severe weight loss are:

 

  • Adrenal insufficiency
  • Equine Infectious Anemia
  • Debilitating injuries
  • Dental problems
  • Heart problems
  • Neoplasia-especially gastrointestinal or pituitary
  • Parasitism
  • Malnutrition

 

Having a veterinarian as an active part of your rehabilitation team is essential. He may want to run blood chemistry and other tests to find out if there is any organic cause for the weight loss.

In the absence of chronic disease or other underlying cause, severe malnutrition is often the primary cause of weight loss. Malnutrition is most often caused by insufficient quantity or quality feed.

Often a horse has access to feed but it is such low quality that the protein and caloric intake is not enough to maintain the animal. The body then breaks down the subcutaneous fat deposits, followed by the intracelluar and visceral fats.

The Henneke Scoring System was created by Don R. Henneke, PhD., of Tarleton State University in Texas.  It has been used successfully in equine abuse cases since the early 1980's. The system was developed to evaluate a horse's body condition based on visual and palatable fat cover over the neck, withers, loin, tailhead, ribs and shoulders. You may view the Henneke Scoring System at http://equinenet.org/life/henneke.html

"Using the Henneke Scoring System, we conclude that conditions ranging between 1 and 4 are underweight and need additional fat deposits. Determining the cause for underweight horses is a critical step in remedying the condition," Dr. Ginger A. Rich.

 

REHABILITATION  AND  PHYSICAL  THERAPY

 

Understanding an equine's basic dietary needs is the first step in rehabilitation. The following charts illustrate some basic dietary rules and are included to give you an overview of equine nutritional needs.

 

  • A horse or burro should not be fed more hay than 3% of it's body weight. Most will require less. (See Chart I)
  • Qualitative nutrient requirements of adult, growing, aged, pregnant, lactating, and/or working horses vary. (See Chart II)
  • The nutrient requirements of adult, growing, aged, pregnant, lactating, and/or working horses and burros vary. (See Chart II)

The quality, nutrient and protein content of hay varies depending on the type or variety of hay, as well as the time it is cut and how it is cured. Grains have different nutritional contents. (See Chart III)

The most common mistake in rehabilitating the severely malnourished equine is feeding too much too fast. More equines die during this feed introduction period than at any other time of rehabilitation. The more underweight an equine is, the more slowly you will need to reintroduce feed. It is considered safe for a mature equine to regain up to 25 pounds per week during the rehabilitation period. More rapid intake of feed can compromise the animal's system causing a variety of life threatening problems including cardiac failure.

Please refer to:

 

FEEDING BY MOUTH

 

The latest information from the University of California, Davis, on feeding starved horses is below:

Days 1-3 Feed one pound (approximately 1/6 flake) of leafy alfalfa every four hours (total of six pounds per day in six feedings). Contact a veterinarian to evaluate the medical status of the horse.

Days 4-10 Slowly increase the amount of alfalfa and decrease the number of feedings so that by day six, you are feeding just over four pounds of hay every eight hours (total of 13 pounds per day in three feedings).

Day 10 - several months Feed as much alfalfa as the horse will eat and decrease feeding to twice a day. Provide access to a salt block. Do not feed grain or supplemental material until the horse is well along in its recovery; early feeding of grain and supplemental material complicates the return of normal metabolic function and can result in death.

*Provide clean, fresh water at all times.
*De-worming and correction of dental problems are very beneficial to the horse’s recovery.

Your veterinarian will recommend further supplements and additives to the rehabilitation diet.

 

FEEDING BY NASOGASTRIC TUBE

 

Some debilitated equines are unwilling to eat but have fairly normal gut function. Your veterinarian may recommend supplementation by nasogastric tube. Your veterinarian may be willing to teach you this procedure. Warning: If the tube is passed into the lung rather than into the stomach, death can occur. Also, the burro has special physical characteristics, so please involve your veterinarian.

In conjunction with intragastric feeding, the animal should be encouraged to eat on its own. Apples, carrots, alfalfa hay, or chopped alfalfa and molasses may be offered in small amounts to stimulate the appetite. Small amounts of feed should be made available to encourage the animal to eat on its own.

Make sure that there are no lesions in the mouth and pharynx that would cause pain and interfer with eating.

Your veterinarian may wish to prescribe vitamin B injections given intermuscularly to stimulate appetite.

Listed are three diets that have been used successfully in the rehabilitation of malnourished equines.

1. NutriPrime Equine Nutritional Formula by KenVet.

2. Alfalfa pellet slurry. These must be soaked for a minimum of 20 minutes before administering. Slurry must be liquid enough to pass through the tube. Warning: Do not use alfalfa cubes.

3. Naylors diet. This diet is modified with alfalfa and corn oil by Dr. Ginger A. Rich to correct fiber and energy deficiencies.

 

The modified Naylor's diet should be available through your veterinarian.