I found that fenugreek seeds increased my mare’s appetite. Her regular supplements included: ground flax, up to 1 cup; a couple digestive supplements; about 2 tsp. fenugreek seeds; some loose, non-iodized salt. We added hot water and canola oil to alfalfa pellets and Triple Crown Senior. I tried the TC Senior Active, but she wasn’t a fan.
I also faced a volume problem, so had to focus on packing in every single calorie I could. I started adding calories - more oil, more flax - in early fall.
He won’t eat ground flax (whole is OK, but not great), but I haven’t tried fenugreek seeds. Might be worth a try. He will NOT eat salt. Goes on a hunger strike when I add more than half a pinch. Honestly, I give up. With the half pinch, he leaves feed in his bucket without fail by day 3. Once i clean it out and stop the salt, he cleans his bucket. It’s not worth the fight.
My picky senior must have his cubes soaked just so or he won’t eat once they have broken down to chaff. Even then sometimes he won’t finish the chaff.
I had some FlaxAppeal and discovered that he likes that mixed with the chaff (in correct proportions and degree of wet) and almost licks the feed pan clean. FlaxAppeal has a mealy, ground flake sort of texture and I initially put it in with his soaked cubes and grain mash to add calories last year. Until he decided that grain and cubes should not be mixed. 
This year I put it on the properly soaked cubes and he liked it. So he gets a cubes and FlaxAppeal and supplements appetizer, followed by the grain entree, and finishes with a carrot or apple dessert when I put him back out. If he’s staying in for a bit after the entree I’ll give him a couple of pounds of dry alfalfa cubes to munch on. 
Yeah… he’s 24 and I cater to his whims when it comes to feeding. 
My skinny horses weren’t old, but I’ve had great luck with Fat Cat. It’s not expensive and works well.
Well, thought I’d add another, less great update.
We’re back off feed almost completely.
For the last few weeks, the old man has been less and less enthusiastic about the Senior Active. Over the weekend, he probably ate about 1/3 of 3 meals. I’ve been trashing more feed than he’s been eating. So, I’m transitioning him back to a complete feed.
This time we’re going back to Triple Crown Senior. He’s always eaten it though it’s never been his favorite. But, the fat/protein ratio is closer to the senior active so I decided to go that route vs going back to equine senior. Anyway, he did eat his dinner with some TC senior mixed in. And, ate more breakfast than he has in the past 3 weeks (he usually picks out peppermints and calls it breakfast) so I’ll take it.
He’s also struggling with hay. He’s wasting more than he’s eating. He’ll only eat it steamed, but even now he’s not eating that much and much of it ends up out of his net and on the ground. He’s not quidding, just dropping it. He still gets alfalfa cubes and pellets but I’m not having much success upping the amount.
I’m debating getting the dentist out, but he’s really not due yet. He was floated and had a tooth pulled at the beginning of August so we’re really only at the 4-4.5 mark for his teeth and I was trying to make it to January before he’s done again. The last thing I want is for it to be too early and not have him need his teeth done and have the dentist out for no reason.
The only other thing in play is ulcers. I won’t scope him. We have a deal that he doesn’t ever have to hop on a trailer again. So I may just treat and see if it helps him at all. He tends to get a little funky this time of year with weather and darkness (vision issues) so it’s a possibility.
Regardless, I’m thinking this might be our final winter if we can’t get it together. Winters are getting harder and harder and he is starting to get a bit senile. I’m not there yet and he mostly seem content, but I’m not sure how many more winters he has in him, especially with the eating issues.
I wonder if APF would help him. Mine now loves beet pulp and alfalfa pellets in equal amounts. It took a while to get the ratio right but now it is his favorite thing.
As it’s his last winter, could you try Ultium or another candy type food? Let him live large in his final days.
I’d even try mixing in sweet feed if it got him eating.
He was eating senior mixed with Omolene 200 (and has done the 500 as well in the past). I’m not against sweet feed at all and I’m happy to feed him whatever he’ll eat! He hates Ultium and has never eaten it which is why I don’t try it. I’ve bought 6 bags over the years and I’ve returned, tossed, or given away all 6 as it’s the only feed that I can’t get him to eat at all. LOL. I can’t even get him to eat anything mixed with Ultium!
I’m going to get him transitioned over to the TC Senior and then see about adding in a sweet feed. I’ll even go for cheap, crappy sweet feed if it’s what he want to eat. My vet is 100% on board with the “let him eat sugary cereal” plan. I just may need to replace some of his hay with senior feed.
As for beet pulp, he used to love it, now he hates it. But he might love it again one day. It’s a revolving circle with all but Ultium.
Horses are so funny, mine consider Ultium the crème de la crème dinner option.
I understand. Mine wouldn’t touch beet pulp until I got the alfalfa pellet ratio just right. I also started using warm water from an electric coffee pot (someone suggested that in another thread…thank you!) and the warm water seemed to help a great deal.
I had my 32yo’s teeth done in early June. I also had them looked at in mid-November so he could be set up for the best possible scenario for the Winter.
He had some points that needed to go. 2 teeth fell out so were obviously quite loose.
That was in only 5 months, so IMHO it’s worth having him looked at sooner rather than later. That said, Jan is only a little over 2 weeks away, so there’s that.
I have never seen/felt/smelled the Omolene products, but if the sugar content really bothers you, try the 400, as it’s only about 20% NSC, maybe upper teens. I don’t know if that one is as yummy tasting as the 30-40% NSC feeds in the rest of that line
I did a quick search in this thread and it didn’t pop up but maybe some CocoSoya oil might help. It smells SO freaking good and lots of horses really love it.
Thanks @JB. Sugar doesn’t bother me at all. He gets peppermints and carrots added to every meal to entice him to eat. And, I’m happy to add molasses to his feed too if I need to. I have zero issues with sugar. It’s just getting him to eat anything. He’s not the craziest about feed (never has been) and the backing off hay makes me want him eating other stuff before I add back in sweet feed.
Story for you all since to highlight JUST how finicky this old man is. Purina makes 2 versions of Omolene 200. 200 performance and 200 RT. The RT is stickier and I assume has extra molasses? We used to buy that one until one day a certain picky horse would not touch it. I assume it was too sticky? and it started bothering him? He would eat the 200 performance but if I bought the RT, he wouldn’t touch it. So, both are more or less the exact same feed, but one he’ll eat, the other he won’t. Welcome to my life. Yeah, I don’t know. This always annoyed the people at the loading dock because they had to use the fork lift to get the 200 performance whereas the 200 RT was easily accessible since that’s what most people bought.
As for teeth, my plan is to make an appointment for early January. We’ll be just at 5 months, 4 months after his tooth extraction.
I don’t think of Ultium as a particularly sugary feed, although it is not low NSC if you have a horse needing that.
A couple of things (I board retired horses, and have for quite some time) I have learned, take them, or ignore:
The only horse here that I thought was getting senile, or had horsey dementia, ended up having EPM. The dementia presented about a year before the EPM diagnosis, and I believe was an early, subtle sign. If I had another horse I thought might be senile, I would definitely investigate epm.
Second, I am always the lone voice on the forums for Purina well gel for weight gain. That stuff is magic! I just put a 30 yo dutch warmblood who was too thin on it, and despite it being winter, that guy has put the weight right back on, and in a short time. (Short time = a month). He’s probably more than halfway back to a good weight. Plus that horse is also a picky eater, but cleans up his food with the well gel added.
I should clarify the “senile” comment. That might not be the right word, but it’s what I’ve got? He’s there, most of the time, but there have just been a few incidents. I should also add that he’s sounder now than he has been in the last 5 years.
Last week he decided that he was going to do his drop, drag, and spin move (he has one move and only one move) while my husband was leading his to turn out to get to the “good grass” by the gate. He does this all the time and usually if he gets away from you, he goes 3 steps and eats. For whatever reason, he decided to take off and go galloping around the house and into the neighbor’s yard. Once his got there, he got lost and panicked and had no idea where he was. He wouldn’t let anyone catch him but he also couldn’t find his way home. I had my mini and younger tb and thankfully once the younger guy called for him several times, he galloped back our way (he could see the paddock from the neighbors) and with me calling to him once near the gate, finally came over and let me grab him. But, it’s stuff like that.
We did add a chain shank to his wardrobe and are getting a side eye, he has been very well behaved on his walks out ever since (he’s fine coming in as he can’t see in the dark and needs people as security).
As for Purina well gel, I have not used it nor researched it, but I will do that. I’m not against the idea (or Purina for that matter). I really haven’t heard of it, but I probably read it in a post and promptly forgot.
Older horses should be checked twice a year at least. And the care he got in August may have cracked a tooth or another related issue may have arisen from that care.
I would not eliminate a tooth/mouth issue as unlikely.
Well, it appears that for whatever reason, it may be an ulcer issue vs a teeth issue. We’re 3 or 4 days into ulcergard and he’s cleaned up all his feed the last 3 days and now he’s finishing almost an entire net of steamed hay at night with 2/3 less waste. And generally just seems more zen. He even ate breakfast the last 2 days which never does. He also seems to be enjoying the TC senior which I’ve been mixing in since Sunday.
Why he’s ulcery, I have no idea (winter seems to be reason enough), but we’ll continue the ulcergard for 30 days before tapering down. It’s always something, isn’t it?
I’m glad he’s eating better. FWIW, my mare didn’t like the Senior Active, but ate the regular Senior well. Ate the TC Senior really well. Didn’t like Ultium.
I started adding a couple teaspoons of fenugreek seeds. Appetite always perked up, and extended to eating hay, too.
Several people have suggested fenugreek seeds so I might add them. He is definitely enjoying the TC Senior so we’re staying with that for now. He was on regular equine Senior but was losing weight which is why we tried the senior active. But, he did not like it. FWIW, he ate it years ago when it first came out before the formula changed. Once they changed it, he’s been pretty meh about it.
He’s been letting me add a 1/2 scoop of the tc senior to his cubes and alfalfa pellet mash so I’m sneaking in extra feed that way. That remains the highlight of his night as long as I don’t put too much volume of anything in there. Last night he ate poorly (other than his mash), but I brought everyone in early due to the storm. I decided that less turnout and drier horses was a fine trade off (they were out from 7-2 vs their normal 7-7). He wasn’t thrilled but last week we had heavy rain and he got super wet and cold and wouldn’t let me catch him for about 20 minutes as he was so freaked out. I was trying to avoid a similar situation. So we compromised with some turnout in the rain but coming in before the wind picked up. And a neck cover.
I feel like this is the thread I keep adding to, but also, the more I write, email, and post in various places, the more I work things out.
I think it’s time. Over the last couple of weeks, my boy has lost his spark and has become more and more internal and withdrawn. He’s there but not there. I keep saying, let’s get through winter and then we can have a nice spring/summer/early fall, but at this point it’s just not realistic. It’s not even the cold, but this uncomfortable wet and mud that’s not helping things. I’m 95% there (I was at 60% yesterday), but I just need to get myself the rest of the way, but I know it’s the right thing. He had a good morning today (after 2 bad days, including yesterday where he stood by the hay bale and just gazed off in the distance all day. He will engage but it’s not the engagement of even 2 months ago.
My vet is out of the office on vacation until Monday. He’s perkier on banamine (over bute or other meds) so I’m picking up more. Since it’s a short term problem, he can have some banamine daily if it keeps him comfortable. We’re going to talk on Monday, a good friend is going to take some nice photos next week, and, assuming my vet doesn’t say anything off the wall (if I say I want to schedule, she’ll be on board, so I’m not worried, I just want a conversation first), I’ll set something up.
I did chat with my boss this morning just giving them a heads up and they basically said to keep them updated and to take whatever time I needed after (and that they’d worry something was wrong with me if I didn’t want time off after). They’d get whatever I need at work covered. Having animal people at work helps so much.
So yeah. Not the update I wanted. But, I know it’s right. But right hurts. A lot.
Just re-reading this thread…and in my area, because our summers have been wetter the last 3 years, more propionic acid has been used.
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