Getting Weight on a Clydesdale

[One_Two_Three]

Recently acquired to the farm was a malnourished Clydesdale that at one time in his life was boarded at this farm. He’s ours now and he needs help. He’s been “home” for about a month and a half. He’s eating nearly a bale of hay a day, 2 scoops of a fortified grain mixed with beet pulp and rice bran oil.

I keep telling the BO (and his technical new owner–he is to become my project) to give him a senior feed. He doesn’t seem to have made any progress aside from his skin condition improving (lots of itchy flaking skin has gone away thanks to the Mico-Tek shampoo line).

I don’t think he should be on the controlled starch grain. It might not be hurting him, but it isn’t helping him either, and tends to be lower in calories. He NEEDS calories right now. SENIOR SENIOR SENIOR.

What do you think?

THIS is what he looks like (when we went to pick him up) He actually looks worse than the picture lets on.

THIS is what the poor guy looked like two years ago. He was beautiful.

[Doctracy]

Alfalfa and oil. Alfalfa pellets or cubes. Draft horses are frequently sensitive to high starch which can cause tying up. Even senior food may have too much starch.
At least this is what I was taught when I spent some time around draft X people.
Make sure his worming program covers encysted small strongyles,too. I’m dealing with sudden weight loss from my gelding, who was being borrowed by my brother for 9 months and his parasite program didn’t cover ESSs.

[One_Two_Three]

Wasn’t aware of that! I have the experience with needing low starch for my (pony size) mare, but never knew that it could also affect drafties! Okay so, that makes a little more sense. She didn’t know that either, or if she did, she didn’t let on. She told me she was feeding it because that’s the “barn choice” and what her horses were eating.

Will suggest alfalfa to her, so maybe he gets more nutrients from his hay.
I believe the person who owned him before all this neglect happened (he was in a mud lot/field with no hay or grain) was feeding him oats & t/a hay.

I don’t have experience with oats aside from them making my pony (and several horses in the past) too hot.

[Against_All_Odds1]

I’d up hay too. Our working QHs get a bale a day. Likely 65ish lbs bales. I think something his size needs more.

[One_Two_Three]

[QUOTE=AgainstAllOdds;7870024]
I’d up hay too. Our working QHs get a bale a day. Likely 65ish lbs bales. I think something his size needs more.[/QUOTE]

He leaves a lot behind. He gets a third of it am a third mid and a third pm, and each time he has left overs. He goes out on unlimited grass for 12 hours. Is currently eating T/O mix. Will suggest the alfalfa… anything else?

I know it takes more time to put on the weight than it did for him to lose it…but he still looks so pitiful!

Worry about him having trouble keeping the weight now that it’s chillier out. This is Florida so it comes and goes, but when it’s here, I feel like we’re losing a lot of the work we put in. He’s shredded two turn out blankets, and uh, draftie size turn out blankies are NOT cheap.

[tabula_rashah]

Yep- alfalfa and high fat. One of my clients has really turned a Percheron mare around with Triple Crown Senior, soaked alfalfa cubes and vegetable oil.
Have you checked his teeth and done a fecal?

[One_Two_Three]

his teeth are “okay” per the vet, and he’s not dropping food or anything like that, but he’s having a proper dental done in December. I believe vet did a fecal (haven’t heard from BO (his owner) on the results) but I do know he was wormed with panacur when he arrived.

[LLee]

Wow, I can tell your guy is really hungry from all that backbone showing, it’s clear he has been slowly starved. Maybe because of a serious parasite overload, plus the wrong feed. Or maybe just not enough food, period. He sure is a beautiful horse. I’m jealous. You can send him to my farm and we will take very good care of him:D:D:D

Alfalfa is very high in Vitamin E and that’s what your guy is needing, along with a lot of fat for all those huge muscles. A very, very good site to check for draft horse diet is www.lazyhorserescue.org/194/2624.html
I got started feeding my starved Belgians using their formula, and then looked up the vitamin E and fat % of oils, then decided on corn oil because it’s almost the same as soy or rice bran in nutrients and a LOT cheaper. Alfalfa is also not always available, so the corn oil, senior feed and free choice hay did the trick. My two drafts loved their food and they gained steadily, plus their coats got so shiny it was unbelievable. You do have to start the oil a little at a time to get them used to it (scours aren’t fun!) but they will digest it just fine after a trial period. Good luck, be sure to post a progress photo after a month on the right diet.

[One_Two_Three]

Thanks! Will try to post updates. See I was always taught senior feed…she just hasn’t listened to me about that, and he seems to if anything be gaining a bit of a hay belly but NO meat on the ribs or hips.

His back is the most painful part of him to look at. It’s terrifying and it breaks my heart to see.

[Roxyllsk]

Good friend of mine has always had drafts or draft crosses and says they need a lot of extra oil in the diet. That should take care of his flakey dry skin, and help with the weight gain.

If you can’t get alfalfa hay, then soaked alfalfa cubes or pellets can be added to his ration.

Does he get more for lunch besides hay ? He could probably stand 3rd meal.

[CrowneDragon]

You can also give alfalfa pellets free choice, as long as he chews well. Hang up a bucket and refill it as he eats them.

[asterix]

Yes, stick to the low starch and high fat diet – draft horses can get EPSM, which this guy definitely doesn’t need, and it is entirely avoidable if you keep the diet low in starch and higher in fat.

[mlb722]

Triple crown senior is lower NSC than some others, it’s mostly beet pulp and might be a good choice.

[Cherry]

The best way to put weight on a horse is slowly!

How much does he weigh; how much is he supposed to weigh? How many pounds of feed is he getting? “Two scoops” tells me nothing! How many pounds of beet pulp is he getting; is that wet weight or dry weight? How much rice bran oil is he getting?

Check the pounds of feed being fed against the recommended amount the feed company suggests–if they’re not even close, up the amount slowly over time. Could be he just needs more groceries but if his owner won’t recognize that, or admit it, there’s not a lot you can do.

Adding a lactobacillus probiotic and Tri-Amino to his diet and will help him get more out of his feed, and help him to muscle up. But the feed has to be there too.

I would probably call Triple Crown’s 800 number and ask to talk to a nutritionist to determine how much feed and rice bran oil this horse needs. Rice bran is easier to deal with than oil in this cold weather.

Do not feed more than five pounds of concentrate at any feeding! A horse’s stomach is small–you don’t need a huge horse with a stomach ache…

Best of luck!

[fivesocks]

Looks quite thin but with a pot belly, has he had any deworming?

[Lady_Eboshi]

I second the SLOWLY above. They “have to fill up on the inside before it shows on the outside.” In my experience that can take three months. What you’ll typically see is seemingly no progress, none, none, none, FLOOMP! he’s covered his top line.

Don’t be afraid to hack him out and do some hill work; that actually helps them pick up FASTER because it helps him convert feed to muscle mass which gives the fat something to hang on; if he can be on 24/7 turnout, even better especially in a field with hills. Protect him from cold, too–counterproductive to be pouring calories into a skinny horse only to have him use them all up staying warm.

I actually like the winter for doing rehabs; they have nothing to do all day but stand there eating as much hay as they can stuff.

Best of luck with him!

[Simkie]

You haven’t talked much about worming–I’d hit this horse with Equimax for tapes and then a Powerpac a few weeks later for encysted strongyles.

Might also be worth doing some psyllium to clear any sand in his gut.

Other than that, I totally agree with the above: alfalfa, oil and TIME. Triamino is a wonderful suggestion. TC Senior is an excellent low NSC, high calorie, high fat, hard feed.

I’ve really had wonderful luck feeding my hard keepers free choice alfalfa, and I’d probably try that with this horse. Quite palatable and should really help. I’d expect him to eat 80 lbs a day? Perhaps more? My TBs mow through 60ish in this weather.

[merrygoround]

Quest Plus is a good choice for horses like this. I’d give him free choice of the best hay I can find, a low starch feed, and oil. My oil choice is Canola, because it is reasonable in price, easily available and high in Omega 3.

Then, patience, that’s a lot of horse to put weight on.

[Simkie]

I’d be hesitant to use Quest on a horse this thin…

[JB]

I too would not use moxidectin on a horse like this - he’s got FAR too little body fat.

I would hit him with a Power Pack now**, and Equimax 2 weeks after the last dose.

I would add alfalfa to his diet - 50/50 in the hay department, or even 100% if need be for a while. If he’s having trouble eating all his hay, consider treating him for ulcers (assuming his teeth are in good working order).

I wouldn’t be quick to add oil to his diet yet. He may need it eventually, but if he gets enough alfalfa, hay, and a good Sr feed (very on board with the TC Sr) he might not ever need it.

** I’m normally anti-PP, but moxidectin isn’t an option for this horse, and the ONLY other thing that would remotely be effective against encysted strongyles is the PP. Plus, the 5 day double dose would knock down a lot of whatever adult strongyles are there, a little more slowly, which will make the Equimax that much safer