Mash for a pony who needs liquid but no more weight

[stargzng386]

My little chunky shetland pony coliced for the second time. It seems to coincide with a big drop in temp and wind/ice/nasty weather. She just doesn’t drink enough but her first colic was really bad, second I caught earlier but she still needed to be tubed. Her water trough is heated, I’ve added a bucket of water to her run in shed where she hangs out most the time.

The vet wants her on a mash but so far no luck. She ate an alfalfa hay cube mash this morning after her colic yesterday but we were witholding hay. Now she won’t touch it. She won’t touch soaked hay pellets and beet pulp she won’t even smell. I tried purina replimash and she won’t try that either (probably the beet pulp). She doesn’t need even a handful of grain so I’m a bit stumped any suggestions?

I’ve also tried molasses water, gatorade, pedialyte, horse quencher mix for the water. She also hates all electrolytes but I’m managing with the paste form right now.

[Rel6]

What about adding mints? Those Red Bird soft peppermints dissolve pretty easily and that should be a pretty strong, enticing smell. We added crushed mints to a horse’s wet grain that won’t eat meds when he needed SMZs and it worked really well.

[stargzng386]

That’s a good idea I can go out and buy some. I did toss a single handful of goat grain on top out of desperation (It is fairly sweet) and she’s still working on the bucket. I really think she’ll like the alfalfa cubes and enjoyed them this morning she just has to get used to the mushy part of it. They soak up so much liquid it’s kind of the best option.

[JB]

Soft peppermints work for some
A handful of rice bran in a 5g bucket of water works for some
A handful of alfalfa pellets in a 5g bucket of water works well too, even for those who won’t eat “solid” soaked alf pellets/cubes

[cayuse]

Can you soak her hay to get some water into her or is it too cold?

[nwjumper]

Soaked low starch/sugar senior grain in small quantity? TC Senior Gold comes to mind.

[Scribbler]

I give my mare a big bucket of warm water with a dollop of molasses and some salt. She’s not IR and the amount of molasses isn’t adding that many calories. She loves it.

[trubandloki]

@stargzng386

She ate an alfalfa hay cube mash this morning after her colic yesterday but we were witholding hay. Now she won’t touch it.

Rambling thoughts on this…

When my horse was getting a cube mash he would not eat it if I re-used the bucket without washing it (well, washing it well, just a quick swish was not enough).
In the summer that makes sense, because it ferments easily and gets stinky. When it is cold it does not make as much sense. But I guess they are allowed to have an opinion.
(He was not a fussy eater either.)

Maybe try the mash the way he liked it when he thought he was starving, in a cleaned every time bucket, given to him before he is given his hay, so it is mash or starving to death (in the eyes of the pony).

If he will not eat any of the electrolytes, you can try just adding some salt.

[stargzng386]

It’s going to be too cold to soak her hay the low tonight is 20, feels like 15. During winter I can’t have my spigot/hose on most days. I turn it on and hook it up once a week to fill the water trough. I’ll carry buckets of water out to her run in from the house.

[stargzng386]

I’ve tried molasses in the water multiple times and she won’t touch it.

[stargzng386]

Salt is a no go, she won’t touch anything with salt or electrolytes. She won’t lick any salt or mineral blocks or loose salt.

I can definitely treat tomorrow morning like I did today and lock her up overnight with enough hay but she’ll be close out in the morning and give her the mash in a scrubbed clean bucket.

[stargzng386]

On a human 1/2 cup of low starch feed she gained weight. I just don’t think I could feed enough with water to make it worth it. Like 1/2 cup of senior with say 1 cup of water to soak it is only getting one cup in her, is that even worth it?

[stargzng386]

I have a neighbor who is going to let me take a little chaffehay to try since the moisture level is high but it’s not “wet” we’ll see what she thinks of that.

[luvmyhackney]

Try adding some apple juice to flavor it.

Does she have a favorite treat? I can add cinnamon and a splash of apple juice and my pony will drink/eat anything.

[lenapesadie]

Sugar free peppermint syrup like for coffees! Worked well for my picky eater in his old age.

Can you hand tote warm water to her run in bucket? One of mine really appreciates that in cold weather

[clanter]

@stargzng386

Her water trough is heated

how hot is the water? our horses will not drink water that is hot… they prefer water in the 45 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit range

[ladipus]

I’ve had good luck with a Purina product called Replenimash

[stargzng386]

She won’t touch it the goats thought it was crack though so at least I’ll use it for them

[stargzng386]

It’s a drop in tank heater so not hot but warmer than frozen. I have taken out warmer and cold tap water to the run in

[clanter]

@stargzng386

drop in tank heater

be mindful those types of heater can heat water into the 180F range

we have several horses that prefer one color bucket over another, they have two buckets hanging in their stalls, for some unknown reason they will prefer one color over another