Older easy keeper now losing weight

[kupeski]

My 22 y/o Haflinger, who has always been a bit of a chunk has lost quite a bit of weight and muscle since the spring. Vet wasn’t too concerned in May, as he is older, and his teeth looked ok. Dentist will be out in September/October for a float. He is fed hay 3x a day, and lives outside 24/7, with a sparse lot. He has been upped to a light portion of grain 2x a day (currently Purina WellSolve Weight Control at prot 12%, fiber 26%, fat 1% and Poulin Balancer at prot 24% fiber 11% and fat 3%) and still has not gained much weight. Normally he would be exploding on just a handful of grain, and I know he is a founder risk, so I avoid high NSC

Pony is not in hard work- several times a week for 30 min, mostly walk and trot. He did spend several months this summer out with a young horse, who was more active than his normal pasture mate.

Barn Manager has been encouraging me to try Renew Gold, and says she feeds her laminitic pony it with no worries. But I don’t believe he needs a 15% fat supplement. Looking for other recommendations for what you have done to help build up your senior horses.

[S1969]

22 isn’t really that old, in my opinion. Not enough to suddenly see loss of condition in less than a year…that would be something I might expect in a late-20s horse or even early 30s…at that time age is really starting to affect them. But at 22, I wouldn’t expect an easy keeper to turn into a hard keeper without a reason - teeth, parasites, underlying medical issue.

I’d have the vet pull blood - in addition to a general CBC I would possibly consider Lyme or Cushings. What is the deworming history?

[kupeski]

Deworm every other month with 3 way rotation. I’m old school.
He does have a history of Lyme, but last few times I’ve worried he’s having a flare up, titers come back well within an expected range. 2017 test for metabolic issues was negative.

[Alpha_Mare]

my 23 year old IR/Cushings mare has also lost weight/condition the last year. We have added more alfalfa (protein) to her diet and that has improved. However, the older horse likely won’t get back to what they were.

[Toblersmom]

I think I’d press the vet to look deeper. Old age is not a disease. Getting old, by itself, does not cause loss of condition. Weight changes without significant diet/exercise/environmental change is a big enough indicator of health that any good zoo has ALL their animals trained to get on a scale regularly, and weigh them regularly (in some cases daily if it’s convenient to work into their management). Just because blood work was normal last year does not mean it is normal this year. Also a good idea to run a fecal if you haven’t, even if you are routinely de-worming. Any change in the source of hay and potential quality decrease?

[AKB]

I would have the vet check a blood chemistry panel to make sure the kidneys are ok, a CBC, a Cushings workup and a fecal, as well as a good exam. Then, I would add a couple of flakes of alfalfa or a large bucket of soaked alfalfa cubes to the diet.

[walkinthewalk]

When my easy keeper suddenly lost ~80# in six or seven weeks, he was formally diagnosed with Equine Metabolic Syndrome; which is NOT quite the same as insulin resistance.

i agree on a myriad of blood tests. Test for insulin resistance, Cushings, have a CBC and chemistry panel done, and test for other issues.

as someone else commented ---- “old are is NOT a disease”. Something is wrong to make your horse drop a lot of weight without help from you.

[S1969]

@Alpha Mare

my 23 year old IR/Cushings mare has also lost weight/condition the last year. We have added more alfalfa (protein) to her diet and that has improved. However, the older horse likely won’t get back to what they were.

Cushings can really compromise a horse, especially muscle and topline, so that might be the real reason your horse lost condition, not her age. I don’t think it would be that difficult to get my 23 year old TB mare in really solid condition again. At least, she has not lost significant condition due to age - that’s why I would not chalk up a 22 year old having issues as “age-related.”

[Highflyer]

I would try to get the teeth done ASAP rather than waiting.

[LauraKY]

I would get the teeth done ASAP too. What dewormers are you using? Have you used Quest or a Panacur power pack? A thorough blood panel sounds like a good idea too.

In the meantime, I swear by Triple Crown Senior for keeping weight on a horse.

[zakkandtoto]

I use TC Senior and TC Naturals Timothy Balance Cubes to keep weight on my old guy. He has never been a big hay eater and he won’t eat rice bran pellets or beet pulp straight, but he’ll eat the soaked cubes. He gets 1.5 scoops (4.5 qts) of Sr 2x a day and 1.5 scoops of the timothy cubes once a day. He’s looking pretty good again.

[JB]

Another vote for at least ruling out Cushing’s. This type of weight/muscle issue can be the first sign.

Deworming - what have you used, and when, in the last 6-12 months?

The old school every 8 weeks with a 3-way rotation is not a good idea anymore. Not only are you likely deworming when there’s no count high enough, you’re probably continuing to use chemicals that are no longer effective. So if your program is “working”, as attested to by clean FECs, then it’s working because of 1-2 chemicals - ivermectin and moxidectin - and the rest are just wasting your money, and prolonging the resistance issue.

When were his teeth last done, and what was their condition? If things were excellent 6 months ago, I see no problem with an Oct appointment. But if they needed a good bit of work 6 or even 12 months ago, at this point I would try to get the dentist out just as soon as possible - late Sept into October could mean more, or more severe mouth ulcers/cuts result.

Age isn’t a disease, for sure, but age does bring challenges. He’s not OLD, but his age IS getting up there, and with that brings aches from arthritis which can raise cortisol and result in some weight loss (or gain), and while teeth may still be “good”, molars may have a smoother grinding surface, so less efficient chewing, and an older body simply starts getting less efficient with digestion. This may mean you have to feed more, and higher quality food.

What does “teeth looked ok” in May mean? Did the vet put a speculum in to feel and see the rear molars?

How much of the WS and the balancer are you feeding?

How much hay is he eating? A “sparse” pasture may be too sparse and/or too nutrient-poor this year, so while previous years it might have been enough to adequately supplement his hay, this year maybe it’s not.

What’s his ideal weight?