Awesome, ordering a new kitchen scale from amazon right now! So 1lb DRY hay/pellets/cubes, then soak the hell out of it if needed and even if it blossoms out to like 3-4 lbs or a little more due to moisture, that’s ok?
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Yep, dry weights are what you go by. In all likelihood, just some simple senior feed and some soaked alfalfa and/or good hay, along with teeth care and appropriate deworming, and this horse will start to gain adequately. I don’t personally think you need to throw everything imaginable at her at once. She’s probably just been missing the basics. Cant wait to read about her progress!
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Re: soaking alfalfa pellets.
I had an older guy who did not care for soaked pellets, and I found they took a long time to actually break down in a cold soak. My solution was to heat up a stockpot full of water until it just boiled, and pour it over the pellets. The pellets broke down and fluffed up quickly, and I then added cold water to reach the proper consistency and temperature—they can stay really hot, so check before serving.
He scarfed them right up! (And they smelled great too.)
Good luck!
greys
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My mare lived the last 3 years of her life exclusively on soaked senior feed, beat pulp, and Timothy pellets. 
We would just mix it all together in a big feed pan, fill it to the brim with hot water and cover it with one of the metal trash can feed lids and let it soak for an hour and then fluff it and make sure it was cooled down enough for her to eat it. N yes oh so much yes there is definitely a smell to it when they start to go bad!!!
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My mare did fine on non- soaked feed and fine stemmed grass/ alfalfa hay.
I am not in the habit of feeding my horses alfalfa pellets( I stay away from cubes) and even my older horses have not needed soaked feed–YET 
Have stuff on hand and just try unsoaked at first and see how she eats and adjust accordingly.
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Another vote for pellets over cubes. I was at a local big equestrian center where 6 horses came down with botulism from eating cubes tainted with rodent parts. The pellets are much smaller and it’s pretty difficult for them to disguise contaminants.
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I haven’t checked the ingredients lately, but the pellets used to be made of the alfalfa leaves, and cubes were the stems and stalks. The waste products of pellet making, it seemed. Nutritional differences, I’d imagine.
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Cubes are still considered rough forage. Pellets, when soaked, break down and can compact.
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Oh I would soak and then add more water so it was more of a slushy mash. I just do NOT want her to get dehydrated especially before the vet comes out on monday.
Thats a good plan. I am just a worry wort and want to make sure she stays super hydrated, if she will eat soaked feed of course. Vet comes Monday and I do not want any surprises or colics if possible at all let alone before the vet can come inspect her teeth and everything. I was just thinking soaked feed at least the first couple days would maybe be almost like an insurance policy to keep her hydrated until she is looked at by a medical professional?
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You can add salt to feed to encourage water consumption. Alfalfa will also encourage drinking.
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Vet told me starting half scoop of electrolytes and probios as soon as she gets here will not hurt. They have supposedly been giving her 3 to 4lbs triple crown senior 2x a day, I need to ask if I should continue that along with small amounts of alfalfa in some form, or if I should pull grain type feed period for the first week per UC Davis and start her from the beginning with just hay and love.
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Right!!! Where were the pellets from that is asking for a Karen letter or lawsuit!!??
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I meant that pellets are smaller (edited above). But yeah, it was pretty scary.
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Sounds like it!!!
Gotcha, I meant to ask where the cubes were from, it has been a long day and we had a friends bday dinner with drinks this evening haha. My mares pellets were always standlee or dumor from local tsc and I never had any problems, knock on wood though!
I personally wouldn’t switch feed types too quickly. Keep her on what she’s been getting and add an extra (smaller to start with) feed of either it, or soaked alfalfa pellets, whichever has the most calories. Give her free choice hay which she may or may not eat until her teeth have been done. A grass/alfalfa mix would be my choice.
I’ll bet she’s dehydrated. Many skinny horses are.
Slowly, slowly… it feels a bit frustrating, but will be better for her in the long run.
I’m guessing she will pick back up pretty quickly without feed and water competition and the related stress. Poor old girl. Thanks for doing this!
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I am going to get her triple crown senior like they say she has been on. I just really wonder if they are being totally truthful about how much they are feeding her. The wife still has yet to let me know she has gotten her vet records and I have made it super clear if nothing else, she has got to have her coggins. I even gave her my email if it would be easier for the vet to just send them digitally to me.
My guess would be that there is no Coggins. They probably don’t even know what it is. Around here, that would be the case. You may have to grit your teeth and take the risk on that one unless you are somewhere where it is a big issue.
(I know, I know, shouldn’t be the case, but then there is reality.)
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