No coggins, she doesn’t come. My pony is all I have left of my mare that I had for 25+yrs, that my dad bought me when I was 7. I will not risk him, period. They’re bringing her when they have time, so if they really want her to go to a good home, which I’m hoping they do… they will have to get a coggins. I have a huge soft heart, but my pony is everything to me.
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She’s thin, but she doesn’t appear to be emaciated. I can’t say what her condition will be when she arrives, however. Hopefully at least the same.
That said, the starvation protocols are also safe for the most emaciated of horses in which case, horses aren’t usually being fed a grain. By all means, take your vets opinion over mine, but I would continue with the same grain. What I think I would be most cautious about initially is deworming. I’d assume she has a huge parasitic burden and follow a deworming protocol that isn’t going to absolutely kill all parasites at once and potentially cause colic or impaction. Maybe talk to your vet about using Panacur at first.
I think you’re going to do a fantastic job OP. Your excitement and kindness are palpable!
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Gahhh Tearing up thank you!!! I blame it being ‘that week’ for me lol! I was thinking pancur as well, but not until vet looks at her and we decide if she is strong enough to handle all that going thru her. I really hope she has not lost any more weight either.
Ooh! Just got a text “Hi just wanted to check in and let you know they sent over their records they had to our email on file, so I will have my dh forward those over to you when he has some time today”
Well yay for one… but for two OMG… just hit forward and type my email in come on ppl!! The sooner I know what she has on record the better so I can send to my vet as well darnit!!!
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Just got a text from them, see above, I re-iterated/re-questioned that said vet records DO have a current coggins… she said yes it is UTD… I think I annoyed her a bit but oh well it’s a big deal darnit!!!
Asked how she is doing, she said good, winter coat is starting to come in… so she has the energy to grow new coat, another plus. Granted she has a full thick hooded cooler with neck n belly fasteners to wear as PJ’s at night just waiting on her stall here for her, and 3 different sheets n hoods ready for her here too 
Yes I like to play dress up with my ponies, I refuse to accept any judgement on it, some girls like barbies… some play with ponies!! Hehehee
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I’m not sure where the cubes were from, but this article says it was somewhere in Utah. I wasn’t at the OC Equestrian Center but at LAEC. I didn’t realize it was so much worse at OC!
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Why do they recommend that? I realize they are the " experts" but in my mind the more you can keep things the same as they are used to( feed/ housing etc) hopefully the faster they will settle in.
My rescue mare wasn’t even getting feed at her previous home but you bet I started feeding it slowly right away.
IKR! I don’t want her to get here and all of a sudden throw her into a colic or shock because I’m pulling the 6-8lbs of feed she “hopefully” is getting right now and dropping her down to just 6lbs of hay a day for the first few days! I would rather keep her on the same schedule but just add a little to it and work up from there if possible. Who knows, maybe she will get off the trailer and have some weight already on her, the suspense is driving me crazy!!!
They recommend that too? What is the reason for basically starving a horse at their new home?
I can see the concern if the horse is getting grass hay and you only have alfalfa hay but I am sure that isn’t the case at your farm?
Keep her grain and if you doubt she is getting the amount per feeding they say she is then feed a safe amount and work up but I would keep grass hay out free choice and add any legume hay ( alfalfa, clover) in small amounts to that.
If you have pasture work her onto that as well.
When does she arrive?
Refeeding protocol and how they decided this seems best for most horses in poor shape:
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She should be at the house between 2-4pmEST on Saturday.
I think it is for realllyy skinny horses but I still won’t know what she looks like until she gets off the trailer Saturday, here is the basics of it:
Days 1-3: Feed one pound (approximately 1/6 flake) of high-quality alfalfa every four hours (total of six pounds per day in six feedings). Contact a veterinarian to evaluate the medical status of the horse. Note: A scale is essential for weighing the hay in the initial steps of refeeding.
Days 4-10: Slowly increase the amount of alfalfa and decrease the number of feedings so that by Day 6 you are feeding just over four pounds of hay every eight hours (total of 13 pounds per day in three feedings).
Day 10 and for several months: Feed as much alfalfa as the horse will eat and decrease feeding to twice a day. Provide access to a salt block. Do not feed grain, treats such as apples or carrots, or other supplements until the horse is well along in its recovery. Each feeding of grain, treats or any supplements complicates the return of normal metabolic function and can result in death.
I listened to a whole video on youtube with a nutritionist type person going over the why’s of alfalfa and the whole refeeding syndrome worry, and it got me wayyyy overthinking.
I have regular mixed grass hay. Pony has been in a mask all summer and unless I lock him up for some reason, I don’t even touch the bales. I have gone thru less than 2 regular ole square bales in over 2 months at this point. I do need to get more, I want to wait on that until I see how skinny she is and what vet says about her teeth and if she can even eat hay.
I am getting around 10 bales of alfalfa tomorrow evening from a farmer about 25min away. I explained to him what I am getting myself into since I was asking him a ton of questions about his hay and he sounded slightly insulted/irritated with me at first. By the end of our convo he offered to make sure I get the greenest/freshest hay he has for her to help her out. Plus alfalfa hay breaks up on its own super easy, so I am hoping eating that will not be hard for her, but if it is I will just chop it up with the Worx mulcher/blower I have, and start her on soaked pellets as well.
I have just over an acre fenced, probably will fence more off in spring and if she is as tame as they say, (supposedly she is in a single strand of electric fence on step in poles and stays in her area with the other horses) I can always created more fenced areas thru fall and winter, we have had 50-60 degree days in Dec sometimes! There is always green stuff to eat around our place no matter the month unless snow is covering it.
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I read this article the other evening, dh looks at me like omg why are you crying… you know those horses are fine now and they’re just on a screen, they’re not starving anymore Liz…smh. It made me so sad what some of them go thru.
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The way our vet explained using good quality alfalfa was that is a complete feed, easy to digest and may help if there are ulcers present.
Now, since mare has been supposedly on senior feed, her gut bacteria is used to it so, ask your vet, it may be ok to feed some of it all along, or … who knows, your vet may know best there.
Our vets preferred we wait a few days before adding any to the alfalfa, but then the few horses we had to bring back were maybe further gone than your mare?
They definitely didn’t want us to be feeding any kind of generic sweet feed, but introducing senior feed, that is a complete feed, was fine.
It still is more of try this, watch horse, be sure horse is improving, if not re-examine.
You can look in her mouth yourself to check for ulcers, on the cheeks or, as with our one horse, all over and then see what your vet tells you do do right away.
We rinsed his mouth several times a day with, I think a mixture with some baking soda?, was long ago, don’t quite remember, and he loved for us to do it, must have felt good.
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She doesn’t look like the starved horses in @bluey 's link ( i hope).
You can do small frequent meals with any hay for your own peace of mind until she is used to eating what you have. As long as she has plenty to eat and she can eat it she will thrive. Especially if her teeth are good or fixed asap.
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I posted a couple pics from the sales ad when I made this post, not sure how old they were though :/.
Why “ugh”?
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hmmmm definitely get a good dentist in her mouth.
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Yes why ugh? Coggins within a year which is what is required in my state. It does look like they have gotten the basic vaccinations. Maybe the horse has abscessed teeth and that is the problem. Maybe the horse is a lot older than the age reported and if you don’t have registration papers that might be the problem. Or maybe they just didn’t feed the horse enough. Hard to tell at this point but I would say the horse has at least had basic vet care.
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I’m reading that as Coggins being May 2021 not 2022? Only flu/West Nile boosters at this year’s appointment.
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I think if she might be getting at least some senior feed, you can soak some of that for her in addition to the alfalfa. Maybe have pellets on hand in case her teeth aren’t good enough to eat the hay well right now. I don’t think 6lbs a day of alfalfa only is a great idea if it looks like she can eat well. She might have an easier time with senior. While 6-8 lbs (if that is what she’s been getting) of senior is fine for a hard keeper who also gets a full forage ration, it’s not enough if that’s basically all she’s able to eat. That could be the problem. I am curious about the extractions she’s had. Otherwise looks like she’s had the basic care, vaccines and deworming. Still take a FEC to assess current worm load.
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