I haven’t been on these forums in forever, but I’m a bit flummoxed as to what to do. I have a 26 year old pony, who does have most of his teeth, but now can’t eat hay. That’s not the issue itself. I’ll start from the beginning.
He’s always been an easy keeper. Never really needed a ton of grain. He had wave mouth, but was floated or checked once a year. He’s at a barn where he’s in 12 and out 12 hrs. Also having some significant vision loss from uveitis and cataracts. Not a candidate for cataract surgery due to the uveitis. Uveitis is under control if he stays in during super windy days- which seems to set it off. So we’ve been managing it very well the last few years but he is still experiencing vision loss, which is not surprising. He doesn’t handle it super well, if they bring him in later than dusk, he turns into a kite. He spooks hard. at everything. About two years ago is also when I fully retired him- had been doing some trail rides but decided he was done. On to the teeth.
About 2 years ago, he started quidding and coughing. I had the local vet check him, found nothing, Had a dentist out, she found a molar with a crack, and another loose molar. The first two top molars, so we had them removed. He does not have very much root left. He starts eating slightly better, it took some time. The following year, more quidding. Had the vet check him again. Nothing found. He continues to eat hay, just quid off and on. Then last winter, we decided to supplement with chopped hay. Switched him over to 100% chopped hay around September/October last fall. Started him on TC Senior and beet pulp.
Around Thanksgiving, he stopped eating the chopped hay entirely. seemingly overnight. Had the vet out, found a loose molar, removed the molar. Gave him soup for a few days, then tried to introduce chopped hay. Won’t eat it. Have a second vet out two weeks later, and she said to pretty much treat him like a horse who can’t eat hay. He has no grinding surface left on his teeth, and limited range of motion. That’s fine, so we upped the senior, upped the beet pulp, kept him on soaked hay pellets. Have tried offering him chopped hay so that he has something “to do” and is not sitting all night not eating.
The weird thing is, since, Thanksgiving, he’ll eat chopped hay- hoover it, really, like he’s starving, for a few days, then literally have a temper tantrum, fling it everywhere, stomp on it, leave little quids everywhere. Then hunger strike. Then eat it for a few days. We’ve tried it soaked, tried it mixed with the hay pellets, literally every combination, and every type of set-up.
I don’t want to ask the barn managers to feed him small meals around the clock, but I hate that when he’s unable to eat anything besides soup, that he is sitting either out in the field pretending to eat round bales or nibbling on whatever grass is coming up (because we have had a super mild winter), and then sit in his stall overnight. We are worried about leaving him out overnight when he is effectively blind in low light, and leaving him out overnight in winter won’t necessarily help increase calories or fiber in his gut.
He lost some weight while we were trying to figure this out, but gained back when we increased the senior, so we are able to get enough calories in him it seems.
I’m just wondering if he is having jaw pain, that is leading to the tantrums and hunger strikes, then when he’s hungry enough, he eats the chopped hay. So, we tried an experiment. We waited until he was on a tantrum/hunger strike pattern and gave him banamine. He cleaned up. Not a conclusive experiment, but puzzling all the same.
I’m looking at either having a bodyworker coming out and evaluating him for jaw pain/soreness, or perhaps xrays of the jaws.
I’m in a position where I can just afford the extra ~$200 per month of extra feed. I’m happy to keep making that work, but also can’t dump a ton of money trying to figure out what’s going on. Plus, I’m worried about the two meals a day leading to ulcers, and then down the line.
I’ve discussed euthanasia with the barn manager. It’s on the table. It’s that what it comes down to, I will be OK with it. (not really, but logically OK). I don’t want him to be in pain and frustrated, but also not sure if that is the problem, how to manage it. I watched him eat dinner the other night, he had already eaten the senior layer, and down into the beet pulp layer, and he was eating like he was STARVING. 
