# Ribs Showing, but she is eating enough for 2 horses? HELP



## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

Water? Water weight can really fill out a dry horse.
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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Getting teeth done will help. As well I think you are in a Selenium deficient area, feeding a good quality, high fat ration balancer with added selenium will help her gain back the weight.
I am a fan of Hoffman's.
If she is still not gaining, then it is time for blood tests.

Good luck!


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## TruleyInspired (Feb 10, 2013)

*Thank you*

I am going to the vet in a few days for the check up and floating so im hoping they will figure out what is wrong with her.

She is supplied with 2 150gallon water troughs at all times. 

she is very well taken care of that is why im so worried im just not sure what is going on is all. 

thank you guys very much for the insite atleast i know a few things to expect when i go to the vet.:?


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

What kind of hay and how much does it actually weight? What brand of feed and what s the weight of the scoops? You need to start by weighing everything and figuring out the amount of calories she is getting in a day to start with. 



Also, You might think about hind gut acidosis. It can be a problem leading to poor doers and horses that wont seem to gain no matter what they eat. 

Also, you want to be absolutely positive your horse has been dewormed for tapeworms and encysted strongyles which can be problems that most dewormers do not take care of. Quest plus is the top bar for both of those together.


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

Also check for ulcers.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Mom and dad have a horse they've tried to put weight on for years without much success. Had the Chiro come out this fall to take a look at him for another issue and he's suddenly started putting on weight after an adjustment. Probably not your problem but something to keep in mind.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

If she is eating all her food then I would say it probably isn't her teeth. When its in, its in. Regardless of how painful or difficult it was so get back there. Are you finding chewed hay balls laying around?

I'd have them draw blood on her. My friend horse came to us VERY skinny. Over a year later she was looking ok, got great. She was on a lot of high quality feed just like your horse. Turns out she was depleted in vitamin E. She was using it faster then she could take it with her feed. Within 2 weeks on supps she filled right out! No more hip bones, back bone and scrawny shoulders. 

Of course there are tons of other things that could be "out of wack". Protein being another keep component!
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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Your hay could be just no good too.

Have vet test it, and you also may need to go to different brand of feed.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Test your hay for neutral detergent fiber and energy, protein and Total Digestible Nutrients. Great looking hay (to us) can have very little feed value. Feed companies and the Cooperative Extensions here in the US will test hay (or tell you where to send it to be tested). You take a core sample from several bales and send it out. 

also, you say you are feeding a bale of hay a day. How many POUNDS and is it going into the horse or being stomped into the ground and mixed with the bedding? 

Do you find any wads around her feed area? These look like wet mouse nests and are indicative of teeth issues. 

Last, what does her poop look like? Does it have a lot of long hay fibers in it compared to other horses doing well on the same feed? 

This horse may not be drinking enough water (too). Having it available does not mean drinking it. Try offfering her a bucket of tepid water.. some horses in cold climates will really drink tepid water much better. 

Last, but not least, she most certainly could have something wrong with her. It could be disease, tape worms (I know you are worming), a tumor, ulcers.. so the vet check is in order (which you are doing). 

Have you taken her temperature? That could be very revealing... 

Good luck!


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

Welcome to the forum :wave: from a fellow Albertan (okay, I'm a recent addition).

I hope the vet has an answer for you. If she is eating and drinking well (sounds like she is) then there must be another cause. 

Did you own her last winter? What can you tell us about her history? Has she a good natural coat and plenty of wind shelter? What breed is she? Lots more information for us might prompt more suggestions, but I'm interested in what the vet says.


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

You said the hay was not an issue, and as someone above pointed out if she is eating it w/o balls of hay laying around it is propobably not entirely due to teeth. Dropping weight w no clear reason is alarming. And, yes, I have seen it before in a very healthy relatively young horse, but I hesitate to say the reason so as not to put the thought in your mind. It was cancer, but that is only one of hundreds of things that can cause rapid unexplained weight loss. I would get a straight mineral supplement (in addition to a block) such as moorman's or the like. 

What did the vet say?


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## TruleyInspired (Feb 10, 2013)

This is all great thank you all. 
She is eating her hay fine, no clumps of hay. As well her hay is put in a black feed bin which has no spillage at all so she is getting everything. She doesn't waste anything. Her manure looks normal no long pieces of hay nothing. She does look dehydrated I do give her tiped water and she drinks it just fine as well as the stuff in her water trough. The hay is heavy, it's a great quailty I had a plant geneticist check it before I bought it. I don't think she needs to be adjusted but it's worth looking into. I can ride her fine and she doesn't seem to be out at all.
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## IndiesaurusRex (Feb 23, 2011)

TruleyInspired said:


> I can ride her fine and she doesn't seem to be out at all.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


If possible, I would stop riding her until you work out what's wrong and get her weight back up. If she's struggling to utilise the calories she's eating already, exercise will just mean that more go into that effort rather than getting her weight up. There also may be an underlying issue that means that riding isn't a good idea anyway, so I'd lay off the exercise until you know what's going on with her.


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

Trinity3205 said:


> What kind of hay and how much does it actually weight? What brand of feed and what s the weight of the scoops? You need to start by weighing everything and figuring out the amount of calories she is getting in a day to start with.
> 
> 
> Also, You might think about hind gut acidosis. It can be a problem leading to poor doers and horses that wont seem to gain no matter what they eat.
> ...


If you can address these questions, we can give you more info.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Please draw blood to get an idea of what is going on. Also most wormers battle generic worms, when a specific TYPE of worm could be bothering your horse. I'd also have the stool analyzed via your vet to a lab.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Trinity/Cat and others have all made good suggestions that you need to address, same as looking at mineral/bitamin deficiencies but if it was my horse and based on some past experiences I would have those blood tests done ASAP to rule out kidney or liver damage and cancer and check for heart problems.
Hope things work out OK


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