Why won't she eat??? (long read)

[Firefilly]

I need some help with brainstorming on what could be my horse's problem right now. She is on a "food-strike" right now - and has been eating less and less over the last week and a half. She had her teeth done by Dr. Rosskopf on Wednesday - so the teeth have been ruled out as an issue - at this point anyway.
She is a very finicky hard-keeping 23 yr old thoroughbred mare. However right now she looks like a million bucks - and I really don't want her to start losing weight now right before winter :(

She was getting approximately 1L per feeding of Golden Years Senior feed and 1L per feeding of Surmount (high fat high fibre). As well as 3 cups of beet pulp per feeding. And then she would get another scoop of Senior feed at night, along with a little cup of Purina's Show Chow (now called Elite). I know it sounds like a lot of food, but this lady is not too fond of eating hay. She is very fussy and hard to get food into sometimes. She has been on the above diet since January of this year.

In the last couple of weeks, she started leaving more and more of her food in her bucket. So I decided to cut out the beet pulp and she ate it all up again. Then, she started to leave that. So, I played the game of offering her different handfuls of different feeds to try and figure out what exactly she doesn't like. So far, it seemed to be the high fat high fibre. She would not take it from my hand AT ALL. So, we took that out of the diet. I offered her just beet pulp on its own and she ate about half of it. And the Senior feed she slowly would nibble at as well. (By the way, she won't eat soaked hay cubes, or the Senior feed soaked).

So, then we went with 2 scoops of Senior feed per feeding (about 2L). But last night and this morning she is barely eating that too. She has a few bites and then stops. She eats some hay and then stops. By the way, everything else seems normal - no temperature, normal bowel movements, etc.

What concerned me the most though, was last night when I cut up an apple into quarters and gave it to her. She ate one piece, and then stopped. That is REALLY unlike her. So I hand-fed her the other pieces, and she eventually ate them. But I noticed that she would go to bite them with her front teeth, and then open up her mouth again like her front teeth hurt. But - since she was going off her feed even before her teeth were done, I don't think it's because they are sore from floating. Besides, they didn't do anything to her front teeth - however she was in a speculum - so maybe that has made her whole face sore??

Anyway, if this keeps up much longer I am probably going to get the vet to pull blood and see if something else is going on internally. In the mean time, is there something I am missing? Could it be an ulcer flaring up? Should I get her scoped, or is that more invasive than worthwhile?

Even though I know bran is high in phosphorus, I may try getting her to eat a bran mash - as she used to LOVE them. Oh, and I already tried adding molassass to her other food when she wouldn't eat it. Didn't help much. :(

So far she seems to continue to eat the Show Chow - so I can always keep giving her that for now.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Is there some disease or something that they can get that makes them not want to eat??? So far no signs like colic..... lets hope that doesn't change!

[Simkie]

Since she is older, I would have the vet out ASAP to pull some blood and do a full physical. I would be quite concerned about cancer--either a tumor pressing on or in the stomach or a blood cancer making her feel lousy.

[BornToRide]

Finicky eating is often a sign of ulcers - I'd have her checked for that and you could try adding some flavoring to her food and see if that would entice her. Many horses really like anise or fenucreek. You could also try carrot powder. You can get those from herbalcom.com

I would not scope her, just treat her for ulcers. Use the money and perhaps run some blood tests instead to see if that looks OK.

[Simkie]

CARROT POWDER? Someone makes carrot powder? OMG, I have to go look for this. I think Blush would LOVE carrot powder. Thanks, BTR!

[LOVE*MY*NAGS]

I would look in her mouth first. I know you had her teeth done. Maybe something punctured her in the mouth/gums/near her teeth or roof of her mouth the vet just missed? Something stuck somewhere in her mouth?
I personally don't think a horse looking as good as you say would suddenly come down with cancer, or have a fatal disease and refuse to eat. I would contact your vet again and have him take another look while explaining the eating situation again.
Sounds like it is beond "finicky eating", more like something in her mouth hurts.
Maybe a sinus problem? Bad tooth?
Good luck.

[BornToRide]

CARROT POWDER? Someone makes carrot powder? OMG, I have to go look for this. I think Blush would LOVE carrot powder. Thanks, BTR!Yes, you should be able to find it. If herbalcom.com does not have it I know there's another source, but have to ask my friend what that one was........

[Simkie]

Yes, you should be able to find it. If herbalcom.com does not have it I know there's another source, but have to ask my friend what that one was........

Herbalcom.com stocks it and I ordered a pound. I'm eager to try it for Blush! She is just very "I don't care" about grain and often leaves some. She's been fully worked up by the vet. I'd love it if I could find something that got her licking the bucket clean, and she LOVES carrots, so maybe this is the answer.

[BornToRide]

Herbalcom.com stocks it and I ordered a pound. I'm eager to try it for Blush! She is just very "I don't care" about grain and often leaves some. She's been fully worked up by the vet. I'd love it if I could find something that got her licking the bucket clean, and she LOVES carrots, so maybe this is the answer. I hope it will, good luck. Perhaps you should have thrown in a bag of anise and fenucreek too, just in case ;)

[Simkie]

Tried fenugreek. She refused her grain.

She's a difficult horse :(

[BornToRide]

LOL, never mind then :)

[pines4equines]

My 33-year-old TB mare started that about 5 years ago. SHe would turn her nose up at everything. Turned out, she hates beet pulp and hates molasses. She used to love the stuff but not now. SO she gets plain old Strategy or she'll eat Blue Seal Hunter which she loves (for now). I also give her alfalfa cubes which she eats. She also liked the Dengie Alfalfa. She will only eat about a flake of regular hay at night. She has lost quite a bit of weight but again, she is 33.

Initially I tried every feed known to man to get this horse to eat. And, if the feed was even remotely old, then forget it. You know if it was 20 - 30 days past the date on the bag. And, I also found that if I switched her feed to a totally different brand, she'd eat that with gusto then go off it and then I'd get something else. I know it's not good to switch feeds but you know if it'll get them to eat.

I also have a horse right next to her which I took the partition down half way. He can hang his head in her stall. I noticed the threat of someone else eating her food has perked up her appetite as well. Her feed bucket is just far enough away from this other horse.

I think it could be old age and "finicky TB mare syndrome." Anyway, thought I would pass along what worked for me...

[Firefilly]

My 33-year-old TB mare started that about 5 years ago. SHe would turn her nose up at everything. Turned out, she hates beet pulp and hates molasses. She used to love the stuff but not now. SO she gets plain old Strategy or she'll eat Blue Seal Hunter which she loves (for now). I also give her alfalfa cubes which she eats. She also liked the Dengie Alfalfa. She will only eat about a flake of regular hay at night. She has lost quite a bit of weight but again, she is 33.

Initially I tried every feed known to man to get this horse to eat. And, if the feed was even remotely old, then forget it. You know if it was 20 - 30 days past the date on the bag. And, I also found that if I switched her feed to a totally different brand, she'd eat that with gusto then go off it and then I'd get something else. I know it's not good to switch feeds but you know if it'll get them to eat.

I also have a horse right next to her which I took the partition down half way. He can hang his head in her stall. I noticed the threat of someone else eating her food has perked up her appetite as well. Her feed bucket is just far enough away from this other horse.

I think it could be old age and "finicky TB mare syndrome." Anyway, thought I would pass along what worked for me...

Do you soak your hay cubes before giving them to her? My mare HATES them soaked. I would love to get her to eat hay cubes...... but I am not sure I want to feed them dry to her.... does anyone else feed them dry with no problems??

[Sanity Rules]

Do you soak your hay cubes before giving them to her? My mare HATES them soaked. I would love to get her to eat hay cubes...... but I am not sure I want to feed them dry to her.... does anyone else feed them dry with no problems??

I had a mare choke on dry beet pulp, so I refuse to feed alfalfa cubes dry either. :eek:

[meaty ogre]

Tried fenugreek. She refused her grain.

She's a difficult horse :(

Hey Simkie, if the carrot powder doesn't work, see if crest flavoring company has any distributors near you. crestflavor.com
The peppermint, apple and maple go over very well with my herd and the company is generous about giving samples. Heck, I'd eat the maple and peppermint myself.

Beer is good too. Have you tried beer? Does get a little expensive though.

Oh, and to the original poster, have there been any changes in her water intake?

[Simkie]

Hey Simkie, if the carrot powder doesn't work, see if crest flavoring company has any distributors near you. crestflavor.com
The peppermint, apple and maple go over very well with my herd and the company is generous about giving samples. Heck, I'd eat the maple and peppermint myself.

I did try the flavors from Uckele--the apple and the cherry were a resounding NO. Blush has never liked peppermint or molasses, so I didn't order either of those :sigh:

[Firefilly]

Oh, and to the original poster, have there been any changes in her water intake?

It hasn't changed drastically or anything. She might be drinking slightly more than before... but it's not a huge increase or anything.

Are you wondering about kidney issues maybe?

[Firefilly]

Crap - I just remembered something.....

First of all, it was Wednesday (two days ago) that she had her teeth floated, but on Monday was when she was not letting anyone catch her in the field, and apparently my BF saw her standing out there stretching her neck down to the ground and then turning her head sideways. That is what she does when someone is scratching her withers, only no one was scratching her withers at the time. His impression was that she was stretching her own neck - almost like she was trying to crack it? (remember, this is HIS description).

I wonder if any of this is related??????

Edited to say:

I just got a phone call from the BO and apparently my finicky horse has not eaten any of her breakfast - and yet keeps acting like she wants something to eat. When she was outside she did nibble on some hay however.

I wonder what is going on......

[joiedevie99]

I would bet that it is. His description sounds like that of a horse that has choked. If she got something caught in her throat, even if she passed it herself after a few hours, it could be swollen and sore and have cuts. That might mean that it hurts to eat. I would talk to your vet and see if he can check it out, and what he might be able to do for her if that is the case.

[amdfarm]

I agree w/ joiedevie99. I do believe what your BF saw was her trying to clear her throat and she probably coughed it up herself, but her esophogus is now inflamed/irritated so anything going down is tender. Treatment is sloppy/soft/wet food and bute for a few days. Also grass is fine, but not gobs of it. Hay is a no-no until the inflamation/irritation and/or swelling has cleared up... can take up to a week, then gradually introduce regular food stuff that she will eat.

If she won't eat a lot of stuff soaked, have you tried oil to make it go down smoother for her?

And if you give her bute and she starts eating better, you'll have your answer, but agree w/ possible ulcers if the "choke" didn't cause this w/ her.

Good luck w/ your old girl.

[webmistress32]

I went through an eating strike with my pony mare this spring.

she was treated for ulcers. when her condition didn't get better we had her scoped.

we found her stomach completely permeated with squamous cell carcinoma.

I'd stress a scope to make sure what you are dealing with. our mare was under the constant care of a vet for four months and he missed it.

[BarbeyGirl]

I agree that gastric ulcers seem likely...try a week's worth omeprezole and see if she improves.

[Sanity Rules]

Crap - I just remembered something.....

First of all, it was Wednesday (two days ago) that she had her teeth floated, but on Monday was when she was not letting anyone catch her in the field, and apparently my BF saw her standing out there stretching her neck down to the ground and then turning her head sideways. That is what she does when someone is scratching her withers, only no one was scratching her withers at the time. His impression was that she was stretching her own neck - almost like she was trying to crack it? (remember, this is HIS description).

I wonder if any of this is related??????

Edited to say:

I just got a phone call from the BO and apparently my finicky horse has not eaten any of her breakfast - and yet keeps acting like she wants something to eat. When she was outside she did nibble on some hay however.

I wonder what is going on......

My best guess would be choke.

[LOVE*MY*NAGS]

Yes, sounds like she could have something stuck in her throat. I would call the vet ASAP.

[ladipus]

ULCERS....usually when a horse goes off feed and stops eating their bellies/gut are hurting them. I've got an extremely picky,sensitive,hard keeper ottb that was getting purina ultium,beetpulp,probiotics,and buckeye ultimate finish for wieght gain-he was never a great hay eater so that;s why i added the beetpulp for extra fiber-and at first he really seemed to like it....then eventually he started taking really long to finish his meals,and then eventually would just leave it,and then wanted no grain all together. My vet told me to try gastroguard and if he's truly got ulcers i should see a huge improvement w/ in 1-2 doses...and sure enough i did-he was almost 100% just after a few days of treatment....after which i now maintain him with finish lines u7 gastric aid-which i might mention he loves the taste of it...i squirt it w/ a syringe in his mouth and he slurps it up,and i also give him corta flx ugard solution-that has made all the difference in my boy...he now licks his bowl clean and nickers for his meals.
However i did change what and how i feed him. It turns out diets lower in starch/sugar are better for ulcer/ulcer prone horses...so i switched him to Triple Crown Low Starch which has a low starch/sugar content-its much easier on him and believe it or not-he Loves it. I also started breaking his meals into breakfast,lunch,dinner instead of am/pm feedings-that has made a big difference as well. For his lunch i started offering him Blue Seal Vintage Senior which is an extruded feed which means its more digestible/easier on his system-he also loves that feed. Both of these feeds are very good-low starch and easily digested which seemed to of made a big difference for him. I'm feeding him way less than i ever have,he's always looking forward to his meals,isn't leaving anything,and he's never looked better.
I'm a big believer in that if their bellies are bothering them things start going down hill,and often times it starts w/ them not wanting to eat.
Getting bloodwork is also a good idea especially since she's a senior-and that would possibly indicate other problems if any-but you'd at least get a base line of her liver/kidney values,glucose levels,and cbc

[Mersy]

Could be that she has some loose molars and the the float made them sore. I have seen this in the older horses. They get floated and there is no improvement and are they are reluctant to eat. My friends horse had to have 4 loose molars pulled before he would eat with enthusiasm again. Eventually she had to go to soaking his feed to keep his weight up.

[goeslikestink]

dont muck about call a vet today its saturday -- and shes had this prblem since wednesday

if the horse has something stuck it couldbe further down than you can see, if she cant eat she cant drink
and not having access or being able to drink water is the most importtnat thing horses can go down hill fast if no water or not drinking water they ca lose weight quickly

and you also have t be aware it could be a decease like cancer - cancer is one of the few things that can hide and bring a horse down quickly within a week, horses when they have cancer can go from being a big fatty thing to skin and bones within weeks

if she was having trouble and you had her teeth floated in order to help her to eat then it might not have been the only cuase of her problem

call a vet -- and prepare yourself for the worse kind of senerio shes 23yrs old and not many horses or all horses make it pass there sell buy date

you have to realise that its possible her time is up and dignity is all she has left so do the right thing by her

[pj]

Call your Vet and have him go over her head to toe and do some blood work. When a horse doesn't eat something "ain't" right. I had to let my 33 yr. old mule go a few months back and not wanting to eat was the first sign things weren't right. We tried all the different foods, too. One day he would eat fair, next couple of days nothing and finally just didn't eat at all except picking at a little grass. Turned out he had a heart murmur and was anemic from the heart murmur and there just wasn't any fixing it. I'd have gotten him anything if he just would eat but he wouldn't so was actually starving to death. I wish you much better luck with your horse than I had but don't wait. Get a Vet!!

[Firefilly]

UPDATE!

She is eating again!!! I was treating her with Finish Line's U-7, along with some Golden Horseshoe's B-Solution (like Buteless just in case she was in pain) and she started eating again after a couple days of the meds. She is now gobbling up her food again. Thank goodness!!!

She is a very high-strung and sensitive horse, so we believe that with all the changes going on at the barn maybe she just got a little bit stressed. Follow that with the teeth getting done, etc. and her herd dynamics getting changed as well.... and it was just too much for the old girl to handle!

I am hoping that she will stay on the up and up now. I will keep giving her the U-7 for a while, along with Biotic 8 (probiotic) to help keep her tummy and intestines working normally.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions everyone!

[eventchic33]

Good for both of you. Hope she stays happy and healthy!!

[Buffyblue]

Glad to hear she's feeling better!

[BornToRide]

She is a very high-strung and sensitive horse, so we believe that with all the changes going on at the barn maybe she just got a little bit stressed
And those are the ones most easily affected by ulcers! Glad she's feeling better. :)