Horse weight issues with a lame horse.?

Question

The other day, my horse cast himself in his stall. While trying to get up, he grabbed his foreleg with his hind-leg and stood up, tearing all the soft tissue in his shoulder. It looks like a big dimple, and you can feel where it tore. I called the vet, and she gave me steroids, banamine, and bute for when the banamine runs out. He isn't limping on it now, but has been loosing weight (he was already a little skinny). He is eating 6-8 flakes a day, and I am putting beat pulp in his feed. Then I noticed that he was trying to eat his poop the other day. Should I put him on probiotics as well? Can that fix the weight problem too, or could it be a calcium and vitamin a problem? And is there anything else I can do for his shoulder besides the pain meds and hand walking twice daily?

gallop · Accepted Answer

It's called coprophagia and has been linked to a few dietary deficiencies, including  vitamin E deficiency associated with motor neuron disease.  The fact that he is losing weight as well as ingesting feces could indicate the onset of motor neuron disease, so this should be investigated by your vet.
Here is an abstract on motor neuron disease that you may want to read....................................

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7988544

Here is another article you may want to look at.  Scroll down to coprophagia.......................

http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Nutrition+Center/Nutrition-and-behavior/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/162409

zakiit · Answer

Did the vet tell you to walk him out in hand?

The muscle will never grow back and he will always have a "dimple", but he should come sound without the need for painkillers.  It will be seen as a disfigurement as a show horse but he should come back to doing other work.

However, his weight is a problem.  Horses that are highly motivated to work can get stressed when he is not being worked and is stabled for long periods.

I would give him some haylage mixed in with his hay and give him as much as he will eat.  He can be given apples and carrots to snack on too.  Try to give him some stable toys - and a swede or turnip strung up in the door way or where he cannot trap it, is good so that he will play with it in order to catch a bite out of it, but will lose it again, so have to play again.  

Playing a radio in the background will also help.

I would get his poop and blood tested for mineral and vitamin deficiency.  And pick handfuls of grass for him, but never leave it for more than an hour or it will start to forment.

Give him lots of love and attention - do all those grooming and tidying up jobs that you have been meaning to do on him for some time, but never got around to.

Keep him warm if the weather is cold as this is likely to make him lose weight too.

Lilian · Answer

When we had horses on the track we would give them Red Cell, it worked great.

Anonymous · Answer

try giving him energy food, if he is still a little weak after a day or so call the vet.

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Horse weight issues with a lame horse.?

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