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i tell you what is going on and maybe you can point me in the right direction, i have a quarter horse that is 23 years old and over the last few months she has dropped weight terribly and we have not changed her diet any matter of fact we have upped her diet with feeding her alfalfa cubes soaking them in water, alfalfa square bails of hay, reg. hay, giving her 2 scoops of grain every morning and a scoop in the evening, she eats all her grain, and alfalfa cubes, and alfalfa hay, but nibbles on ha

i tell you what is going on and maybe you can point me in the right direction, i have a quarter horse that is 23 years old and over the last few months she has dropped weight terribly and we have not changed her diet any matter of fact we have upped her diet with feeding her alfalfa cubes soaking them in water, alfalfa square bails of hay, reg. hay, giving her 2 scoops of grain every morning and a scoop in the evening, she eats all her grain, and alfalfa cubes, and alfalfa hay, but nibbles on ha

Updated On August 1st, 2017

Pet's info: Farm Animal | Horse | Female | spayed

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Answered By Mirissa Duncil, DVM

Veterinarian

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Hi there and thanks for using PetCoach! My first worry with older horses is their dentition (teeth). If you have never had your horse's teeth floated, it may be time for that. Lost teeth, impactions of feed, uneven wear, etc can all affect how much and how comfortably your mare eats. Your vet can perform this, after an initial exam. Best pulp can be good to put some weight on them, if it's a simple caloric factor. Last but not least, if you haven't dewormed in a while-consider taking in a fecal sample to your veterinarian to be checked. These simple things I try to take care of first, I hope this helps you!

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