Senior horse starving himself????

i have an old horse,early 30's,this summer he did fine got fat on just pasture and a small amount of senior feed daily,considering his age he is very healthy still able to be ridden,only has a bit of arthritis in front knee and has lost all grinding teeth,over all he has had no major issues,up until now,the cold weather has hit,he is outright refusing to eat,i have tried every way i can think of to get him to eat his strictly senior diet,i cant seem to get him to eat it with any consistency,one day he will eat a little the next outright refuses feed,he is getting dangerously skinny,the vet and i are at a loss on how to get him to eat,when he is turned out he will paw at the snow and look for grass under the snow,so i know it isn't a matter of him not wanting food altogether it is just they type of feed i think, he wants green grass,he has hay available at all times and will nibble at it but cannot chew hay so that does him no good,i just don't know what to do for him,i am at a loss

Senior horse starving himself????
You should consult another vet-I'm a retired veterinarian and don't see why your's wouldn't be able to diagnose this- because it could be a number of any things- such as ulcers or worms. Have his teeth been floated? I have a 35 year old gelding and we feed him soggy beet pulp (beet pulp soaked in warm water) and we also have to wet down his hay. Your horses teeth may be fine- but as a horse ages their teeth get more sensitive. So eating the regular feed may hurt his mouth and so he may be leaving it alone. When you go to feed him his hay ration dip the flake in water and swish it around like you are washing it- then feed it to him. It's perfectly safe and easier for him to chew and digest. But I would have him checked for ulcers- this is painful on his gut when digesting food. Your vet will suggest an ulcer paste or treatment if he has one.
Reply:HI - my friend has a very old horse - fred is 34! it is REALLYYYYY fussy and can lose weight dead fast so she feeds Dodson %26amp; Horrell 16+ conditioning cubes soaked in water to make a mash - sometimes he wont eat it so she then feeds it dry %26amp; he thinks he is getting a new feed ;) Report It

Reply:Have you tried alfalfa? I think with the colder weather alot of animals arent eating as much because they arent burning off that much energy. Other than hay and his feed what else can he eat since he doesnt have any grinding teeth? Does he have any tooth problems? That will enable him not to want to eat.
Reply:have his teeth checked
Reply:Horses never refuse feed unless something is medically wrong. Have his teeth and mouth checked. If your vet cannot figure it out, consider having another vet give you a second opinion. Horses aren't that picky to where they just won't eat because they don't like their feed. They will not intentionally starve themselves. Something is wrong here....you need to act fast before too much harm is done to his aging body.
Reply:considering it is a old horse it would be dangerous to get his teeth done if that is his problem. what kind of hay do u feed? brome or alfalfa may be easier for him. also alfalfa cubes. if u make the cubes avalilable at all times, that may help. try different kinds of senoir feed that is soft or make it into a mash(add warm water). u may also want to consult another vet. i hope this helps u. good luck!

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