This horse was so hungry that she stuck her head in an electric fence looking for food. "Be patient when refeeding them," she advises. After 10 days, you can start to find out how much forage the horse will be willing to eat and then offer that much. Provide good quality alfalfa or alfalfa-mix hay for your horse. There is a 10-28 day rehabilitation period. Your ultimate goal is to allow your rescued horse to graze freely, as much as he wants, on hay and/or pasture. We highly recommend doing HUMAN re-feeding studies to better … Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Some signs of a horse that is starving, other than a visual assessment, include diarrhea, constipation, laying down a lot, colic, poor coat quality, and a depressed attitude. Armed with advanced degrees in animal science with a focus on horses, she has been involved with equine rescue since 1998. Day 10-several months: Feed as much alfalfa as the horse will eat and decrease feeding to twice a day. Williams had a veterinarian assess Zezz and Judge, and the vet confirmed her original BCS findings. It is important to note as well that we are talking about forage. Contact a veterinarian to evaluate the medical status of the horse. 2-3 litres of water can be offered at 20-30 minute intervals until the horse does not drink ravenously. They will use the loose minerals frequently for weeks. Avoid grain, supplements and commercial concentrates until the digestive system and organs have started to recover. "It's always a sad situation, but it's something that at least we have some sort of protocol we can attempt to initiate with them. Once the horse does not drink ravenously, it can be provided ad libitum. Therefore, it uses protein stored in the body. If you think he … It is difficult not to react at the sight of a neglected animal, and many horse-lovers want to help. An example schedule for re-feeding would look like this: For first 3 days, feed one pound of alfalfa every 4 hours. What type of diet is best for starved horses? "All the extra care probably pays off in ways we don't know about," she admits. This can be helped by any number of books on horse care or contacting your local agriculture extension office for information. Jennifer Williams, MS, PhD, founder, president, and executive director of Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society in College Station, Texas, says she usually has a good idea of the outcome when she sees horses that are in the worst physical shape. Provide access to a salt block. In some instances starved horses can develop food aggression. The correct amounts of forage and water are not the only ways to bring a starved horse around. "I'll lunge them for five to 10 minutes or hand walk them from once to three times a week," she says, depending on her availability. How much should you feed, how often, and what type of feed will bring the horse back to good health without causing more problems? Introduce food to the starving horse very slowly. At RVR Horse Rescue, we face the worst of the worst cases of abuse and neglect, including starvation. Trim Excess Pounds From Your Equine Athlete, Awesome Antioxidants and How They Help Horses, Training Aid Fact and Fiction for Better Riding, How Real-World Conditions Affect PPID Diagnosis Reliability, Horse Trainer Tik Maynard’s Christmas Wish List, Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners Symposium 2019, International Society for Equitation Science 2019, Podotrochlosis: ‘Navicular’ is No Longer the End of the Road for Horses, Core Vaccination: Protecting Horses From 5 Deadly Diseases. Jennifer Williams, MS, PhD, founder, president, and executive director of Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society in College Station, Texas, has seen her share. Day 10-several months: Feed as much alfalfa as the horse will eat and decrease feeding to twice a day. Hay will provide your horse with protein, electrolytes, phosphorus, and magnesium, which will help nourish your horse. If the horse is unable to drink or eat, intravenous hydration and enteral feeding will be needed initially; For horses that can drink, hydration needs to be restored. One study of rehabilitating starving horses included feeding corn oil with the alfalfa, but it was felt that there was no particular benefit to doing this. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The starved Hopkins County horses were removed from the property; their owner faces civil and criminal charges for animal neglect. she was about to be thrown away like a piece of garbage. When deficient, Protein is taken from the horse’s muscles and tissues, which is not how the horse is meant to function. 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