One of my horses is having stomach trouble...what should I do?

Question

I have several large leopard appaloosa horses but I have this one minature horse that is 29" tall......I feed the large horses 30 ounces of oats each daily plus quality hay. The problem with the mini horse is I only feed him about 10 ounces of oats and he gets bloated. Should I switch his feed to just cracked corn or sweet feed? Do mini horses have trouble digesting oats?

Answer 1

My aunt raises minis and I know they can have tempermental tummies, here is a website about feeding them http://www.americanminiaturehorse.com/feeding.htm but otherwise they might need more hay or grazing. Good Luck

Answer 2

I don't think that it is the food you are feeding but the amount. as he is a mini, the amount has to be very little also which you are trying to do but he needs even less. if you are having recurrent bloat issues with this guy, time to have the vet scope him to make sure he doesn't have any other issues. like an entrolith, sand in his stomach, a twist in the intestine or some other foreign body that could cause this. it just may be that he has had enough hay and then adding the oats on top is too much. but your best bet is going to be to get ahold of your vet and start doing some things to make sure he is healthy inside and out. good luck with your lil guy and hope this helps

Answer 3

I have a 30'' mini right now who's 10months. We only feed him 1 cup of 19% sweet feed, and a handful of hay. With mini's you have to be very carful abou their diet. Their digestive systems are so small and very sensitive. I would check with your vet and a local breeder to see what they recomend with your climate, grass supply, exercise, etc. Best of luck, and arn't mini's just the funnest thing you've ever owned?

Answer 4

Miniature horses get very fat very easily. We a have a miniature appaloosa, 32 inches tall and he gets one cup of pellets (strategy is the name of the grain we give him) twice a day along with half a flake of fescue hay. He still looks a little chubby sometimes and has to be exercised lightly several days a week. Also, make sure he is out in a paddock where he can walk around and he shouldn't have access to grass at all times. We let ours out for an hour or two a day to graze then put him back in his dirt paddock. I would still check with your vet (definitely) though. Good luck!

Answer 5

If he is having stomach problems you should give him Banamine immediately, don't let him lie down, and get to a vet. Horses can't regurgitate at all. He will torsion (twist his gut) if left untreated. Oats shouldnt bother him, but Evergreen/Kent makes a good high fat/protien low starch feed for horses who have problems with founder and colic. You can check their website for more info. You don't feed much to normal size horse so the minature feed should not be much at all. Good Luck.

Answer 6

Please don't switch to straight corn it will make him more likely to have problems with laminitis or founder. If you try a sweet feed he may need less than 10 ounces because of the added calories.

Answer 7

I agree, call the vet. Your horse could have colic. Horses can't regurgitate very easily, and if he starts laying down then you're usually too late.

I've never heard of digestive troubles with oats in smaller breeds, but you could still ask the vet if there's something healthier for him.

Maybe it's as simple as he's not getting enough excersize to burn the calories?

Answer 8

you should look into the serving sizes that miniture horses should eat first. if your feeding this one to much try cuttin down on its feed and if it dont change i would suggest calling ur closest vet. They may know what the matter with it; or they could do x-rays and see if anything is messed up inside

Answer 9

Call the vet

Answer 10

Miniature horses are very delicate, they colic easily and can die from bloat. He probably shouldn't be having any grain, and very limited amounts of hay.