Elderly Underweight OTTB
“It can’t be done.”
The barn manager summed up the situation.
“He is 26. He has been losing weight since the spring. We are heading into winter. There is no way to turn this around.”
She was pressuring the owners to euthanize.
One more important detail — this gentleman has no teeth (note the present tense verb).
This accomplished racehorse and show horse had been slowly starving to death in a field full of grass and a stall full of hay because he could not chew. Two meals a day did not approach the 30,000 calories a day he needed to restore himself. He was emaciated, body condition 1.5 to 2, with almost no muscle mass when I saw him — his body was cannibalizing the muscle he had left as a final attempt to keep him standing. He was also covered with a mantle of rainrot from withers to dock and down both sides.
“It can’t be done.”
He looked at me — he understood the tragic absurdity of his predicament. Everywhere there was food — he pulled at the hay in his stall and it fell out of his mouth — but he could not get it into his body. He was close to hopelessness.
I like a challenge. And I honor our elders who served us with their bodies until they could no longer — they have earned a retirement and his family was committed to doing whatever he needed.
His feeding regimen was changed to easily digested gut-friendly foods that emphasized quality protein for muscle restoration, anti-inflammatory fats to provide an alternative energy source to burning up his own muscle, and gut-soothing carbohydrates for easily accessed energy. His program included intensive gut support to improve nutrient absorption, coverage of key vitamins and minerals to restore impoverished body systems, and specific amino acids with restorative properties. He needed mash in front of him most of the day.
The barn manager announced after I left that it would not work. It did work, however, and he made rapid progress in terms of improved body condition and quickly receding rainrot. Then he stalled and started to regress. Both passive sabotage (not feeding him at all) and active sabotage (feeding him the wrong foods) occurred. His owner started dropping by unexpectedly to check on him. Better compliance occurred but without on-site commitment getting enough calories into him daily was difficult. Additional requests for blanketing to prevent the use of calories to generate warmth rather than restore body condition were largely ignored.
The owner requested assistance in finding a new barn. After discussions with several facilities regarding their ability and willingness to take care of him, and their values around aged equines, one was identified and he was moved.
Now getting everything he needed, he thrived.
Watch the progress.
It can’t be done?
Nonsense.
It can be done.
Look at that last photo.
It IS done.