There is an ever growing problem that equine
welfare organizations are having to address. That is the plight of the starved
horse! It is a concern because of the critical care needed to
rehabilitate these animals. Horses are especially susceptible to a change in
their diet and even the most well-caring individual that attempts to bring a horse back to
weight level without knowing all the essential care involved can do more harm
than good. Hopefully this article will help you if you come in contact with a
horse in need.
In 1992 the School of Veterinary Medicine was the first such school in the
United States to develop a faculty position addressing welfare issues for
agricultural animals, including the horse. An Animal Welfare Program was
developed within the Veterinary Medicine Extension program to address these
issues, and Carolyn Stull, M.S., Ph.D., was appointed the animal welfare
expert. In response to increased reports of malnourished horses, Stull
conducted a survey, in conjunction with UC Davis veterinarians Dr. Christine
Witham of Veterinary Medicine Extension and Dr. David Hird of the Department
of Medicine and Epidemiology, to assess the problem. The most common reason
for equine malnutrition was owner ignorance; the second leading cause was
economic hardship. These facts highlight the need for improved horse owner
education, especially in basic feeding practices and in recognizing and
treating malnourished horses.
Purina Mills Inc. partly funds a research team that has made available a
body-condition scoring system to assess the weight status of a horse and
compared different diets to successfully to find a way to re-feed the malnourished horse.
Rehabilitating a horse who has suffered from malnutrition is not as easy as
throwing open choice hay to him or throwing some grain his way. Animals that
have suffered life-threatening deficiencies must be carefully
reintroduced to feeds and hay and slowly brought back to weight. When an
individual has been starved, the body metabolizes stored fat, followed by
muscle tissue, which eventually leads to the total depletion of fat, protein,
and electrolytes in the body. In both humans and horses, abrupt re-feeding can
cause dysfunction of the body's metabolic Systems, which can lead to death in
3 to 5 days due to failure of the heart and lungs.
The total rehabilitation process usually takes 3 to 5 months
before a chronically malnourished horse can return to normal body weight, so
please don't try to rush the process.
Deworming and correction of dental problems are also a vital part of the
rehabilitation process. Horses should also be examined by a veterinarian to
make sure no other underlying medical conditions exist that could be
contributing to their debilitation. Recognizing a malnourished horse is the
first step in providing responsible care for horses. If you notice a horse who
appears to be in the 1 to 2 category, using the Purina Mills Inc. scoring
system (see assessment chart below), a veterinarian and or local humane
officers should be contacted.
Using the feeding chart below, begin the re-feeding process.
It should continue until the animal has reached the proper weight. Adjust the
horse's diet as necessary, based on how much he will eat. Do not feed grain or
supplemental material until the horse is well along in his recovery; early
feeding of grain and supplemental material complicates the return of normal
metababolic function and can result in death.
When most people see or come in contact with a severely starved horse,
their first instinct is to try and help. Sometimes good intentions can
be harmful or even fatal if proper procedures are not followed. When you are faced with the
situation of having to take care and rehabilitate a starved horse, please
remember to contact your local vet to get a proper assessment of the horses
condition in order to best set up a feeding plan.
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Body
Condition Scoring System
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| Body condition, or the
measure of fat cover, can be evaluated by appraisal palpation. A scoring
system in horses uses six areas of the body: along the neck (A), withers
(B), crease down back (C), tail-head (D), ribs (E), and behind the
shoulder (F). Scores of 1 (extremely emaciated) to 9 (obese) are assigned
to these 6 areas. A score between 5 and 7 is considered ideal for healthy
horses. Horses scoring in the 1 and 2 categories should be evaluated
further for medical conditions, dental problems, or the lack of proper
nutrition. |
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| Descriptions of
Individual Condition Scores 1 - 9 |
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1) POOR - Animal
extremely emaciated; spinous process, ribs, tail-head, hip joints, and
lower pelvic bones projecting prominently; bone structure of withers,
shoulders, and back easily noticeable; not fatty tissue can be felt.
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2) VERY THIN - Animal
emaciated; slight fat covering over base of spinous processes; transverse
process of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded; spinous process, ribs,
tail-head, hip joints and lower pelvic bones prominent; withers,
shoulders, and back structure faintly discernable.
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3) THIN - Fat
buildup about half way on spinous process; transverse process cannot be
felt; slight fat cover over ribs; spinous process and ribs easily discernable;
tail-head prominent, but individual vertebrae cannot be identified
visually; hip joints appear rounded but easily discernable; lower pelvic
bones not distinguishable; withers, shoulders, and neck accentuated.
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4) MODERATELY
THIN - Slight ridge along back; faint outline of the
ribs discernable; tail-head prominence depends on conformation; fat can be
felt around it; hip joints not discernable; withers, shoulders, and neck
not obviously thin.
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5) MODERATE - Back
is flat (no crease or ridge); ribs not visually distinguishable but easily
felt; fat around tail-head beginning to feel spongy; withers appear
rounded over spinous process; shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.
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6) MODERATELY
FLESHY - May have crease down back; fat over ribs
spongy; fat around tail-head soft; fat beginning to be deposited along the
side of the withers, behind the shoulder, and along sides of the neck.
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7) FLESHY - May
have crease down back; individual ribs can be felt, but noticeable filling
between ribs with fat; fat around tail-head soft; fat deposited along the
withers, behind shoulder, and along neck.
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8) FAT - Crease
down back; difficult to feel ribs; fat around tail-head very soft; area
along withers filled with fat; area behind shoulder filled with fat; noticeable
thickening of neck; fat deposited along inner thighs.
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9) EXTREMELY FAT
- Obvious crease down back; patchy fat appearing
over ribs; bulging fat around tail-head, along withers, behind shoulders,
and along neck; fat along inner thighs may rub together; flank filled with
fat.
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