Poorly pony, any thoughts?

[Jojoba]

Bob is very off colour at the moment :(.
I think I hopefully know what's wrong but I would appreciate any thoughts.
Basically he is being very lazy, switched off and miserable. He will plod round hacking with his nose on the ground but no amount of leg will get him to go anything above a very slow walk. He is walking so slowly to and from the field I was worried he was lame! He is standing in his field staring into space and is generally very unhappy.
He is usually on straw over winter but this year YO has put him onto haylage. Usually the ground is frozen here by now and we have had (or are having) a lot of snow. There has been no snow but a lot of rain, so the usually frozen ground is a complete bog. The grass was rich in the summer with the rain so he went into winter full of grass and is now standing with a full winter coat and eating haylage  - my girth is down 4 holes already :(.
So I discussed this with my friend and we went through things to rule out - today I brought him in and hosed his legs (I usually leave them as it's very muddy and windy here and I didn't want to chap the skin). I could find no heat in his feet and no digital pulse (though with so much feather it would be hard to find anyway). I went through his feather and found no mudfever. Teeny tiny bit of scurf behind each knee but nothing else - very good for a pony who lives out 24/7.
So we think it may be a combination of feeling sick from the rich haylage and perhaps not drinking enough (the water troughs are a muddy walk across the field so he possibly isn't going enough).

He is fed Hi Fi Lite, Nupafeed MAH (highly absorb-able magnesium), garlic, peppermint, vit&min supplement. Today I added a haylage balancer (NAF) and bought a water bucket so I can try and encourage him to drink. He drank about half a bucket of water after I brought him in and fed him today. Im thinking of adding biotin to his feed, is there anything else food wise which might be useful?
Im also arranging it so he gets fed and watered every day, as sometimes I dont make it and he doesnt get fed. Arranged people for when Im not around to make sure he gets it all.

There are a lot of 'winter blues' horses at our yard at the moment but none so desperately lazy as Bob and he never usually gets like this - he is always the same through winter (forward going and interested).

As a slightly more obscure measure Im also going to get his saddle fully reflocked as it is a bit lumpy. Not likely (especially as I often ride bareback anyway) but you never know.

I hate seeing him miserable, any thoughts?

PS. this is him the middle of November, just after going onto the winter field. Just to reassure people that he wasn't obese or anything and now just coming down with lami! He was still happy and proper here.





xxx

[ek]

Maybe it's as simple as he's feeling a bit fat and unfit, which makes you feel a bit lethargic.  I am now speaking from experience!  Hope it's nothing more serious.  If you're worried get vet.  Would your livery owner not allow you to change to hay even under vet instructions?  your picture has just loaded up and he's certainly not looking overweight.   

[Jojoba]

Bob is an escapologist and the straw field has inadequate fencing for keeping him in. I have asked for him to be moved and told no, but that was when I wanted him in a less muddy field to save his feather getting bog burnt! Perhaps if he stays unwell I could convince YO something needs changing :(. He has put on a lot of weight since that photo and lost muscle, I think largely due to just standing still all day eating.

xxx

[Wendy]

Maybe he needs a clip. It is very mild for the time of year. I was worrying about Marley being flat out hacking but now I have clipped him he's bright as a button again. Could be worth a try?

[Torsornin]

Perhaps he just cant to haylage - and needs just plain hay?

[Jojoba]

Wendy -  he lives out 24/7 unrugged so I always try to avoid clipping him - last year it went down to -14c where he was  . It is so mild this year though, you're right  . Think I must be the only person wanting it to snow here! I will bear clipping in mind though .

Torsornin - I think you are right, hay or straw would be better, but there are about 50 horses on our bit of the estate and there are 2 haylage fields, and 1 straw field (which he isn't allowed in as I mentioned ). Don't think hay is an option, sadly :(.

Ive even considered hiring a stable on the yard for a bit and fetching him in a few hours a day to eat hay/straw, dry off and drink. But it would be difficult due to my job and he hasn't ever been stabled (not since he freaked out stabled as a youngster and climbed over the door, getting stuck and hurting himself. He is a bit more mature now but it would still take some work - I think the stress might outweigh the benefits).

xxx

[Torsornin]

what about moving yards?

He may be more chilled in the stall than you think now - esp if he has a buddy

[Jojoba]

He is happy at the yard he is on, plus it is a good price and excellent facilities, I would prefer not to move if at all possible - been here for over 2yrs now and he is just settling in. There are actually 3 yards in the estate, all same YO. If worst came to worst I could see about moving to one of those.....

xxx

[Naiad]

Do you mean that the yard grows/bales their own straw and haylage, and that is included in the price?? I assume he is with other horses so that is why you can't just go out and buy your own hay??

I moved my horses when the hay at my last stables was such poor quality and my horses were miserable (and losing weight). Grass/hay etc. is such a vital part of their diet that if it does not work for your boy, it may be non-negotiable if his health/happiness is dependent on a change. Is there some way of testing if he prefers hay to haylage - just put a few piles in with him and see if he instantly goes for the hay? He may know the haylage is making him feel poorly, but if he has no options, then he has no options.

[laura D]

sounds like a virus to me - i would blood test to rule it out and put him on some propell plus for a few weeks

[Wendy]

Maybe get a vet to have a look if you are really concerned. 

[Bradders]

sounds like a virus to me - i would blood test to rule it out and put him on some propell plus for a few weeks

Those were my thoughts too.

I think I would get some bloods done, just to be on the safe side

[SueWhitmore]

Sounds like liver disease to me, you need to have some blood run. Couldn't say without knowing the horse, but that degree of depression usually indicates a physical cause.

[cirocco]

Ummm sounds as if he's ailing for something. I think if it was me, I would call vet for blood test. Then you will be able to rule out or treat whatever it is.   Until then worry can drive you mad, so don't. 

[issywizz]

I would be very concerned by what you describe, this certainly isn't normal behaviour.
First call would be to the vets for a full blood screen especially liver and viral as suggested.
I would also be very concerned if my girth had gone down 4 holes   Bambus weight is more than it should be sometimes but he never changes even one hole on the girth and no other horse Ive had has done either.

If the haylage was just too rich for him it would normally make him loose or squitty but I think there is something more serious going on tbh.