Nutritionist Checklist for a Horse Not Finishing Feed

Is your horse not finishing their food? Feed refusals can be stressful for equine caretakers!

Horses are VERY food motivated, so a horse who's gone off feed often does so for good reason! Here are some steps I'd take if one of my horses showed appetite changes — getting to the bottom of such changes can help us better care for our horses and identify where individuals may need some added support.

Step 1: VET CHECK TO RULE OUT PAIN & MEDICATION

Dental discomfort, physical pain, ulcers or other undiagnosed health issues can contribute to poor appetite and feed refusal. Working with your vet to rule out these factors will promote overall welfare. Some medications can impact appetite and digestive health - talk to your vet about side effects.

Step 2: MANURE MONITORING

A horse who is not in pain will often have an altered appetite due to digestive disturbances. Your horse’s manure can be a great indicator of this! Assess your horse’s manure and determine if it is a normal consistency, or if it abnormally soft and unformed, or excessively dry.

Step 3: CONSIDER STRESS

Horses are sensitive animals, and need to feel safe and secure in their environment. Stress can cause numerous undesirable imapcts on the equine body, and can effect appetite too. Consider if anything has changed in the horse’s life or environment recently.

Step 4: LOOK AT THE DIET

Has anything changed in their diet recently? Diet changes can increase risk of digestive upset, as well as colic. Assessing feed for signs of contamination, as well as overall feed suitability can be useful. If you have added a new feed, make sure you’re doing so slowly to allow sufficient time to adjust (14+ days). Make sure feed & water buckets are kept clean.

Step 5: HAY ANALYSIS

A hay analysis can give you an idea of whether feed refusal is due to factors relating to hay. By interpreting values on a hay test, you can get an idea of palatability, risk of digestive upset, and overall suitability for that horse. 

We have a number of hay-related resources on the blog & on the online store.

The Hay Factor [E-Book]

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Need a hand? Feel free to reach out or book a consult so we can figure out how to keep your equine best friend feeling their best!

The Feed Club [H-On Farm & H-Online]

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If you & your horse are located in Ontario, we offer an on-farm package for special needs horses that includes hay testing for a more detailed evaluation:

The Feed & Forage Club [Ontario]

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