12/01/2025
I believe I have FINALLY discovered the secret to Ricochet's weight problems! Kind of long but stick with me please!
Ricochet came to us in August of '22. He has always been somewhat of a hard keeper and we have never been able to get him to full weight. We have tried everything. Our vet couldn't figure it out either. It came to a point where we thought, "This is just him. He will always show hips, some sharpness to his back, and the hint of ribs." But it ate at me.
About a month ago, Ricochet acted colicky. He tried to eat his Senior but, with each bite, he would stick his nose in the air and curl his lip or just stand and paw at his dish then go back to eating. I gave him a dose of Banamine and listened to his gut. Aside from a little gas, everything was fine. I watched him for awhile and then went in the house for the night checking on him periodically.
By morning he was still have trouble eating but he had no other colic symptoms. I checked his teeth for hooks and massaged his throat to make sure he didn't have a slight choke going on. Nothing. I gave him another dose of Banamine.
The dose of Banamine is important because, unless it is an emergency, I give an oral dose. Most horses do not like the taste but, after I gave Ricochet the dose, he stood for a few minutes then started to eat with no problem. What the heck?
I ended up talking to a friend a little later that morning and she brought up how horses make saliva. I started to do some research and, guess what? Horses only make saliva while they are chewing (something I never knew). I knew their saliva helps them to swallow their food AND adds enzymes to help digest it but I never thought about how MUCH saliva they make daily. They make 9-10 GALLONS a day (also why they drink so much) depending on how much they chew.
Now. What happens if a horse doesn't make enough saliva to help swallow and digest his food? I believe Ricochet had a sore throat (possibly from a choke that I missed) and the Banamine soothed it so he could eat.
But, what if Ricochet just doesn't make enough saliva? What if it has just gotten worse over the time that we have had him? I started soaking his food (into almost a soup) and he is eating fine and gaining weight much faster!
Research shows that horses utilize liquid supplements much better than powder so soaking his food is also helping him with that as well. I love happy accidents!!
***These pictures are from today so I will find one from before and post it later***
