There is nothing more frustrating or worrying than a horse that won't eat.Horses go off their feed for a variety of reasons which can include illness, unpalatablefeeds or gastrointestinal disturbances such as hindgut acidosis. Thankfully though, thereare some things you can do to get a horse eating again. Here are some useful tips formaintaining appetite.

Step 1: Identify The Cause
The first step to getting a horse to eat again is to identify what caused the lack ofappetite in the first place. Some possibilities include:
• Disease: if the horse is sick or has a problem like gastric ulcers it is likelythat its appetite will be poor.
• Pain: if a horse is in pain it can dramatically reduce its appetite. Pain caninclude lameness, general muscle soreness from a hard workout and mild forms of colic.
• Vitamin B1 deficiency: some plant species including bracken fern, nardoo, rockferns and horsetails all contain an enzyme called thiaminase which destroys vitamin B1 (alsocalled Thiamine) in the gastrointestinal tract before it can be absorbed by the horse. This,over time will cause a vitamin B1 deficiency. A deficiency of B1 is well recognised ascausing loss of appetite in many animal species including horses.
Also, if your horse is being fed uncooked grains like corn or barley there is a good chancethe lack of appetite is due to grain fermentation and the resulting acidosis in the hindgut.During hindgut acidosis, thiaminase is produced by the hindgut bacteria and can lead to avitamin B1 deficiency and the resulting loss of appetite.
• Mycotoxin poisoning: many feeds including hay, chaff and grains can be contaminatedwith fungi (mould) and given the right conditions these fungi can produce mycotoxins. One ofthe early symptoms of mycotoxin poisoning in horses is loss of appetite. I often suspectmycotoxins when a change in source of hay, chaff or grain suddenly causes a horse to go offits feed.
• Unpalatable feeds: feeds and forages that are mouldy, stale, rancid or too saltywill stop a horse from eating. Some feed ingredients like soybean meal can also be not verytasty and may make the more finicky eaters lose their appetite.
• Over-supplementing: feeding supplements in excess of your horse's requirements canalso make a feed unpalatable and stop a horse from eating. This is particularly the casewith concentrated vitamin/mineral preparations and electrolyte supplements.
• Medications: putting medications like Bute into a feed can make it unpalatable andput a horse off its feed.
• Stress: if a horse is stressed by a change in routine, or the loss of a pasturebuddy can lead to reduction of appetite

Step 2: Remove Or Treat The Cause
Once you have identified the cause of loss of appetite, remove the cause or work with yourveterinarian to treat the cause.

• Disease: work with your veterinarian to treat any illness that may be putting yourhorse off its feed.
• Pain: again, work with your veterinarian to identify and treat any pain that maybe preventing the horse from eating. It may also be wise to have a dentist thoroughlyexamine your horse's teeth and mouth for any issues that may be causing pain.
• Vitamin B1 deficiency: if your horse is eating plants that contain thiaminase,remove the horse from the pasture and supplement the horse with oral vitamin B1 and provideplenty of good quality hay.
If your horse was being fed whole or uncooked grains, remove them from the diet and replacethem with cooked grains (i.e. grains that have been micronized, extruded, steam flaked orthoroughly boiled) or high energy fibres like sugarbeet pulp or soybean hulls. Also providethe horse as much hay as it wants to eat. When loss of appetite is caused by hindgutacidosis the horse will often maintain its appetite for forage. An oral Vitamin B1supplement will also help to replenish depleted vitamin B1 supplies and return appetite tonormal.
• Mycotoxin poisoning: if you suspect mycotoxins, try to locate the source ofmycotoxin contamination. You can look for visible signs of mould (which doesn't alwaysindicate the presence of mycotoxin) or send the feeds off for a mycotoxin analysis. Equi-Analytical offer a mycotoxin screening service. Once you have located the source, remove itfrom your horse's diet and replace it with a clean alternative. If mycotoxins are an ongoingconcern you can look at using products like Mycosorb® that trap the mycotoxins and preventthem from being absorbed by your horse. Keep in mind that hay and chaff are common sourcesof mycotoxin poisoning.
• Unpalatable feeds: locate which feed is unplatable for your horse and replace itwith a palatable alternative. If you are unsure what is unpalatable, simplify your diet backto one or two ingredients that you think your horse will eat and then as his appetitereturns gradually add any additional ingredients one at a time (leaving a few days betweenthe addition of each new ingredient). If the addition of one particular ingredient stopsyour horse from eating again, remove it immediately and find a suitable alternative, or inthe case of it being salt, provide the horse with a salt lick and don't add salt to itsfeed.
If you are adding salt to your horse's feed you can also just try removing the salt, as saltis one ingredient that will turn a horse off its feed very quickly.
• Over-supplementing: use FeedXL to carefully adjust your horse's diet so that itsrequirements are being met without being exceeded. Pay extra attention to the amount ofsodium in your horse's diet as oversupplying sodium (a component of salt) will make ahorse's feed very unpalatable.
• Medications: don't put medication in a fussy horse's feed. If you need toadminister medication, try mixing it up with apple sauce in a large syringe or clean wormpaste tube and administering it directly into your horse's mouth after he/she has eatentheir feed. Don't do it before you feed as this will also stop them from eating in manycases.
If you suspect a vitamin B1 deficiency is causing the loss of appetite you should administerthe vitamin B1 in this way until your horse's appetite has returned.
• Stress: if your horse gets upset by changes in routine try to keep things asconsistent as possible and always have a buddy close by your horse. They are herd animalsand don't feel comfortable or safe when alone in most cases.

Step 3: Simplify The Diet
If your horse has stopped eating its normal ration for a period of time, even after youremove or treat the cause of loss of appetite, it is likely your horse will take some timefor its appetite to return to normal. During this period of time feed as simple a diet aspossible, starting with access to as much good quality hay or pasture the horse wants toeat. Then gradually add ingredients one at a time, starting with the ones your horse likesthe most. Remember to leave at least 2 days between adding new ingredients.
With the exception of providing vitamin B1 where a B1 deficiency is suspected as the causeof loss of appetite, remove all supplements from the diet until the horse has a healthyappetite again. When you do reintroduce supplements, do so one at a time so you know if yourhorse doesn't like the taste of one.

Step 4: Make Their Feed Taste Good
If removing or treating the cause of your horse's loss of appetite and simplifying the diethasn't worked to return appetite to normal you could try adding ingredients that generallysmell and taste good to a horse to help get them eating normally again. A few ingredientsyou can try include:
• Bran
• Honey
• Molasses
• Applesauce
• Grated carrot or apple
• Brewers yeast; or
• Lucerne chaff

Final Few Bits And Pieces
Hopefully the tips above will help you to identify and remove or treat whatever it iscausing your horse to go off its feed. A few other things that you should also keep in mindare:
• Make sure the horse's feed bin is in a comfortable position. For example, if your horse islame in one of its forelegs, put the feed bin at chest height to allow the horse to eatwithout putting a lot of pressure on its front legs.
• A horse will almost always eat fresh pasture, so if you have it available, let the horsegraze and don't try to force it to eat hay or hard feed.
• Feed in frequent small meals and remove uneaten feed every 2 hours to keep it fresh andpalatable.
• Keep a close eye on how much feed and water your horse is eating and drinking. Ifit is eating or drinking very little the risk of colic is high. If you are getting concernedabout your horse, call your vet immediately to discuss a suitable management plan to keepthe horse hydrated and nourished until its appetite returns.

Dr. Nerida Richards (PhD) is Australia's foremost expert in Horse Nutrition. This article iscourtesy of FeedXL DIY Diet Planner forHorses. If you would like be among the first to receive FeedXL newsletters thenplease consider subscribing to FeedXL.

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