With many abandoned and rescued horses and donkeys, helping them regain their health including lost weight and condition is a priority with rescuers. Feeding a horse that is malnourished takes time and patience since too much feed or the wrong kind of feed can lead to serious consequences and even death.
After a great deal of research the American Association of Equine Practitioners determined that the following protocol should be followed to optimize recovery of starving horses through re-feeding.
The early introduction of concentrates in the feeding regimen of a starving horse is likely to cause re-feeding syndrome which leads to organ failure and death.
Concentrates (grains and complete feeds) should not be fed to the recovering horse until the horse has re-acclimated fully to eating hay.
Re-feeding Recommendations
Days 1-3
Feed one pound (approximately 1/6 flake) of leafy alfalfa every four hours (total of six pounds per day in six feedings). Contact a veterinarian to evaluate the medical status of the horse.
Days 4-10
Slowly increase the amount of alfalfa and decrease the number of feedings so that by day six, you are feeding just over four pounds of hay every eight hours (total of 13 pounds per day in three feedings.)
Day 10 - Several Months
Feed as much alfalfa as the horse will eat and decrease feeding to twice a day.
Provide access to a salt block. Do not feed grain or supplemental material until the horse is well along in its recovery; early feeding of grain and supplemental material complicates the return of normal metabolic function and can result in death.
- Provide clean, fresh water at all times.
- Deworming and correction of dental problems are very beneficial to the horse's recovery.
**Other research suggests that feeding a grass alfalfa hay mixture may be preferable. The key is the amount and frequency of the initial feedings until the horse is acclimated to free choice hay.
*Please note, these recommendations were written by the AAEP for horses that have been starved and without feed. Horses in fair to good body weight that have been eating may require and be able to consume more feed in the first days than these recommendations suggest.