39. Horse not eating? Learn the 4 most common causes of loss of appetite

A horse that won’t eat isn’t being “fussy”… it’s a red flag. In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida, PhD equine nutritionist and founder of the MyHappy.Horse app, breaks down the most common nutrition-related reasons horses go off their feed, what they look like in real life, and what actually helps.

Nerida covers hindgut disturbance (including hindgut acidosis) and the appetite knock-on effects, including the destruction of vitamin B1, why some horses go off grain but still eat hay, and how faecal/manure pH can be a handy monitoring tool (with the key low-pH threshold to watch).

You’ll also hear how gastric ulcers can affect appetite (and why it’s not always obvious), plus the salt trap: too much salt can make feeds unpalatable (and may worsen discomfort in ulcer-prone horses), while too little sodium, especially after watery diarrhoea or heavy sweating, can switch appetite off entirely.

And don’t miss the quick but important one: DON mycotoxin (“vomitoxin”). If a new batch of feed is eaten for a few days, then suddenly refused, it may be the feed, not your horse, and testing can help confirm it.

You’ll also hear the story of Breeze, Nerida’s very old mare, and the tiny, cheap change that brought her appetite back and genuinely saved her life.

Download the MyHappy.Horse app: https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324

Learn more: https://www.myhappy.horse

And, if you know someone with a horse that isn’t eating well, please share this episode! And we’d love you to follow the Happy Horse Nutrition podcast… following us helps more horse people find science-based feeding help 🐴🙏🏼❤️

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