“Hay belly” on good forage- what’s the move? Power PAC?

[Railbird]

I’m trying to solve for X for a horse who has a big belly but is ribby with a lack of muscle in the topline. Vet considered her BCS “interesting” for what that is worth. Prone to ulcers, She is a low shedder on fecals, but in my prior life she would be a candidate for a power pac. Is that totally out of favor now?

To answer all the questions I’d have if a stranger posed this question to me:

• last dental 3 months ago, unremarkable.
• none of the other horses on the same hay have the big gut
• she is 11 and seems to have had this body type for most of her life to a certain extent but currently moreso than previously.
• will likely do a round of nexium to see if that helps the situation
• have added Timothy pellets to see if having shorter stem fiber helps, hasn’t shown a significant difference.
• she receives a full ration of a commercial feed, alimend, and smartgut along with free choice hay.
• vet does not seem to think it’s insulin resistance and was hesitant to fast her for blood work for that.

Scheduled a consult with a nutritionist who I really like but appreciate COTH brainstorming!

[JB]

Fasting for IR/EMS testing isn’t a total fast, hopefully your vet understands that. It means a forage-only “fast”, no concentrate meal.

Ribby with a lack of topline muscle and a “hay belly” would have me testing for PPID asap, and might as well include the IR/EMS testing at the same time. Insulin, glucose, and the ratio need to be looked at.

If she’s a low shedder currently, and you’ve been using ivermectin and/or moxidectin twice a year, a Power Pack wouldn’t be indicated at this point.

[Bonnie2]

Is she in work? I have an ottb foxhunter who looks just like that right now. He’s been on vacation for three months (nothing wrong, SOP at end of hunting season) and just had his first ride back today. By Thanksgiving he’ll look fabulous. Yes, deworming just because is out of favor now. But over the years I have had some amazing results from a powerpac. I would do it.

[Railbird]

She is in full work- it’s strange for sure. I am newly involved so don’t want to change everything all at once and will see how it goes on the fitness.

@JB I got some more info and think I misunderstood the vet- he wasn’t hesitant because of logistics I believe, but because he finds it unlikely. She is already eating on much of the IR protocol (carb guard feed, turn out on dry lot, half soaked hay, so I think he was saying the stomach is a more likely place to look, not the logistical reason he didn’t want to test.

[JB]

oh good, that sounds more reasonable

[PaddockWood]

What commercial feed and how much by weight? And dry lot to me screams Vitamin E supplement. My mare always had a big belly and I wasn’t in control of her diet (boarding). Since home and getting ample minerals (copper and zinc specifically), Vitamin E, and amino acids (Lysine, Threonine, and Methionine) she has never looked better even though she’s hitting 20.

Add up your minerals and amino acids and start E (Santa Cruz Natural E) - would be my thought. And yes, r/o PPID.

[MorganMaresVT]

@JB

Ribby with a lack of topline muscle and a “hay belly” would have me testing for PPID asap,

Yes, this describes one of my mares exactly, though she was a bit older at the time diagnosed (late teens). It’s an easy thing to check off the list, I’d go ahead and test.

[Montanas_Girl]

How are you defining “good forage”? Have you had your hay tested? 90+% of the time, in my professional experience as an equine nutritionist, hay bellies are due to overly mature hay high in indigestible fiber, which physically fills up the horse’s stomach but doesn’t provide much in the way of nutrition.

Parasite loads high enough to create symptoms in a healthy adult horse are extremely rare. PPID can contribute to the poor topline/hay belly appearance, but I’d start with a hay analysis before you start chasing zebras.

[rulex]

I knew of a horse with similar symptoms, ribby but giant hay belly, losing a bit of topline. Owner tested for ppid every year to no avail until finally the numbers were just high enough to warrant starting prascend. A few months later horse had a really bad colic and turns out there was a large growth/tumour in the stomach. So could be worth letting your vet do thorough diagnostics, sometimes the symptoms can seem like one thing but it’s actually something else.