Pot-bellied Mare -- Bloated from not chewing as well? *pics added in thread*

[Pony_Someday]

Hi everyone,

I’d like to call upon the wisdom of COTH’s horse care experience and see if any of you are familiar with managing an older, pot-bellied horse.

Last fall, I brought home a new horse as a companion animal. This is my first time caring for a senior. She is a stocky 23 y/o Appendix, 14.3h, with a bit of a sway back. Appears to be in good weight, except for when you view her from head-on. From the headp-on point of view, she appears rotund and pot-bellied.

She is a very easy keeper, so I just have her on a ration balancer, with her primary source of nutrition coming from a mix of alfalfa/grass hay fed morning, mid-day, and evening. They are currently out on pasture in the mornings for 2-3 hours, so this replaces their morning hay feeding. They are also on a fall/summer/spring dewormer schedule.

I noticed when I brought her home that she does drop grain easily from her mouth and position her head in quirky ways while she eats her ration balancer. I had her teeth checked by the vet, and found no major issues. However, I believe her teeth are simply beginning to wear down with age. When she eats, grain or hay, she does eat quickly and ingest larger chunks of hay compared to my Thoroughbred.

My theory is that she’s not chewing as well due to her old age, whether it’s issues with her teeth or jaw, leading to some digestion issues and resulting in bloat. It does seem to cause her some discomfort because she does not like being brushed around her belly. She will also “shoo” my Thoroughbred away from her belly at times if he’s bombarding that area. Initially, I thought maybe ulcers, but now I think the bloating theory might make more sense.

The vet is scheduled to come out for vaccinations soon, so this will of course be part of the conversation. Do any of you have similar experiences? What did you find yourself experimenting with? Pellets/cubes? Grazing muzzles? If you feed a meal of pellets/cubes, how far apart do you space your meals?

My best idea at this point is to put out slow feeders in their dry lot and then potentially use a grazing muzzle in pasture–this way it slows her down a little bit, preventing her from swallowing too much at once, which could be leading to her bloat. What do you all think? Any suggestions? Obviously, I want to do my best to limit any potential for obstruction/impaction/colic, while at the same time doing my best to offer her a good quality of life.

[S1969]

23 isn’t really that old; if the vet thinks her teeth are normal and she’s not quidding hay, I would not think of teeth as the primary issue. I have a messy eater; there is nothing wrong with her teeth and she’s been like this since I got her at 11.

I’d have her tested for Cushings. A pot-bellied appearance is a classic symptom. And so is topline wasting, which could appear as “slighly swayback.” Probably worth testing for IR too.

It can’t hurt to give her a probiotic in case she isn’t digesting well, but if she is eating, gaining weight and has normal manure - I wouldn’t think digestion is the issue for the pot belly.

[Scribbler]

Can we see a photo? Side and front. IME a sway back will make the belly sag.

[CowgirlCoffee]

Unlikely that she is, but has she been checked for pregnancy? It would be one more thing to rule out. When you mentioned that she tilts her head while eating pellets, I wonder if her teeth hurt? I lost an old gelding a couple years ago. On the day he was euthanized, the vet noticed that he had the beginnings of (EOTRH) Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis, a condition which makes chewing very painful. Looking back, he would tilt his head and chew anything remotely hard carefully the last few years of his life. I thought nothing of it, as his molars were wearing down and was on a mash diet. He had his teeth checked (and floated) every year and nothing was out of the ordinary, besides general wear and tear of being 30+ years old. EOTRH is a relatively newly-discovered disease and we still don’t know a lot about it. I do know that horses with PPID (cushings) tend to be more susceptible to it, which my gelding had. I also read recently about the “carrot” test - If a horse has trouble chewing a carrot, they may have it. It might be worth bringing up with your vet. https://www.midwestvetdental.com/eotrh-syndrome/

[Pony_Someday]

Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions! I will go out later today to get pictures and video so you can get a look.

I am also wondering about Cushing’s. She doesn’t seem to have issues shedding out this season, but I would say her coat is slightly more dense than my Thoroughbred–not sure if that’s just a difference in breed. She does eat quickly/intensely, which may fit the “insatiable appetite” symptom associated with Cushing’s. I’ll definitely talk to the vet about getting bloodwork done. Thank you.

CowgirlCofffee–I can certainly ask more about the chewing/teeth issue mentioned. It is exactly just that, a tilting and raising of the head to the side. From my point of view, it looks like her attempt to keep the grain from dropping.

For any of you managing a Cushing’s horse, how do you manage their hay and other feedings throughout the day/night if they are turned out with other horses? I’ve been trying to figure this out, since I’d really like to feed more alfalfa to my Thoroughbred, but I don’t want this mare to gain too much. She dislikes being stalled at night, so I keep them out on their dry lot at night as much as possible.

Does anyone know why Cushing’s horses are pot-bellied? Is it associated with bloat that would cause the belly discomfort that I’m noticing? Or do you think the belly discomfort could be related to something else?

[candyappy]

If she isn’t able to chew well I wouldn’t limit her intake with a slow feeder or a muzzle. You might try and find an equine dentist to look her over well. Sad to say that some vets do not like to do teeth and you may have gotten a wrong diagnosis from yours.

Usually ribs and pot belly is a lack of adequate nutrition as well as possible worms so she may need an overall better feed and deworming over a RB and limited forage.

Pictures would be extremely helpful.

[Pony_Someday]

@candyappy

ition as well as possible worms so she may need an overall better feed and deworming over a RB and limited forage.

Pictures would be extremely helpful.

Thanks for your thoughts. Definitely no ribs. I think her pot-belly carries a little higher than a horse with a hay-belly, but could be wrong. I’ll post photos this evening and let you all take a peek and see what you think.

[candyappy]

@Pony_Someday

Thanks for your thoughts. Definitely no ribs. I think her pot-belly carries a little higher than a horse with a hay-belly, but could be wrong. I’ll post photos this evening and let you all take a peek and see what you think.

ETA my daughters mare is 19 this year and is sporting a larger than normal ( for her) belly . No ribs and she eats just fine so I just chalk it up to getting old! I am just happy she can eat.

[Pony_Someday]

I’m hoping that it is the case for her as well! The only thing that is off is the way she eats grain and her dislike of being brushed or rubbed around the belly area (either by me or my Thoroughbred being obnoxious), so just want to make sure she’s not in too much pain.

[candyappy]

@Pony_Someday

I’m hoping that it is the case for her as well! The only thing that is off is the way she eats grain and her dislike of being brushed or rubbed around the belly area (either by me or my Thoroughbred being obnoxious), so just want to make sure she’s not in too much pain.

Is she overly gassy ? If she is bloating a bit she may have pain associated with it? Maybe a daily probiotic with her feed? Something to ask your vet about.

[Pony_Someday]

That’s the thing–I don’t notice any gassiness.

[Pony_Someday]

Now that I’m looking at the pictures, do I just have an overweight hony? Neck looks a little thicker in the photos, and I feel like the belly looks bigger in real life, haha.

I probably should’ve added that she’s not in work, so may just need more exercise? But doesn’t explain the grumpiness when touching/rubbing belly area. Vet comes to vaccinate and check her out on 5/14. Thoughts?

[greywithchrome]

I have a horse like this. He is not as old but he is shaped like a balloon. He’s bloated constantly and I can’t figure out why. He is not overweight. Probiotics haven’t helped. Looking forward to seeing people’s ideas here.

[Pony_Someday]

I’ll post an update after the vet comes on 5/14, in case you’re interested!

[Feathered_Feet]

Maybe I’m dense but why do you think it’s bloating, instead of just fat? She looks like an average, slightly overweight, out of work 23 year old with no topline. Grumpiness at brushing her belly could be a number of other things (including ticklishness - is this a new behavior?).

[Pony_Someday]

The grumpiness is not a new behavior–she has always been like that since I got her last fall. And it seems, to me, like it could be more than being ticklish, as she will bring her head around to bare her teeth at me, pin the ears, bite the air, etc. Have tried a few different supplements for ulcers/settling the tummy without much success.

I suppose the pictures don’t do it justice, really. But you’re right, it could just be that she’s slightly overweight and losing topline. I was wondering about bloat simply because of how much the belly actually protrudes when she’s walking at you head-on, how much she dislikes that area being rubbed, and how fast she ingests her hay. I’m just trying to figure her out to make sure she’s not in pain.

[S1969]

I’d like to see a side conformation shot. Was she ever a broodmare?

I think she’s a stocky type, a little fat and no topline, but that still makes me think about Cushings.

As for “ticklish” - not every horse likes to be touched. So you could scope/treat for ulcers, but I wouldn’t assume there is any issue simply because she doesn’t enjoy being groomed on the belly.

I’m not sure there is a good definition of “bloating” that wouldn’t include other colic symptoms.

[joiedevie99]

I’d vote overweight hony with well sprung ribs! That said, I would never ignore weird chewing. It might be worth shooting a few head x-rays to rule out broken teeth, abscesses, etc.

[Feathered_Feet]

@Pony_Someday

And it seems, to me, like it could be more than being ticklish, as she will bring her head around to bare her teeth at me, pin the ears, bite the air, etc.

To me this seems very consistent with ticklish behavior. Some horses have really strong and negative physical sensations to being touched on some areas (the belly being a very common one) which is generally chalked up to ticklishness. It’s not like in humans or rats where they laugh/show positive affect in response. Not saying it’s not something else, but this to me is the most parsimonious explanation (especially if it has always been this way and it’s not a recent change).

But I also agree with joiedevie99 that weird chewing is weird chewing, and should be explored.

[Pony_Someday]

Thanks for your thoughts on this. I suppose it’s my first horse that’s really had such an intense reaction to touch/grooming, so in my experience it feels “off.” I have a sensitive TB, but he’s really quite gentle and sweet, overall. What’s interesting is that she’s less reactive to the shedding blade, so it may be a sensory sensitivity to bristles and curry. However, her overall demeanor in general is, “I really prefer that you don’t touch me, except I may tolerate brief scratches on the neck or a rub of the head on occasion.”

I think I’m used to my horses enjoying my presence more, as I am generally a quiet and gentle handler of my horses. She has been more difficult to develop a solid bond with. Some days, I feel as if she experiences me positively, and I feel a part of her herd, and other days she would prefer to not be bothered, to the extent she will show aggressive warning signals to me in the paddock (turn her butt, swing her head, etc.) Would you say this could be due to mare-ish behavior? I’m concerned that it’s more anxiety-based, as I’ve noticed that she has more anxious tendencies than my Thoroughbred.

If Cushing’s is indeed the culprit, I’m wondering if the increased cortisol in their system would contribute to behavior like this.