Hollow Flanks

schneeko

schneeko

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My horse is looking a bit poor, he's not horrendously underweight but his flanks are really hollow which is worrying me

He has 3 feeds a day (fast fibre and weight gain mix), is turned out on decent grass from 7 until 4 and has plenty of haylage overnight.

Does anyone know what this could be?

(he's been worm counted (came back clear), wormer with equest pramox for the types of worms not picked up by a worm count, and he's had his teeth done)
 
My first thought would be equine Cushings. They can get it as young as 7 and very rarely show the classic symptoms of a long curly coat until it is very advanced. Frist symptoms include weight loss, sometimes drinking and peeing more, general dullness, occasionally respiratory symptom, footiness and/or laminitis. But occasionally no symptoms at all.
 
I was worried someone would say that, I'd been thinking it was a possibility. The vet will be out for his vaccinations at the beginning of January so I'll have to get him blood tested then.

He's a tb so he's never held his weight very well but his flanks just look odd now even though he's not that skinny

Thanks :)
 
I was told by a nutritionist that sometimes hollow flanks are a sign that there isn't enough food going through the gut. This was the case with mine, we'd just run out of grass and noticed this before I started feeding hay. Once I started feeding hay they filled right out. Though your does sound like he's getting plenty to eat, it's just a thought.
 
Mine has gone a bit like this, definitely not Cushings as he was tested for this recently when he has lami. Could the grass be less nutritious than you think? Our grass is full of nothing after the wet summer, we've had to start haying even the fatties and the youngsters have had to go and be lawnmowers at another farm so they can get enough grub!
 
My horse had hollow flanks once and it was because she was dehydrated. Do you know how much your horse is drinking? They get all sucked-up looking in the gut when they get dehydrated. Just a thought, the other comments are more likely but this is an easy thing to check
 
Cushings would be the first thought for me, I'd get him tested it rule it out. Other than that, lack of ad lib forage (grass/hay/haylage) or dehydration possibly? Also stress and age is a cause of hollow flanks.
 
Slightly Foxed said:
How much work is he getting? Just might need muscling up before you go down the doom laden route.
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was gong to ask the same, my big girl who is now 16 loses her muscle so fast it's almost embarressing, she's a big girl and her rear end looks so scraggy when she's out of work, as soon as she starts working she looks fine again:)
 
schneeko said:
it is a different yard than last year so maybe the grass is just less nutrious, might need to try and find better hay as well, the stuff i've got doesn't feel brilliant
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A lot of people are commenting on how bad the hay is this year - again I think this is due to the wet weather we had over summer. Even my greedy guzzler has turned his nose up at some of the bales we've had.

Also could be worth looking into feeding linseed - can make a huge difference to condition. A livery at my yard has a horse with EPSM and swears by feeding fast fibre and linseed to help him keep condition.
 
He's already having a mug full of linseed a day, have added extra water to his feed as he's not drinking much and going to give it a few weeks of him back in work but will definitely get him tested for cushings if he doesn't improve soon
 
schneeko said:
He's already having a mug full of linseed a day, have added extra water to his feed as he's not drinking much and going to give it a few weeks of him back in work but will definitely get him tested for cushings if he doesn't improve soon
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Hi, I know i'm a bit late to this post but was about to ask the same question about hollow flanks, my 7 yr old American Saddlebred is looking very hollow and not sure why. What was the outcome with your horse?
 
Frankie doodle dandy said:
Hi, I know i'm a bit late to this post but was about to ask the same question about hollow flanks, my 7 yr old American Saddlebred is looking very hollow and not sure why.
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I find with my big lad, lack of forage is enough to do it... I have to restrict his intake due to lami but if I take it too far he can easily look tucked up... I'd increase the forage if you don't already feed add lib. soak if you have to remove any goodness :)
 
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