Hungry pony but not eating

[riding_high]

Has anyone had any experience of a pony being hungry it's belly is rumbling, it will eat it's feed like a ravenous pig but then after a week it won't touch the food and we need to change the food it's on.
The pony is underweight, barely eats hay/haylage (wolfs down grass), has been checked by vet, all things have been ruled out such as teeth etc. We are going to be doing more blood tests next week. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas as we are all left scratching our heads.

 

[be positive]

A rumbling belly does not necessarily equate to an empty one, no guts sounds would be far worse, if he is keen to eat grass is there any reason to limit his intake? if he has no problem eating it may be something like cushings that if effecting his appetite or that he is finding it hard to digest hard feed or hay and that is putting him off eating it when he wants grass that is easy to eat and digest, has the vet considered ulcers?
Mine would not eat hay at this time of year if there was a more tasty option, I have a couple on limited grass and getting soaked hay which they eat slightly reluctantly, one of my others has stopped eating his token feed because he is not hungry enough and wants to get back out after exercise, being underweight is not normal for ponies we are usually trying to keep it off so I hope you get to the bottom of it.

 

[riding_high]

There is very little grass at the moment due to the land being used all winter. We changed his diet to suit hindgut ulcers but again he ate his feed for a week then refused to eat it. We have given grass nuts, Bailey's chopped grass and he ate it for a while but then stopped eating it. It can be in his stable all night and still won't get eaten, grass blocks, fibre blocks, hay, wet hay, haylage all left in his stable and he still leaves it. At the moment he is eating chaff and calm and condition. He has a treat ball filled with cubes, again just to give him options and to encourage him eating.
The other thing the vet is saying is a possible malabsorption issue. Blood tests will also include doing a cushings test too.
Just to add we are still on limited turnout after a rough winter however he does get to have good quality grass for about an hour each day when I can take him for a walk.

 

[be positive]

I see you are in Somerset, if you find no reason for the weight loss and want to turn him away on good unfertilised grass for a while, if you are anywhere near me, Shepton Mallet, I have far too much and could do with an extra mouth to help eat it down.

 

[JJS]

My Cushings pony is just like this, so that would be my number one suspicion. His teeth are poor as he's a really old boy, but he can still eat. That doesn't mean he always will! We had a period of a couple of months over the winter where he dropped an awful lot of weight but continued to turn his nose up at everything. He finally decided that the TopSpec mashes were worth the effort, and is now back to a weight I'm happy with, but his tastebuds can change in an instant.

 

[Griffin]

How are you feeding your hay/haylage? If it's in a net, maybe try from the floor or a larger holes net. Feed-wise, you could try adding a little fruit juice (not sure if is ok with ulcers) or herbs to add interest.

I think you are wise to test for Cushing's.