Why can I always see his ribs

[Ruftysdad]

Rufty is now 20 and for the last couple of years I have always been able to see his ribs. He does not look thin otherwise, in fact he is a bit too fat. He has fat pads behind his saddle and a bit of a cresty neck. He has been tested for Cushings recently and was fine. He has also in the last few weeks had a full blood screen which showed he had liver damage (high enzymes) but a normal liver function No other problems. He is due to be retested next week. In the meantime the vet did not want him to go on any medication. However he is now on Milk Thistle and Yea sacc. He lives out full time in the summer and is fed Fibre Beet and a few pony nuts (just a handful)at the moment.He also has a Hilton Herb supplement

He seems happy and healthy with a lovely shiny coat and can be very lively to ride.

I am in a dilemma in that I want his ribs to be covered but I do not want him to get lami

The vet did not think that the liver damage was the cause of the ribby appearance but did not come up with any reasons for it
I would appreciate any suggestions why he is like this and how I can improve his condition without triggering other problems

 

[Lucky Lady]

I would say that the liver problem is one of the courses of him being a bit ribby and I would also give him some gastric support.

 

[Ruftysdad]

Beyond Yea Sacc what would be suitable gastric support?

 

[flintfootfilly]

Ask for a copy of the full bloods reports, and then look at the Cushing's test results in particular. Cushing's can be associated with ribbiness, dippy back, fat in unusual places etc, and in a 20 year old horse I would certainly look down that route.

Some people will say that a horse is negative for Cushing's if they fall below the lab's reference value, whereas Cushing's is progressive so there is quite a large grey area of values where a horse may be in the early stage of Cushing's.

Check which test it was (would think probably a baseline ACTH test), and if the value is anywhere near the reference level then it might be worth asking for a pergolide trial to see if that makes a difference. Take a look at this recent newsletter from Liphook talking about the grey area of results on the ACTH test:

http://liphookequinehospital.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/LEH-Newletter-February-2013.pdf

Sarah

 

[Wagtail]

I agree with fff regarding the Cushings. My mare was only borderline when she started looking ribby and had strange fat pads and a crest. She also tested negative at the time to Equine metabolic disorder (EMS). But her fat pads were really noticeable, and she got laminitis too. I decided to treat her for Cushings and she improved a lot, but still got lami and had the fat pads. So I treated her for EMS and she has now shifted all her fat pads.