Why does my youngster hit herself after feeding??

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Saffrondelight

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Hi there, can anyone tell me why does my filly bend around and hit and nudge herself hard in her own side (belly) after feeding, she has been doing it after every feed now for about a week, she looks as if she is going to scratch herself but her ears are pinned back and she bites her own sides and kicks out, does anyone know why she could be doing this? Thanks :-/
 
Could it be painful maybe? Has she eaten too much or too quickly?
Is she on the right mixture of food/hay/grass...could be a precursor to spring grass colic at this time of year, gassy tummy? Could pop a bit of bran in her feed? ...or maybe it's just her 'thing'...

one of my horses takes a good 30 mins over his dins with his eyes half closed in bliss, throwing it up in air and chewing every last bit as though he was starved [he's not!!]
 
Also sometimes with babies, their teeth grow faster and more unpredictably than adult horses....so she mightnot be able to take such smaller bites than she can manage at a young age and it hurts going on...can you get the teeth looked at possibly?
 
Mrsd123 has it right I think she's eating to fast and giving herself a bellyache, so go careful as it could turn into colic, I'd start feeding her 3/4 times a day, but the same amount she's getting per day if you see what I mean. I have to do this with my dogs, they get 3 meals a day, as 2 of them wolf it down, but the amount is what they would get in 2 meals per day.
 
Colic is not just a sudden thing with frantic symptoms. It can be chronic with milder signs. Maybe call your vet and check the horses diet as well. Cereal feeds can aggravate stomach ulcers.
 
Thanks guys, after leaving a post on facebook on a horsey site and after receiving tons of advise i decided to contact my vet, i'm awaiting a call back from him to discuss it, after reading about symptoms online i think she may have mild colic, so will get advise on how to treat her as it only happens for about about 10 mins after eating, thanks guys will let you know what he says!! :-)
 
Do you know her past?
Some horses that have suffered from lack of food/starvation in past homes can self abuse, I knew a horse who displayed very similar behaviour to that which you described at the mere sight of food.
 
MrsD123 said:
I think she is eating too fast and has a bit of colic, slow her down with chaff
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This, sounds to me like she is bolting it down and getting a tummy ache. Is she fed alone in her stable or with others on yard or in field? If it is the latter could be she is eating fast to stop others stealing it. Some horses are very food possessive.
FDC
 
Just had call back from vet, unless he was to come out to see her which is not really needed at the mo because her symptoms are only just after feeding he couldn't diagnose, he only suggested i come in to see him after the weekend and discuss what she's fed., sounded pretty peeved actually that it wasn't an emergency and i was only after advise, so after reading online for the last 3 hours whilst the Eurovision song contest is on in the background, i've since self diagnosed and came to the conclusion of mild colic and decided to re-introduce her breakfast feed and give her 2 meals a day so she doesn't rush so much... anyway will give it a try as most of the advise i've been given (on another site also) is that she is eating to fast and i need to slow her down and maybe give her more chaff!! anyway thanks guys!!! Big help youv'e been xxxx
 
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