# Help,Yearling with HUGE belly



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

You may be overloading his system. Youngsters need to grow at their own rate and generally it's grass then supplemented with hay.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I have no idea but it sounds like you are doing everything you can.

Sand would be my only other idea. If you bought him from a place that kept him on a sandy dry lot. But if he has lived his life on pasture, I doubt it would be sand.


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## phoenmoon (Jan 6, 2013)

Yea I thought of that also and put him on sand clear... Nothing  Me and my vet are at a loss here. All his test come back clean and his belly doesn't seem to be bothering him any. The next step my vet suggested is to put him in my founder pasture which has grass (but is kept VERY VERY short and is tiny) and put him on plain oats to see what happens. I would like to find another option that one just seems like a sad one to me.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Well, there are a lot of horses out there that don't have access to lush pasture. Where I am at (Arizona) it is normal for horses to live on dry lot because we generally don't have pastures out here. I mean, some folks do, but most do not. So he's lucky to have even a short grass pasture.


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## phoenmoon (Jan 6, 2013)

That is true


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

You might try alfalfa instead of all that grass. When I'm fitting my horses for show, they get alfalfa hay, daily dewormer and limited turn out. If they develop the pot belly from deworming, that seems to make it go away. I also feed Ultium Growth until 2 years old.


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## NelsonsMum (May 20, 2007)

That looks like a typical baby shape to me, if its not worms and he is fit and healthy just let them be. I have a yearling filly who looks exactly the same and she is just on grass, they soon grown into their bellies.


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

Not enough protein in your pasture so hes eating alot of grass volume to make it up. Supplement with a bit of alfalfa. Im also not a fan of Safechoice personally either for growing horses. A higher quality feed would be my choice. Triple Crown or something similar.


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## 2horses (Oct 11, 2009)

Trinity3205, why don't you like Safechoice? I'm curious because my feed store that carried Triple Crown closed down so now Tractor Supply is my only feed source. That means my choices are Purina, Nutrena, oats, or alfalfa pellets. I don't mean to take over the thread, but I'm sure your answer will be informative for everyone.


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

They use inferior ingredients, it is a nonfixed formula and it isnt so "safe" anyway since the NSC count is about 28% unless anything changed in the formulation recently. The name is misleading. There are many feeds out there with lower NSC counts of better quality. And I have watched horses look all shiney and slick on it coat wise but loose muscle tone and weight on it vs other feeds on the same forage. different batches and areas of the country seen to be a bit different since the formula isnt fixed. I just think it is a subpar quality feed personally. Id call it a middle of the road feed. Better than Sweet feeds but ther eare a couple brands that are better quality. Calories are not equal. 300 calories of McDonalds is not equal to 300 calories of, say, a healthy sandwich you make at home. Ingredients matter.


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## Falcor74 (May 28, 2013)

I have a colt that is 15 months, but we have to totally supplement since we live in the desert. He gets either wheat or coastal hay (large round bale) that they are allowed to "free feed" on, and then omolene 300/ mare and foal, to give him an extra boost of nutrients that his growing body needs. He has a big belly on him and you can still see his ribs, but I know it is not sand/dirt, and he has been wormed. I have had the vet out and she liked the way he has gained weight. I figure this is just an awkward phase that a lot of them go through, and once they get done growing, things will even out. As long as I know I am doing everything to ensure they get their nutritional needs met, I am not worried about the belly, to me it just means he is happy and healthy.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I agree that if it's not worms or sand (though a negative fecal doesn't guarantee he's not carrying), then it's likely the lack of quality feed. Personally, I would put him on alfalfa pellets instead of the Safe Choice. More protein for a growing body and more fiber for good digestion without the sugars and starches of normal "grains". Also, make sure he's got access to a mineral block or loose minerals.


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## Critter sitter (Jun 2, 2012)

Trinity3205 said:


> They use inferior ingredients, it is a nonfixed formula and it isnt so "safe" anyway since the NSC count is about 28% unless anything changed in the formulation recently. The name is misleading. There are many feeds out there with lower NSC counts of better quality. And I have watched horses look all shiney and slick on it coat wise but loose muscle tone and weight on it vs other feeds on the same forage. different batches and areas of the country seen to be a bit different since the formula isnt fixed. I just think it is a subpar quality feed personally. Id call it a middle of the road feed. Better than Sweet feeds but ther eare a couple brands that are better quality. Calories are not equal. 300 calories of McDonalds is not equal to 300 calories of, say, a healthy sandwich you make at home. Ingredients matter.


where in the world do you get your info??Purina?? they do not use inferior ingredients. WOW 
My horses are on Safe Coice and MSM and have been and are shine and Have great Muscle and look just as good if not better than others who are on Purina and Triple crown the others also supplement with all kinds of things ....why would you feed sweet feed and hop your horse up on all that sugar?

it is a personal Choice and I love Safe Choice . I am not into all the hype that the other companies have.


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

I hate Purina too actually. Since the formula is not fixed, you will get whatever they need to add in to make up the guaranteed analysis. A little bit of research and the fact that they don't list ingredients online anywhere on their site will tell you that.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

he looks to be going through a growth spurt , mine did that, big belly , ribby, then the ribs would fill out , then they would grow. If your fecal count is nothing, stop deworming, it makes parasites resistant with constant dewormings . I would not worry about him.


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## Blue Smoke (Dec 22, 2012)

A negative fecal doesn't necessarily mean he is actually negative for parasites. There are a few parasites that will not show up on fecals, namely small strongyles, pinworms, and tapes. 

I actually just had to adjust my deworming (because I was deworming according to fecal) and both horses had clear fecals, but I found an adult pinworm in my geldings manure and evidence of pins around his anus just a month after a generous deworming with equimax. So I dosed both with Quest and found 1 pinworm in some manure, but what surprised me was my filly had had a fairly significant small strongyle infestation that neither the fecal showed, nor the equimax took care of just a month before. Never again going by fecals only... And my horses will be dosed with Quest at least once a year, obviously there is ivermectin resistance, Quest is the only dewormer with no known resistance, you just need to be more precise with weight. My filly lost her "hay belly" after I got rid of the small strongyles that I didn't know were there because fecals didn't tell me, and previous ivermectin/strongid/safeguard doses didn't get them.

That being said, pay attention to protein as already stated and sand if you live in an area with sandy soil and often feed off the ground or have overgrazed pasture (biting the grass too close to the ground is another way they ingest sand)


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## acorn (Nov 27, 2012)

Trinity3205 said:


> I hate Purina too actually. Since the formula is not fixed, you will get whatever they need to add in to make up the guaranteed analysis. A little bit of research and the fact that they don't list ingredients online anywhere on their site will tell you that.


 I agree with this. I once fed my horses the safe choice and was startled to see that the main ingredients changed back and forth. That ended it for me.

Fortunately now mine get no grain at all, only hay, hay pellets, flax seed and beet pulp.


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