My gelding has pain in his flanks?

Sounds like a symptom of colic. I'd be getting the vet out asap..

it could be ulcers...from the "stress" of not having enough forage. Or it may even be encysted stronglyes...or a mad worm overload. The vet can take a fecal sample (or you take it to him) for $25.00

a blood test can sometimes reveal ulcers. it is a good first step as it is not as invasive as scoping. I'd really suggest having the vet come out.

edit...Hi Gallop,

I just wanted to say that when I had a blood test done on Legs , a few years ago, for salmonella...it came back with an extremely elevated blood count that indicated internal bleeding...which due to the lack of any other factors was contributed to bleeding ulcers. It solidified my opinion that the horse did in fact have ulcers. The vet told me to treat accordingly. That is what I have been doing. Other than the encysted strongyles...the horse has been non ulcer symptomatic since I started his treatment and the appropriate feed management issues. You know Legs and I have had a long row to hoe...and ulcers will always play into his management. Hope this spring sees you doing well, and me and Legs say hello!

Party Cloudy

Flank pain is a manifestation of colic, and since he is consuming dusty hay that could well be moldy, and because he is likely to be ingesting sand/dirt from his pasture, and the fact that he is eating straw because he is "hungry" means he craves fiber and these are factors that could explain his flank pain.

What you should do is to get rid of any bad hay, soak any that is salvageable before it is fed, and provide him with the long stem fiber he needs by finding him good quality grass mix hay and feeding it 24/7 on large rubber mats or somewhere he can eat it without ingesting dirt and sand, and keep him from ingesting dirt or sand in the pasture by providing a grazing muzzle when he is turned out. Have him evaluated by an equine vet to rule out other possible causes such as gastric or intestinal ulcers, and to determine whether there may be a problem with significant accumulated sand in his gut.

Partly Cloudy, a blood test cannot diagnose or rule out ulcers.

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ETA...Partly Cloudy .....Hi back at ya.

The bleeding associated with colon inflammation associated especially with early 3rd stage encysted small strongyle larvae (which can number in the millions in one horse), is significant enough to produce serious anemia and could easily explain the bleeding that was originally assumed to be caused by ulcers, when in fact it might more probably have been associated with the continuing life cycle of encysted strongyles that have more recently been identified in your horse. These larvae go through 5 developmental stages and wreak havoc inside the horse until effective treatment is able to eradicate them. 3rd stage larvae can remain in the intestinal wall for years. Multi-stage treatment with both moxidectin and Panacur Powerpak may sometimes be required to finally get all of them at all stages under control when a major infestation is present.

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By relying on blood work alone and assuming a diagnosis of ulcers, further investigation for cause is abandoned, and treatment is misdirected while the encysted strongyles remain unidentified and allowed to continue to thrive and do more damage. Symptomatic relief may result from the treatment, but the underlying pathology is not being addressed.

I think you should call a vet or trot him up for someone who knows a bit about horses. I know a horse who's got arthritis in his back legs so it could be that