Fruits are Fabulous, even for Insulin Resistant Horses!
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How to treat diabetes in horses with diabetes?
Free-choice grazing and grass hay can be supplemented with molasses-free beet pulp, and vegetable oil can be added to the diet unless the horse’s triglyceride level is elevated. Though human diabetes is often treated with insulin injections, this therapy is rarely used in horses unless they have confirmed type 1 diabetes mellitus.
What snacks are good for insulin resistant horses?
Commercial Horse Snacks for Insulin Resistant Horses. Standlee Apple/Berry Cookie Cubes – made with Timothy plus Alfalfa Hay and a small amount of Cranberry/Apple Juice. Starch only 1.6%, Sugar only 7%, Low Fructan at 5%, 17% Protein, only 1.5% Fat. 1. Cookies – loaded in corn, oats, sugar, and molasses.
How much hay to feed a horse with insulin resistance?
In most Insulin Resistance horses, we want to reduce weight, so will feed less hay. A normal 1,000 pound horse needs 20 pounds of hay. To assist your horse in weight loss, instead of feeding the normal horse 2%, feed 1.8% or 18 pounds of hay.
Can I Feed my horse sugar free treats?
Back then, “treating” our horses was all about sugar cubes and crispy carrots and apples. Insulin resistance was not part of my vocabulary, so it didn’t occur to me that a time would come when I would be looking for ways to feed sugar-free treats to horses! Insulin is a hormone that helps the body and its cells convert glucose into energy.
What do you feed an insulin-resistant horse?
Alfalfa can be an excellent addition to most horses' diets, even for those that are insulin resistant (IR). I often recommend feeding it because it boosts the overall protein quality of a grass-hay diet and, in general, enhances the horse's muscle tone, immune system and overall health.
What do you feed a laminitic horse?
Hay is likely to form the bulk of the diet for an EMS/PPID/laminitic horse. Late cut, native species grass hay is likely to have lower sugar levels than early cut improved species (e.g. ryegrass) grass hay. High fibre haylage may also be suitable.
How do I lower my horse's blood sugar?
They include:Reduce sugars in the horse's diet. “If we have horses who have a higher insulin concentration, we know that keeping them on a low-sugar diet does not stimulate insulin release as much,” says Frank. ... Feed frequent small meals. ... Restrict grazing. ... Don't let the horse become fat.
Can an insulin-resistant horse eat grass?
Grass is the most natural food for horses, but fresh grass can be your worst enemy if you have an insulin resistant (IR) horse.
What should laminitic horses not eat?
Getting the right feed for a laminitic is important for any owner of a horse or pony with laminitis. A high fibre, low starch and low sugar diet is essential for laminitics, so avoid feeds that contain cereals or molasses.
Can you feed carrots to a horse with laminitis?
One of the first things you are likely to be told, as the owner of a laminitic or EMS horse, is "no treats, no carrots, no apples..". A grape or prune is sometimes suggested as suitable for hiding pergolide tablets, but owners may be warned not to use a slice of carrot or apple for the same purpose.
Can you feed alfalfa to an insulin resistant horse?
A: Alfalfa can be an excellent addition to most horses' diets, even for those that are insulin resistant (IR). I often recommend feeding it because it boosts the overall protein quality of a grass-hay diet and, in general, enhances the horse's muscle tone, immune system and overall health.
Are Oats good for insulin resistant horses?
Oats are the grain which are highest in fibre and lowest in sugar and starch of all the cereal grains fed to horses, so they are least likely to cause insulin spikes and blood sugar fluctuations, as well as hindgut and/or behavioural issues.
What hay is best for insulin resistant horses?
Timothy grass hay is a good choice for insulin-resistant horses because it tends to be lower in starch, and Orchardgrass and Alfalfa are also great selections when you need to monitor the amount of starch that your horse is consuming.
Is beet pulp good for insulin-resistant horses?
For insulin-resistant horses, beet pulp is a good choice because it does not cause a significant glycemic response as it is being digested. Despite its low-carbohydrate status, it can help put weight on some thin horses through the energy that is released when it is fermented in the hindgut.
Can horse insulin resistance be reversed?
Many horses respond well to management through diet and exercise. Horses that are “easy-keepers” or have persistently high insulin levels can be more challenging to manage and may require medical treatments. Although proper treatment can reduce clinical signs, there is no “cure” for EMS.
How do you take care of a diabetic horse?
Affected horses will get along best on a ration with low starch content and good-quality fermentable fiber. Free-choice grazing and grass hay can be supplemented with molasses-free beet pulp, and vegetable oil can be added to the diet unless the horse's triglyceride level is elevated.
What can you do for a horse with laminitis?
Laminitis is a medical emergency and horses should be seen by a vet so that they can receive treatment as soon as possible. Various medicines can be given to control the pain including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as phenylbutazone ('bute') or flunixin and opiates like morphine and pethidine.
Can you feed lucerne to laminitic horse?
Never starve a laminitic horse For a laminitic prone horse/pony, low sugar roughage sources may include Teff hay, Rhodes grass hay, lucerne hay, beet pulp or soaked grass hay.
What hay is best for laminitic horses?
Generally, a mixture of grass hay and alfalfa is the best hay combination for horses prone to laminitis.
How much hay should I feed my horse with laminitis?
Feed up to 2% of your horse's body weight (10 kg/day for a 500 kg horse) per day as low quality, low NSC forage, including mature or stemmy subtropical grass hays and/or weather damaged alfalfa/lucerne hay.
What do horses eat when recovering from laminitis?
Another staple in the IR horse's diet is plain beet pulp, no molasses added.
Why is it important to control a horse's diet?
Diet is as important for these horses as it is for a diabetic person. Controlling the diet is the key to getting the horse to a normal weight and avoiding or treating laminitis. Cheating is like giving a chocolate bar to a diabetic child. Owners usually have more trouble sticking with the diet than the horses do.
Why are horses not fat?
These horses aren't fat because of how much they eat; it's what they eat. If you feed the horse the way he's designed to be fed, he won't be fat. The cornerstone of the diet is a grass hay with low sugar and starch content. We don't normally think of hays as having sugar or starch, but they do.
Why is insulin resistant in horses called pre-Cushing's?
Original: Mar 31, 2005. pinterest-pin-it. We're familiar with diabetes in humans, but not many people know that horses can also have diabetes and blood-sugar problems. "Insulin resistance" is sometimes called "pre-Cushing's" because it was felt that insulin-resistant horses are in the early stages of Cushing's disease.
What is the name of the disease that causes a horse to have a tumor in the pituitary gland
Cushing's disease , a condition common in older horses, occurs when a tumor has grown in the pituitary gland in the brain and puts out large amounts of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH in turn makes the adrenal gland secrete the hormone cortisol.
Why is my horse round?
The extra weight puts unnecessary stress on your horse's back, joints and heart. IR also causes your horse's body to react with exaggerated inflammatory responses.
Can horses eat bread?
Horse treats made with these ingredients. Human food - no cookies, bread, doughnuts, etc. Pasture - Until the horse's insulin is well within normal, and any laminitis resolved, grass must be avoided. The sugar level in live grasses varies widely and even over the space of a day's time.
How much feed should a 1,000 pound horse get?
1,000 pound horse gets 1 pound feed once a day in the morning (Option: Split into 2 feedings.) Large pony gets ¾ pound feed once a day in the morning (Option: Split into 2 feedings.) Small pony gets ½ pound feed once a day in the morning. (Option: Split into 2 feedings.) 1 cup of “Enrich Plus″ weighs 0.38 pounds.
What is the best fiber for horses?
Soluble fiber can account for 50% of the energy needs of your horse. Hay and beet pulp have excellent amounts of fiber. Hay has about 30% and beet pulp about 20%. For comparison, corn has only 2% fiber which means it is mainly sugar/starch— that is why corn is avoided in Insulin Resistance horses.
How does Heiro help horses?
The HEIRO ™ program will greatly assist your horse in this project by helping to manage Insulin .
What is horse insulin resistance?
A. Horse Insulin Resistance Hay – Goal – slow, sustained release of nutrients all day long with no long periods of fasting. 1. Hay is essential in helping prevent Laminitis. Your horse can not be on grass all day and cannot get grass in the winter/bad weather. Hay provides fiber to steady Glucose levels.
How to get rid of horse rash?
2. Spread the hay — make horses walk to multiple small piles in the field to increase exercise. 3. Soaking hay— this can lower Carbohydrate levels and as a bonus has been shown to decrease allergens in “heave” horse reactions.
When do horses eat hay?
Often, the horse grazes during the day and is in at night. They eat the hay given to them between the 6:00 PM feeding and 9:00 PM, the horse is out of food, and goes with no food for 10 hours until the 7:00 AM feeding. When they are re-fed, they get a huge Insulin surge that can be 700% higher than normal.
Can fat be used on horses?
1. Do NOT use in Insulin Resistance horses. A study by the University of Kentucky’s Dept. of Veterinary Science in 2002 by Dr. Fitzgerald showed that an infusion of fat actually induced Insulin Resistance in horses in less than 2 hours time. This can lead to a Laminitis trigger. High fat diets can cause a crisis.
What is the best feed for horses with IR?
Select a horse feed low in sugar and starch (20% or less) to normalize blood glucose and insulin levels for your horse with IR. Beet pulp and soy hulls contain very low levels of soluble carbohydrates, so select a feed that is based on one of these ingredients. Southern States has the soluble carbohydrate values of its horse feeds available ...
Why is insulin needed in horses?
This means that insulin is required in greater amounts to keep blood glucose concentrations within normal amounts, especially after a meal high in star ch and/or sugar. There are many contributing factors to IR including diets high in starch and sugar, obesity, breed, age and inactivity. In one research study, horses fed a high sugar ...
How to diagnose IR in a horse?
Your veterinarian can diagnose IR in your horse by measuring blood levels of glucose and insulin. A combined glucose-insulin test may be used but more likely a resting serum insulin concentration will be utilized to diagnose IR.
What is insulin resistance in horses?
Insulin resistance is a problem that has recently been documented in horses , ponies and donkeys. The causes and effects of insulin resistance, as well as its diagnosis and treatment, as well as some tips on feeding the insulin resistant horse will be provided. The horse digests and ferments carbohydrates in feedstuffs to produce glucose, ...
Why do horses have IR?
IR is the major symptom of Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), which is the term used to describe horses that have IR as a result of genetics and/or obesity.
What is the primary source of energy for a horse?
The horse digests and ferments carbohydrates in feedstuffs to produce glucose, which is its primary source of energy for body functions. Insulin resistance (IR) occurs when body cells that use insulin to regulate the uptake and metabolism of blood glucose become less sensitive to insulin’s effects. This means that insulin is required in greater ...
How to prevent laminitis in horses?
Research has shown that a well-fertilized pasture of cool-season grasses will have lower levels of sugars that have been implicated in causing lamini tis. Provide as much exercise and turnout for your horse as possible.
What is diabetes in horses called?
In the equine world, diabetes is often called by other names: Insulin resistance. Pre-Cushing’s. Equine metabolic syndrome. Veterinarians recently discovered an interesting fact about horses and insulin resistance. New research shows horses may be insulin resistant without having a pituitary tumor. In other words, horses can be insulin resistant ...
What does insulin do to a horse?
What is Insulin and What Does It Do? Insulin is a hormone your horse’s pancreas secretes. It signals your horse’s cells to take in glucose, aka “blood sugar”. Glucose is the major fuel for our horse’s body. Every cell must have a certain amount of glucose for proper function, too.
What does it mean when a horse has a fatty crest on its neck?
Your horse may have insulin resistance or diabetes if he/she has: A fatty crest on the neck. History of grass-related laminitis. History of laminitis during pregnancy. Abnormal bulges above the eyes (in the area that is normally hollow) Fatty deposits on the base of the tail or other with a cellulite-like appearance.
Why does insulin resistance in horses rise?
Sometimes a horse’s pancreas isn’t able to produce enough insulin. As a result, its blood sugar rises abnormally high. Then, insulin resistance evolves into diabetes.
Can horses have insulin resistance?
New research shows horses may be insulin resistant without having a pituitary tumor. In other words, horses can be insulin resistant without having Cushing’s disease. Also, here’s another interesting fact. Horses with diabetes or insulin resistance are also prone to laminitis.
Can horses graze back to normal?
Pasture. Finally, when your horse is back to a normal weight, you may reintroduce some grazing. You’ll need to move forward carefully, following your vet’s advice. And, always keep an eye out for weight gain, laminitis, and fatty deposits.
Do horses need insulin?
Every cell must have a certain amount of glucose for proper function, too. Your horse’s skeletal muscles consume most of its glucose. Also, in insulin resistance, your horse’s cells are resistant to insulin’s effects. So, the pancreas secretes an abnormally large amount of if insulin to compensate. Sometimes a horse’s pancreas isn’t able ...
What is the best way to lose weight on a horse?
The hallmarks of an effective weight-loss program are calorie control and/or reduction, reducing glucose and insulin response to consuming a meal, and if possible, exercise. Work with your veterinarian or nutrition specialist to determine the weight-loss regimen appropriate for your horse.
What is the most important factor in a horse's prevention plan?
It is important that the EMS horse’s basic nutrient requirements are met, including protein, vitamins and minerals. However, the most important factor of a prevention plan is avoiding obesity. The insulin resistance and inflammation that stems from being grossly overweight can be difficult to overcome once the cascade has begun. Identifying at-risk horses early, implementing sound nutrition and management programs, and monitoring them closely can improve their health and quality of life.
What to do with restricted amount of forage?
The restricted amount of forage in the diet, along with the nutrient deficiencies of most forages, should prompt use of a mineral supplement, ration balancer or low sugar/starch feed. The essential nutrients from these supplements will provide much-needed support to the body and help repair tissue.
What should be incorporated into a forage diet?
Due to the restricted amount of forage in the diet, along with most forages’ inherent nutrient deficiencies, a mineral supplement, ration balancer or low sugar/starch feed should be incorporated to balance the total ration.
What is the best BCS for a horse?
Ideally, horses should stabilize at a BCS between 4 and 5 , with more sensitive, chronically laminitic horses maintained toward a 4. Some ponies are practically impossible to get to a 5 or less, with a BCS of 6 acceptable, especially if they started at an 8. Once horses reach a healthier BCS, the ration can be altered for weight maintenance.
Can horses eat grass?
The fructan sugar found in grasses has been suggested as a contributing cause of pasture-associated laminitis, and research has shown that horses can consume substantial amounts of fructan grass via daily grazing. However, it is important not to overlook the overall sugar (sucrose + glucose) and starch content found in grasses and the resulting higher insulin levels found in grazing horses versus horses eating hay.
Can horses have laminitis?
In many cases, horses suffer acute and recurrent laminitis as a result of EMS. Early diagnosis and treatment, as well as ongoing oversight are key to successfully managing the condition. However, nutritional therapies for EMS can also be a helpful management tool and should be started before further complications arise.
What to feed a horse?
A wonderful way to offer your horse something tasty and nutritious is to feed the peel instead of the whole fruit. Apple, banana, and orange peels, as well as watermelon rinds, cut into bite-sized pieces, have less than 1 gram of sugar per cup. Apple peels are particularly beneficial. They contain a substance called "ursolic acid" which has been shown to stimulate muscle growth, increase carbohydrate metabolism, and reduce body fat in laboratory animals. [iv] Avoid the peels of tropical fruits such as mangos and papayas since they can be irritating to the skin.
How much sugar should I feed my horse?
To reduce the sugar content of your horse's diet, you should strive to feed less than 10% of the total diet as simple sugars and starch. If you've had your hay or pasture analyzed, the ethanol soluble carbohydrate (ESC) value represents the simple sugar content.
Can horses eat fruits?
Fruits are bountiful sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making them a valuable addition to any horse's feeding regimen. Diets that need to be low in sugar and starch can still safely accommodate moderate amounts of fresh fruits. This will not only be pleasing to your horse, but will offer additional nutrients that likely do not exist in the current diet.
