Feeding Type-1 PSSM Horses
- Feed a Low-Starch Diet. After horses consume meals containing starch and sugar there’s more insulin present in the body, which can trigger glycogen synthesis and storage.
- Need More Calories? Fat’s the Best Choice. When extra calories are needed, fat is the source of choice for type-1 PSSM horses. ...
- Other Options. Some owners feed their type-1 PSSM horses additional magnesium and acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR). ...
- Take-Home Message. Type-1 PSSM has no cure, and owners must carefully manage any dietary or exercise changes to avoid a flare up of clinical signs.
How to manage PSSM in horses?
Nutritional management of horses with PSSM generally leads to fewer clinical signs. Therefore, taking a hard look at a horse’s diet is the first step. Action items for dietary management include: Revise the diet so much of the horse’s energy is derived from fat and fermentable fiber rather than from starch.
What do PSSM horses eat?
Forage and feed choices for PSSM horses are centered on minimizing sugar and starch intake. Forage requirements. Forage can be supplied as pasture, hay, or hay alternatives such as pellets or cubes.
What is the best diet for PSSM type-1?
Diets higher in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) can lead to clinical symptoms of PSSM Type-1. Thus, owners of these horses need to fed low NSC diets and the energy sources of the diet should be replaced with fat. To gain a greater understanding of NSC in horse diets, the following articles are helpful:
How to feed a horse a healthy diet?
The diet should be composed of low sugar and starch, not more than 1.5 to 2% of the horse’s body weight per day. The total non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) should not be not more than 12% of the diet. The horse diet should have vitamins, minerals, protein, and fat in a balanced way, and you can add a muscle development supplement with feed.
What should I feed my horse with PSSM?
Forage and feed choices for PSSM horses are centered on minimizing sugar and starch intake. Forage requirements. Forage can be supplied as pasture, hay, or hay alternatives such as pellets or cubes. Well-maintained pastures should contain low-sugar grasses and few legumes (clover, alfalfa or lucerne).
How do you take care of a horse in PSSM?
The best way to manage PSSM horses is to provide a forage-first low-sugar and starch diet and meet additional energy requirements with dietary fat. A consistent exercise routine can also help promote glycogen breakdown in the muscle.
Can horses with PSSM have alfalfa?
In contrast to what many people believe, alfalfa is actually a good hay for the PSSM horse because its NSC content is typically much lower than most grass hays.
Can PSSM horses have carrots?
Most PSSM horses are fine with carrots and applies in moderation. Avoid treats with grain or sugar.
Is beet pulp good for PSSM horses?
To the contrary, beet pulp is very low in starch and sugar, usually containing only 2-10% total carbohydrates. Thus, it is a safe feedstuff for horses with metabolic concerns such as equine Cushing's syndrome, insulin resistance and polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM/EPSM).
Can you still ride a horse with PSSM?
Once conditioned, some PSSM horses thrive with four days of exercise as long as they receive daily turnout. For riding horses with type 2 PSSM, a prolonged warm-up with adequate stretching is recommended.”
Can PSSM horses have rice bran?
Stabilized rice bran is a useful fat source for these horses and provides other nutritional components that can be beneficial. Stabilized rice bran products are often added to the diet at 1-3 lb (0.5-1.4 kg) to boost the fat and caloric value of the diet.
How is PSSM1 treated?
You can manage PSSM in your horse by providing an alternate energy source to sugar. Avoid feeding grains, sweet feeds and other feedstuffs high in sugar. Fat can be a great alternative. Rice bran or vegetable oils can stabilize blood sugar and provide energy.
What is low starch horse feed?
Triple Crown Low Starch contains no whole grains, molasses or alfalfa meal, ingredients many horse owners associate with hyperactivity and allergies. With fewer carbohydrates than most hay and pasture, this feed provides additional calories for performance horses and horses with elevated levels of metabolism.
What is the best vitamin E supplement for horses?
Most vitamin E supplements consist of alpha-tocopherol because alpha-tocopherol is the most biologically available and well researched isoform of vitamin E. The most efficient way to rapidly increase levels is to administer a natural water-soluble Emcelle Stuart Product supplement (Elevate W.S. or Nano-e).
What vegetables are safe for horses to eat?
Horses enjoy celery, corn, lettuce, squash, sweet potatoes, and turnips. Vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins, too. For example, carrots are high in Vitamin A and celery is a good source of Vitamin K. Feeding these items in limited quantities is fine and your horse may actually enjoy the variety!
What do you feed a horse with equine metabolic syndrome?
Avoid high-potassium feeds such as alfalfa hay, brome hay, canola oil, soybean meal or oil, and molasses. Feed timothy or Bermuda grass hay, beet pulp, or grains such as oats, corn, wheat and barley. Pasture is usually OK.
An Equine Nutritionist's First Hand Experience Feeding a PSSM Horse
As an equine nutritionist, I have done my fair share of research on Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) to help customers combat these issues with their horses. However, my first-hand experience started a year ago when my sister bought a really nice head horse that she named B.
What is PSSM?
Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) is a genetic disorder that affects about 10% of Quarter Horses (of the Quarter Horse breed the subset of halter horses has an occurrence of 28%), and 36% of Belgian Draft. About 20 breeds have been found to carry the mutations in their bloodlines.
The Next Step Configuring the PSSM Diet
As suspicions arose and then results confirmed, of this diagnosis, we started changing his diet. The first change was to remove the oats from his diet, to help reduce the amount of carbohydrates he was being fed.
The Right Nutrition Makes All the Difference
Eight months after being on grass hay only, Glow, Flow, and Trifecta, B is doing great. We keep him in a big pen so that he can move freely. When he isn't being roped off of, he gets exercised on the paneled hot walker to make sure that he gets adequate exercise. Now, he has no lameness issues and moves out much freer.
Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy
PSSM is a muscle disorder characterized by abnormal accumulation of glycogen (the storage form of glucose/sugar) in skeletal muscle cells.
Types of PSSM
There are two main types of PSSM: PSSM1 and PSSM2. [4] PSSM1 is known to be caused by a mutation in the glycogen synthase 1 (GYS1) gene. [2]
PSSM1
PSSM1 was first identified in 1992 in Quarter Horses that were affected by recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis. Researchers analyzed muscle samples from these horses and found higher amounts of glycogen than normal and abnormally structured glycogen.
PSSM2
PSSM2 horses show the same clinical signs as PSSM1 horses, including muscle stiffness, pain, and reluctance to work. Muscle biopsies taken from these horses also show abnormal accumulation of glycogen.
Signs of PSSM
Your veterinarian might suspect PSSM if your horse is showing one or more of the following signs: [3]
Nutritional and Exercise Management
There is currently no cure for PSSM1 or PSSM2. However, adopting appropriate nutrition and exercise programs can lower the incidence of severe symptoms such as severe tying-up.
Low NSC Diet
There are a few things to consider for lowering the NSC content of the total diet:
What is PSSM in horses?
PSSM and Horse Tying Up: A Matter of Genetics, Exercise and Nutrition. Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) was first identified in 1992 as one of the causes of exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) in horses, which is muscle damage from exercise, commonly known as tying up.
Why do horses have Monday morning disease?
The term “Monday Morning Disease” was coined due to the frequency of symptoms appearing in working draft and carriage horses on the Monday following a weekend of rest, while consuming a full ration of oats or sweet feed.
What is genetic mutation in horses?
Valberg and supported by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), found a genetic mutation was responsible for the abnormal polysaccharide in type 1 PSSM horses. A genetic test is commercially available through the University ...
How long can a horse stay asymptomatic?
Since this is less invasive than the muscle biopsy, many horse owners opt for the genetic testing. PSSM horses can remain asymptomatic for years (average age of first appearance of symptoms is 6 years) until there is some change in their schedule, such as being laid off due to injury or not getting regular exercise due to weather.
How much glycogen does a horse have?
Muscle biopsy studies from Dr. Stephanie Valberg in 1992 revealed that horses affected with PSSM store 1.5 to 4 times the muscle glycogen as normal horses.
What color is a horse's urine?
Horses will have markedly elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) of more than 35,000 U/L and may have myoglobin in the urine, giving it a reddish-brown color .
Do horses with PSSM need regular exercise?
Regular turnout for as much time as possible is critical to successful management of PSSM horses. They do not do well confined to stalls or missing days of exercise. Regular daily exercise for horses with PSSM has been shown to produce a dramatic decrease in serum CK following exercise.
How to prevent PSSM in horses?
Regular exercise is the best way to prevent and manage PSSM in horses. The exercise should not be laborious for every day; instead, it should continue a regular structured work. The routine exercise includes walk, lunging, riding, and turnout.
How to tell if a horse has PSSM?
The most common signs of PSSM in horses are “ tying up ” like symptoms due to excessive deposition of glycogen in the muscle cells. The condition is known as exertional Rhabdomyolysis. The other common signs are: Stiffness of legs. Shortened stride. Gait abnormalities.
What type of gene is used in horses for glycogen synthase?
There are two types of PSSM in horses: Type-1 and Type-2. Type-1 PSSM is a disease because a specific cause has identified. The GYS1 gene carries the instruction for the enzyme glycogen synthase. This gene causes excessive synthesis of glucose into glycogen in the muscle cell.
What is PSSM in horses?
The glycogen deposited in the cells is used for energy production. PSSM in horses is the abnormal deposition of polysaccharides (Glycogen) in the horse’s muscle cell. The disease is also known as Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (EPSM) or “tying up” of the horse. PSSM in horses is the most frustrating disease for a horse owner.
What is the cause of a horse's pssm?
The primary cause of the disease is overfeeding of readily digestible carbohydrates by the horse and genetic factors. Few horse breeds are more susceptible to PSSM than other breeds. The disease is characterized by muscular weakness, lethargy, reluctant to rise, muscle damage, increase serum creatinine, and reduced performance.
What is polysaccharide storage myopathy?
Polysaccharide storage myopathy is a frustrating and frightening disease to many horse owners. The knowledge on the condition, how it occurs, the signs, and the mode of correction will reduce the owner’s tension. The condition can be corrected by a proper and timely diagnosis of the condition.
What are the two types of EPSSM?
There are two types of EPSSM: Type-1 PSSM: Due to the presence of an enzyme GYS1, which produces the glycogen synthase enzymes, excessive glycogen produces and stored in the muscle. Type-2 PSSM: This is due to abnormal deposition of glycogen in the muscular tissue of the horse without the presence of the GSY1 gene.
What is the best feed for a PSSM horse?
Forage and feed choices for PSSM horses are centered on minimizing sugar and starch intake. Forage requirements. Forage can be supplied as pasture, hay, or hay alternatives such as pellets or cubes. Well-maintained pastures should contain low-sugar grasses and few legumes (clover, alfalfa or lucerne).
What supplements should I give my PSSM horse?
To prevent cellular oxidation triggered by free radicals, PSSM horses should be fed a vitamin E supplement, the most potent of which is a natural, nanodispersed product called Nano-E.
What is ration balancer for horses?
“A ration balancer will make up for any shortfalls in protein, vitamin, and mineral nutrition, and will not add significantly to the NSC content of the diet.
What is PSSM in horses?
Among light horses, polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) primarily affects Quarter Horses and members of related breeds such as Paints and Appaloosas. In a recent survey, as many as 12% of healthy Quarter Horses are thought to be genetically predisposed to the muscle disorder which, at its worst, can be debilitating and often career-ending ...
How to improve horses with PSSM?
Exercise. Aside from a thoughtful diet, an exercise program must be implemented for PSSM horses to show clinical improvement, as it enhances energy metabolism. Horses with PSSM should have a well-defined and strictly enforced exercise program that includes daily paddock turnout and near-daily structured exercise, even if it is low-intensity work such as trail riding.
How long does it take for PSSM to manifest?
The effects of PSSM manifest during exercise, usually 10 to 30 minutes after onset, and mirror many of those observed in other forms of tying-up.
How much should a horse ration balancer be fed?
Most ration balancers are designed to be fed at a rate of 1-2 lb (0.45-0.9 kg) per day, ” said Crandell. In lieu of a ration balancer, a well-fortified vitamin and mineral supplement, such as can be fed if even 1 lb (0.45 kg) of a balancer pellet is too many calories for the horse.
