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,...
- Need More Calories? Fat’s the Best Choice. When extra calories are needed, fat is the source of choice for type-1 PSSM...
- Other Options. Some owners feed their type-1 PSSM horses additional magnesium and acetyl-L-carnitine...
What to feed a horse with Type 1 PSSM?
Therefore, the most important part of feeding a horse with type-1 PSSM is limiting starch levels and readily available sugar from the diet. When horses require additional calories to maintain a healthy body condition, these should come from fat rather than those carbohydrates.
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 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:
Can oats cause PSSM in horses?
It is important to note that feeding a normal horse oats or sweet feed will not cause PSSM. This is a genetic condition a horse is born with. A PSSM horse will always have the condition and may experience episodes of tying up, but they can be better managed through diet manipulation and regular exercise.
Can PSSM horses have oats?
Feeds that are high in starch, such as sweet feed, maize, wheat, oats, barley, and molasses, appear to facilitate the development of type 1 and type 2 PSSM. That is why these ingredients should be avoided for horses that have PSSM.
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).
How do you manage a horse in PSSM?
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.
Can PSSM horses have carrots?
Most PSSM horses are fine with carrots and applies in moderation. Avoid treats with grain or sugar.
Can horses with PSSM eat alfalfa?
These low-starch feeds should be fed with good-quality grass hay or a maximum of 50 percent alfalfa hay. Regular turnout for as much time as possible is critical to successful management of PSSM horses.
Can you ride a horse with PSSM1?
Once conditioned, some PSSM1 horses thrive with 4 days of exercise as long as they receive daily turn out. For riding horses with type 2 PSSM1, a prolonged warm-up with adequate stretching is recommended.
What to feed horses that tie up?
Horses that suffer from chronic attacks of tying up can often be managed successfully with strict exercise, management and diet protocols. A diet balanced for mineral and vitamin needs that provide a good quality hay, fresh water, and minimal grain may be adequate to control some cases of chronic tying up.
What not to feed a horse that ties up?
Dietary management of horses with tying up For horses with the PSSM form of tying up, all high sugar/high starch feeds should be avoided. PSSM horses should never be fed cereal grains (oats, corn, barley, wheat and rice), cereal grain by-products (bran, pollard and millrun) or any feed containing these ingredients.
Is PSSM in horses progressive?
Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) is an inherited muscle disease that affects many and diverse breeds of horses. The clinical characteristics of PSSM vary between breeds, from muscle pain, cramping and cell damage with exercise, to progressive muscle atrophy.
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 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 fruit is good for horses?
Almost any fruits, and many vegetables, are safe treats for healthy horses. Apples and carrots are traditional favorites. You can safely offer your horse raisins, grapes, bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe or other melons, celery, pumpkin, and snow peas.
What does beet pulp do for horses?
Dried beet pulp is available in shredded or pelleted form. It is fed as a digestible fiber supplement to a horse's fiber or forage needs, and dried beet pulp may be incorporated into quality horse feeds as a source of digestible fiber and to significantly lower the sugar and starch content of the feed.
How long should you soak beet pulp for horses?
Allow the beet pulp to soak for at least 30 minutes before feeding if using warm water, and 60 minutes if using cold water. When beet pulp is ready for feeding, it will have soaked up all or most of the water, and will have a greatly increased volume and a fluffy consistency.
Can beet pulp cause laminitis?
So, when consumed heavily, beet pulp is rich in energy but doesn't include harmful amounts of sugars that can cause laminitis in horses. The fiber in beet pulp is very digestible, which is why some horses won't stop eating it.
Will beet pulp put weight on a horse?
Beet pulp can be used to help underweight horses gain weight, as it provides approximately 1,000 kcals per pound (one quart of dry beet pulp shreds weighs approximately 0.5-0.6 pounds).
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.
What is the best diet for a PSSM horse?
Fat’s the Best Choice. When extra calories are needed, fat is the source of choice for type-1 PSSM horses. This is where I often see mistakes being made in the diets of horses. I often encounter owners feeding high-fat (approximately 12-13%) feeds, yet because their horses are easy keepers they are feeding at well-below ...
Why is it important to feed a horse with type 1 PSSM?
Therefore, the most important part of feeding a horse with type-1 PSSM is limiting starch levels and readily available sugar from the diet. When horses require additional calories to maintain a healthy body condition, these should come from fat rather than those carbohydrates.
What is a GYS1 horse?
A. Horses with the GYS1 mutation (type-1 polysaccharide storage myopathy, or type-1 PSSM) accumulate abnormally large amounts of glycogen (the storage form of glucose), as well as the abnormal sugar amylase-resistant polysaccharide, in their muscle tissue. This mutation is inherited, exists in many equine breeds, ...
What happens to horses with PSSM?
The interesting thing about horses with type-1 PSSM is that despite having 1.8 times more glycogen in their muscle tissue than normal horses, they suffer from energy deficits when exercised. The GYS1 mutation causes the enzyme glycogen synthases to be overly active, particularly in the presence of insulin. This can result in an almost constant ...
Why do humans use horses?
That’s because when humans historically used horses for activities such as pulling ploughs and carriages, individuals with an ability to store more muscle glycogen would likely have performed better. The difference today is that we manage our horses differently.
Do horses need carbohydrates?
When horses require additional calories to maintain a healthy body condition, these should come from fat rather than those carbohydrates. Many people think about avoiding grain but forget that most a horse’s diet is forage, and sometimes forage sources can be high in sugars. Forages should have less than 12% nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) ...
Can a type 1 horse have a cure?
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. However, through the careful implementation of a nutrition plan combined with an appropriate exercise protocol, horses with type-1 PSSM can lead active, healthy lives.
