Care Tips for Metabolic Horse

[TFree]

Sorry this is going to be long lol, I recently purchased a 4 yr old warmblood gelding and afterwards found out the hard way that he seems to have some metabolic issues. His previous owners told me he lived out 24/7 in a group on grass pasture. I keep my horses at home, pasture from about 5 am to 8 pm and stalled overnight. Long story short after being at home for a couple of weeks he had a mild laminitic episode (no significant changes on X-rays and totally sound after 1 day of bute and coming off the pasture). His insulin levels were extremely high, the vet commented that she has never seen such high insulin levels in a young healthy horse. She is going to send a blood sample to the vet college to be run there as well to double check. Perhaps the grass at my place is higher in sugars than his previous home, he did not previously wear a muzzle or have any issues according to original owners. The only thing he was getting at my place other than pasture is netted grass hay in the stall at night, 2 cups soaked (2 cups after soaking) beet pulp with a scoop of ration balancer. And of course the occasional treat. At this point we are not totally sure what caused this, other than he maybe has EMS and he was always running really high insulin with the old owner just never quite bad enough to cause laminitis. Or something else? He could not have gotten into any feed bins or anything like that. Once the second blood test comes back from the lab I’m hoping to have a more definitive answer, it is my understanding the insulin will always run higher than normal if it is EMS? None of the other 6 horses have ever had any issues here, 3 are ottbs and 3 warmbloods ranging from 2-9 yrs old.

In the mean time here is what I am doing with him and my concerns/questions.

Turn out alone with grazing muzzle 5am-10am
I understand this to be the best time of day as far as sugars in the grass. I feel bad he doesn’t have his friends ( they promptly ripped off his grazing muzzle when I attempted group turnout) he can see them and seems unbothered to be on his own. I hate how much time he spends in his stall. Would overnight turnout be a better idea? Maybe depending on what the insulin results are? What would you do in the fall/early winter when the mornings are frosty? At what point in the fall/winter is the “dead” grass safe to be on?

I don’t have a dry lot, we rent our farm and I don’t know how happy the owners would be to create one. If we were to try that how does one go about it? Going from grass to dirt I mean, I was thinking rototill but then wouldn’t they still just dig through and eat the grass? This is probably a non issue lol Boarding out is not an option, I am kind of in the middle of nowhere and just don’t have the time to go elsewhere to ride him on top of work and maintaining the rest of the horses at home.

He gets netted Timothy hay all day inside with a buddy (alternating buddies daily) he is still getting a small amount of soaked beet pulp, no ration balancer just a multivitamin/mineral supplement. How do you ensure these horses have adequate nutrition to build muscle and have energy to work, build topline etc? He has already dropped quite a bit of weight in the last couple weeks and once back to work I don’t know how to maintain him safely. I have seen feeds marketed towards IR horses etc, but it just seems like if moving from one huge grass pasture to another is enough to trigger it then I would be terrified of feeding any grain.

Treats? What can they have? I don’t train with treats but I always like to give them something when catching from outside or the stall and after a ride, getting into the trailer etc. what are some good items or brand of treats for these guys? (I live in northern Alberta Canada and mostly order everything online from tack shops- feed store has limited options and no low sugar treats)

I’m sure I am forgetting a few things and probably some important details to the story lol, my brain is fried because I have been obsessing and stressing over all this for the past few weeks. Thanks for any ideas, suggestions, experiences etc.

[Ottb5627]

As someone who keeps a small herd at home I feel your pain, this sounds like a major disruption to the routine and a lot of extra work, but that is fabulous to have caught it early enough to have no lasting damage.

I can’t help with how to put in a dry lot and not sure if I was a property owner how I’d feel about tearing up a grass paddock/pasture lol. But it sure would be the easiest solution. How big is the smallest paddock? Is there anywhere you could make a temp dry lot with round pen panels or something?

I am also in Alberta and not sure what your area is like but I’ve heard there are more horses having issues this year due to the drought, the grass being stressed causing high sugar.

Once you figure out the insulin levels I think it would be worth consulting an equine nutritionist regarding his diet moving forward.

[Dbliron]

There’s a low-sugar horse treat available in Alberta, from Sisters’ Horse Treats. They have a FB page, and they are very responsive. I have two horses with PPID, and they get their Prascend and Prevequine in these treats, and do very well with them. I think they’re in Stettler, or close to it, and they ship quickly and well. The treats can be frozen, so you can keep them for ages, and only thaw one week’s worth at a time. You might want, if you are able, to have your hay tested, as some grass hays are very high in sugar. Soaking can help, but you will lose some nutritional value, so having the hay tested is worthwhile. Soaked hay in winter in northern Alberta (even southern BC if you’re not on the coast) is pretty hard to manage. What ration balancer do you use? Some manufacturers, like Otter Co-op, have nutritionists on staff who are ready, willing and able to help you sort out diet.

[OzarksRider]

Have you tried ways to keep other horses from taking your horse’s muzzle off? I use Greenguard muzzles, and I know they can suggest solutions to this problem, such as a neck collar or a strap down the center of the face. I bet if you can find a way to keep the muzzle on, the other horses will eventually quit trying. Every spring my two guys spend a few days trying to get each other’s muzzles off and then eventually give it up. If you could solve this problem your horse could spend more time with his buddies.

[PaddockWood]

I’m so sorry you are dealing with this and yes, you missed a bullet. Whew. It’s a reminder for all of us with EMS horses to keep them muzzled. I hate muzzles but the thought of laminitis is a nightmare.

Can you test your hay and pasture? That would be so good to do and know those numbers. Curious, what was the insulin number?

I’ve been dealing w EMS for 20 yrs now. You might already know but a game changer to bring down insulin is galloping so when your guy gets going you could probably bring that number down with exercise.

I’ve done nutritional consults over the years (two w Dr. Kellon, and then Patty (one of her affiliates) and then this year w Martha Faraday. What I’ve been so suprised to see is how good my EMS mare looks this year on her nutritional program. It includes 1/2 lb/day Coolstance Copra and 2 oz/day Flax Oil and we’re off soy. She’s not hungry like she used to be and hasn’t gained the weight she normally does. She is muzzled too. I’m soaking hay pellets and adding KIS trace minerals, in addition to magnesium, Vitamin E when the pasture isn’t green, 1tlbs salt/day.

You could feed Tri Aminos for your topline - I really noticed a positive difference on that when I got my new horse and he was in fairly poor condition. He developed a beautiful back muscle on that and I was only lunging him (using the whole arena).

We’ve gone to Lean Muscle by Immunbiome now because he was dx’s PSSM2. You might consider that too? Seems it’s more expensive though.

I feed the Oregano Mint treats from Hilton Herbs and my kids love them.

Keep us posted and good luck.

[anon68314200]

Exercise helps tremendously. There are low carb ‘large pellet’ type treats available by most tack outlets these days. It is a common issue for horse owners. It is a good idea to recheck the insulin levels regularly. That is the best way to know if you have to maintain a very strict management routine, or if you can allow more time out with friends.

I manage a handful of horses with muzzles. There is a throat strap that can be added, but it’s not much help if ‘friends’ remove the muzzle by other means.

It is a blessing that your horse is happy out alone. So you can take comfort in that. As for the stall time, lots of exercise is the best remedy.

[Texarkana]

I feel your pain, too.

Some ideas (that I never actually do myself but have considered):

Can you make a track system with electric tape and step in posts? He’d wear the grass down quickly. It would keep him moving more than a stall. Landlord may or may not approve of wearing down a track.

Is there a reason you are avoiding a ration balancer? A pound really shouldn’t set off a metabolic episode. Also, even a controlled amount of alfalfa (pellets, cubes, or actual hay) would increase his protein.

Standlee has apple berry flavored hay cube treats available in the US that are low sugar. Not sure if you can get them. Plain hay cubes make good treats. Also, almonds are what someone suggested to me years ago and horses surprisingly like them.

[Bristol_Bay]

You may get some answers here:

main groups.io Group

I make treats from flax seed, unsweetened applesauce, and cinnamon. I buy the cheapest huge jar of applesauce and freeze it in snack baggies in 1/2 cup portions. I use my stand mixer to stir it.

How to make treats for insulin resistant IR horse

Your horse can have some alfalfa, so maybe get some pellets and give him a few pounds a day to keep his weight on. Beet pulp is okay also so you can keep that up.

When I bought my horse he looked “metabolic” and tested IR and low thyroid. He was obese, had been on a pure alfalfa diet, but fortunately never had laminitis. It’s scary! I agree with the poster who said that grass will have a higher sugar content in drought years.

Living in SoCal, trust me when I say that horses do fine without grass pastures. Do whatever you need to do for his health and soundness.

[Peggy]

Mine has no trouble maintaining weight on forage (in hay bag clipped inside feeder), rice bran, flax, beet pulp, CoolStance, and a bit of either bermuda pellets or hay cubes that are a mix of grass hay of some sort with a bit of alfalfa. Vitamins and minerals come from Vermont Blend which has no fillers. But mine is 13, not 4.

Like a previous poster I am in Southern California which is essentially a giant dry lot much of the year.

[Huntin_Pony]

You may want to watch this webinar with Dr. Joyce Harman. She has helped me to manage my horse with a similar situation. His insulin went back down with her supplement and he is being managed much the same as my other horses at this point (w/muzzle).

No. 33. Dr. Joyce Harman, Harmany Equine Clinic Holistic Veterinarian talks...

See also Harmany’s OB formula.

[Weezer]

I have a metabolic mini. It took me a few years of trial and error to find a balance, but we’ve got it now. I also don’t have a dry lot but she does really well in a small pen where she keeps the grass chewed down super short. They say short grass is more concentrated in sugar, but she’s never gotten laminitic from being just in there. The fence line for her pen is approximately 300 linear feet of electric fencing with a solar fencer. If you can invest in something like that, your horse may be happier being outside all the time.

My mini is out in the main pasture with a muzzle on for a few hours each day and I watch her like a hawk for early symptoms of founder. As soon as she starts to have the slightest hesitation in her gait, I pull her off the pasture for a couple of weeks and put her on previcox. I find previcox to be much more effective than bute for laminitis. With the blessing of my vet, she is actually on a low dose of previcox all season. That does gets doubled for a week or so if she shows early symptoms of laminitis. This approach has allowed her to be on grass fairly regularly without significant laminitis. Before I found this balance, there were a few times that she foundered so badly that the vet recommended euthanasia. But we are a few years removed from that now, so I’m glad we pushed through.

Winter laminitis was also a major problem for her so now all winter she wears hoof boots with knee-high socks underneath, and waterproof polo wrap covers to keep her legs warm. With that, she never founders in the winter anymore, whereas her longest, most excruciating bouts of founder has been three winters in a row previously.

It’s great that your guy is at home because you can keep an eye on him and tweak things as necessary to find the balance for him. I promise you that you will find that balance. My mini went from being the worst case of chronic founder my vet had ever seen to being sound consistently. It just took time, patience, and a lot of tears!

Good luck!

[Arlomine]

Can you speak to comparing the consultations with Dr Kellon VS Patty? Same advise? Vastly different? Did one work better than the other?

[PaddockWood]

Those consults were 25 yrs ago so pretty distant in memory. Both nice to work with and helpful. It was testing hay and pasture and balancing minerals and getting vitamins - that’s what I recall. I got an excel spreadsheet and then learned to load my own data. Does that help?

[candyappy]

My mare is also in need of intensive management and her issues surfaced at 4. She is almost 19 now and she had 1 very mild laminitis episode after a 16 hour trailer ride , move and going from pasture to dry lot living all in 1 day.

She can have grass unmuzzled and I muzzle her as needed due to grass conditions and I watch her weight and how she moves on a daily basis . She has side bone which causes her lameness issues on occasion but that is different than her acting at all " ouchy" if on grass.

If you are up to the task they can be managed. Try mowing an area as short and possible , fence with panels and he will have it down to dirt in no time and keep it that way. Better than being stalled so much.

[TFree]

Thanks for the treat recommendation I checked out their page and will have to place an order I was using the Proform Step 7 ration balancer. I pulled him off because I saw molasses in the ingredients and panicked lol to be totally honest

[TFree]

They actually broke the leather piece of the breakaway halter, twice. Lol I am not there to supervise the entire time he is outside so I am afraid now to leave them together. And don’t have an unlimited supply of replacement breakaway pieces lol

[FjordBCRF]

My gelding isn’t metabolic, but being a fjord he is predisposed and an easy keeper. The first spring I had him he came up with mild laminitis; no rotation, but needed about 3 months to fully recover. From that point on, Ive treated him as if he though he is. Here is his day, I try and keep his forage intake in his stall 1.5% of his BW knowing he gets hay in the pasture:

AM/PM meals

• 2 kitchen measuring cups beet pulp shreds (I weighed once and it’s pretty negligible)
• 1 serving Vermont Blend Pro
• 1 serving Omega E (flax + vit E)
• 1 serving TractGuard
• 1 serving Apple a Day electrolytes (amount dependent on season)
• 1 serving One AC
• 10 tabs Zyrtec (AM only)
• 1 flake first cutting hay AM; 2 flakes first cutting hay PM in extreme slow feed net

Lunch - 1 measuring cup beet pulp; 1 flake first cutting hay in extreme slow feed net

He gets turned out from 7AMish to 2PM with a grazing muzzle on a mostly dry lot with hay thrown out so that is harder to keep tabs on. Our flakes are on the lighter side as well.

Overnight his auto feeder dispenses 2-3oz of hay pellets each hour so he doesn’t ever have an empty stomach…it totals about 3 lbs/night.

I usually get to the barn around 5-6PM each evening and ride and fuss around with him for at least 2 hours. I’ll turn him out for a little bit extra if Im going to be doing chores for a bit or need to run an errand. He is in moderate work? He gets ridden 5-6 days a week - Mondays are training rides if we aren’t coming off a show. Thursdays are lessons. The other days I will trail ride, arena ride/WE obstacles, and I will throw in a drive with him every now and then too. He has been maintaining his weight well.

[TFree]

I guess I shouldn’t assume he is metabolic, I’m hoping the follow up blood results will give more of an explanation. He wasn’t obese when I got him but he was a little fat for sure and not in overly hard work. But yes either way I will also be treating him as such.

[FjordBCRF]

I started pulling bloodwork annually just to keep tabs and try to get ahead of anything should it pop up.

[MadTrotter]

What muzzle are you using? I have a super laminitis prone pony and he foundered wearing a green guard. This is the only style that is restrictive enough and won’t come off. I also try to keep him somewhat active and if he does have an episode, my vet said first line banamine followed by previcox is better than bute.