My little old man is (unconfirmed) IR. He has been on Heiro for about four months. It has been a life saver. But let’s all be real, Heiro costs a fortune to feed ($65 for 30 days). Has anyone switched from Heiro to SmartPak’s Metabolean and had the same results? Or do you like Metabolean better? It looks like both have very similar ingredients.
On paper, Heiro looks like “junk science”, but it’s hard to dismiss the results too many people are getting. So that’s great to have another anecdote for that to add to my mental files 
I have a horse who is not IR, but does easily get fat on grass and has to be muzzled full time. I used Metabolean for a season, and saw no difference.
2 years ago I decided to try Uckele’s U-Balance Thyro, and it made a marked difference in his shape. He was still overweight, still muzzled, but instead of having a bit of a bloated look to him, he was more of a sausage shape, if that makes sense. Tighter maybe? Same thing last Summer, so it wasn’t just some function of the grass that first year. This year will be the 3rd Summer on that and I expect the same results.
They also have a U-Balance IR product,so you might take a look at those 2 and see how they compare to Heiro.
Maybe this thread is taking another turn…
The Heiro did wonders for his sore feet. That’s the sole purpose of it’s use. In October his feet became such an issue I contemplated euthanasia. I had the vet out twice to look at him worried he was actually foundering. Both times I was told he was not foundering.
His issue has never been weight. He’s extremely arthritic so I have to keep weight down any way. He’s on grass during the day and a dry lot at night. He has never actively foundered with me. I simply cut grain during the summer to keep weight off. He is frantic with a grazing muzzle, so I never muzzle him.
I’ve had him since he was 3. Sore feet have ALWAYS been an issue. He wore pads when he was rideable (did the hunters). He’s a 14.3 hand Quarter Horse. (HYPP N/N). He spent about a year away from me with his breeder. Other than that period I have been in charge of his daily care so I have always been able to be proactive if he starts putting on the pounds.
Maybe Smart Circulate is the way I should try to go? Or maybe I’m just seeing a really interesting placebo effect?
The purpose of Heiro is to mitigate metabolic issues as a result of insulin resistance. Any given horse may exhibit fat pad accumulation, sore feet, cresty neck, etc. The goal is to eliminate those symptoms by helping manage the underlying issue.
For your horse, clearly the symptoms you’re trying to avoid are the sore feet.
IR issues are so individual. The 2 products look different enough to me that it would be hard to say they are the “same”.But, they may both provide the same results, and the only way to know is to try.
If I were in your shoes, and wanted to try it out, I’d get the smallest amount of the Metabolean possible, and switch while you have enough Heiro left to put him back on it and wait for another order, if things go south.
Clever clever!!! Have you talked to your vet about putting him on Thyro L? It works, and it’s not expensive, and there is real science behind it. Your vet will be able to tell you if it’s appropriate for your situation.
