3 Responses

1. At 26 I had my horse tested and he had elevated ACTH levels but the vet said he was not insulin resistant. He was put on Prasend and it has been a challenge getting him to take his meds. I have to keep mixing it up because he is so suspicious of the delivery methods (ie: hollowed out carrot, pill treats, apples) He’s doing well and I’m hoping he will continue to do well and not advance.

2. In August 2022 my farrier mentioned that my mare had white line disease, that he had noticed it for a while and it was growing out. My first thought is “why am I just hearing about this now?” I had recently noticed my mare occasionally feeling like she was stepping in a hole on her left fore hoof and what started as one time during a ride was increasing. I quickly hauled her into the vet. A soundness exam was rather uneventful, she had never been lame in the front, but xrays showed an entirely different story. She has mild rotation in both front coffin bones and separation of the laminae, more severely on the left. She also has side bone. The vet diagnosed her with chronic EMS, which she probably has had for many years. She was 13, I had had her for 9 years at this point. She was not what would be considered overweight. The vet recommended an alfalfa diet, exercise, and Equioxx daily. We are in Texas. Her diet had been daily turnout on grass, grass hay in AM and PM in stall, and an alfalfa based pellet. I switched her to a strictly alfalfa diet, began weighing her food, used slow feeder bags and reading everything I could on EMS. She immediately came off pasture. Her exercise level increased to almost daily workouts. She lost weight. We became much closer. Fast forward one year later, she is on a low sugar/low carb diet of pellets, alfalfa, timothy hay, and teff hay. She has morning turnout for about 2 hours and wears a muzzle. She is a good weight, sound, happy. She has learned to regulate her eating and basically free feeds when in her stall. Her insulin levels are good. But she is at risk for PPID. I took her off the Equioxx and replaced with hyaluronic acid and MSM. She also receives Camelina oil, amino acids, biotin, lysine, a supplement for her metabolism, and CBD. Her hooves are growing out beautifully (after I had the one notched to aid in healing the white line). This an extensive protocol and I know it is not for everyone. She is my last horse and I want to keep her going as long as possible. At this point she is sound and a pleasure to ride. Removing the sugar/carbs from her diet has reduced inflammation and the effects are dramatic. EMS is not the end but an inconvenient management issue, but it is manageable. I hope this helps someone and their horse.

3. My horse was diagnosed when he was 29 years old; he is now 32. I listened to a lot of advice, such as starting him slowly on Prascend. I didn’t have any issues with him, like not eating, when he started taking it. I have him tested each year to make sure the medication is working. The PPID seems to be under control thus far. My daughter and I keep him active, which I believe helps in his overall health.