Obesity: Big-Boned Beastie
Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM
August 1, 2008
Obese horses should be taken off pasture, except for very short (30-minute) turnout periods two or three times a day for
Obese horses should be taken off pasture, except for very short (30-minute) turnout periods two or three times a day for
Insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance in horses have become increasingly important areas of research in equine medicine over the past several years, as evidenced by the timely and popular presentations at this year’s American College of
Does your horse have a cresty neck? Does he gain weight on air? Does he develop laminitis at the mere sight of spring grass? If so, your horse could have insulin resistance. Lydia F. Gray, DVM, MA, medical director/staff veterinarian for SmartPa
The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) Right Weight Road Show will be fighting the flab on the road this spring. The Right Weight Road Show is a campaign to hel
Insulin resistance, the body’s inability to control blood sugar levels with normal amounts of insulin, is known to be associated with equine obesity, altered reproductive function, and pasture-associated laminitis. In addition, insulin resistance
Researchers from Tennessee recently reported that daily administration of a high dose of levothyroxine sodium–a synthetic thyroid hormone supplement–for 48 weeks resulted in significant weight loss and an improvement in horses’ insulin
“Not all obese individuals are insulin-resistant, and not all IR-affected horses are obese. But IR-associated medical problems are more likely to develop in concert with obesity in individuals born with IR,” said Nat Messer, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, an
Insulin resistance is a part of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). There are three criteria for identifying the horse with EMS: Insulin resistance, prior (founder lines) or current laminitis, and general obesity or regional adiposity (areas of abnormal
More than half of 300 horses involved in a study at at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech were found to be overweight or obese.
A team of researchers in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech have determined that horses are facing serious health risks because of obesity.
Of the 300
Management of insulin resistance might lower the risk of laminitis, and one of the cornerstones of management is diet. ?Think of these horses as being in a prediabetic state,? said Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of
Glucocorticoids have been implicated as a cause of both laminitis and IR. “Our team has been interested in the role that glucocorticoids (corticosteroid drugs or hormones that are involved in carbohydrate metabolism and the body’s response
Owners need to control obesity now by properly managing horses’ diets and increasing exercise levels.
In obese horses insulin resistance might also contribute to widespread inflammation and, thus, vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels), which is the case in human metabolic syndrome.
What exactly does stored fat do to a horse’s body? It wreaks serious havoc on at least 11 vital body functions. Nat Messer, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, an associate professor of equine medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri (UM), presented a
The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), a U.K. equine welfare charity, has organized a campaign to help horse owners accurately measure their horses’ weight and design nutrition plans to keep the pounds in check.
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