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
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
Couple consistent exercise with controlled calorie intake to promote weight loss in overweight horses.
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.
If your horse gains weight eating air, founders on grass every spring, and has a cresty neck, he could be insulin resistant. Insulin resistance is part of an equine health issue called Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS).
Equine Metabolic
Horses lose weight for a variety of reasons–some medical, some man-made. Learn why your horse might be underweight and what you can do about it.
Have your veterinarian perform a complete physical examination to rule-out medical diseases or
A group of veterinarians gathered at the Land O’ Lakes Purina Mills headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., last fall to participate in discussions on subjects that ranged from Cushing’s disease to proper nutrition for horses young and old. Nicholas Frank,
Low-carb has found its way into equine diets, with owners demanding feed products with low carb levels.
A group of 4-H club members are devoting their holiday break to helping two veterinarians and others feed and care for seven seriously malnourished horses rescued from a Dayton-area farm.
Members of the Making Strides 4-H Club started preparin
An archive of Pet Columns from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is available online at www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/. Requests for reprints of this article may be directed to Mandy Barth,
Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have reported in a pilot study that a bee pollen-based product shows promise in improving athletic horses’ feed intake.
A horse’s nutrient requirements increase with cold weather; he needs more calories to generate heat to keep warm. Mature horses in good condition usually don’t need grain, however, if they have good winter pasture or grass hay.
Researchers have completed the new National Research Council (NRC) report that describes nutritional requirements of the horse. The report is expected to be released this fall to update the previous publication, which was distributed in 1989.
We’ve all seen horses that are a little, shall we say — heavy. But what exactly is heavy? What determines if a horse is thin? Sure, it’s easy to point out those horses at either of the extremes, but for those in between there can be gray areas.
Sometimes it’s challenging to keep weight on a horse. A hyperactive horse might burn off too many calories to stay in optimum body condition, while an old broodmare with digestive inefficiency can lose weight during the stress of lactation.
Q: My 14-year-old mare has severe obesity problems. The veterinarian ruled out Cushing’s disease because she does not exhibit the typical Cushing’s traits. I am afraid to work her for fear that any
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