Can EMS in horses be cured? Many horses respond well to management through diet and exercise. Horses that are “easy-keepers” or have persistently high insulin levels can be more challenging to manage and may require medical treatments. Although proper treatment can reduce clinical signs,
there is no “cure” for EMS
.
Can you reverse EMS in horses?
Thankfully,
EMS can be reversed, but only with a lot of hard work
. Horses with EMS are very, very hard to diet – so it takes real dedication to get the job done. It involves a serious permanent lifestyle change. Your vet and a nutritionist will help you plan a tailor-made diet for your horse.
How do you treat a horse with equine metabolic syndrome?
Because most horses with EMS are overweight, the mainstay of treatment involves management changes that promote weight loss. These include
reducing overall calorie intake, dietary sugar restriction, and increased exercise
. Typically, grain and pasture grazing are eliminated during the initial weight loss phase.
Is EMS reversible?
Is EMS reversible? In theory,
yes, EMS is both preventable and reversible
. EMS is not a disease, but a collection of factors that increase the risk of endocrinopathic laminitis.
How do you prevent metabolic syndrome in horses?
Reduce calorie intake and eliminate simple sugars (carbohydrates)
. Feed moderate quality grass hay at 11⁄2 % of ideal weight. You can test the hay for the amount of simple carbohydrates, if the horse is severely affected or not responding to diet well.
How do you manage a horse with EMS?
Horses with, or at risk of, EMS
should be fed a diet that is low in soluble sugars and starches
. In many cases this means feeding forage with a high fibre and low sugar level only; most native breeds do not require hard feed to maintain their condition.
Is EMS the same as Cushings?
In general, Cushings affects older horses, whereas EMS first develops in young and middle-aged animals.
Although they are two separate conditions, they can overlap
. All breeds are susceptible but ponies are most at risk.
Can EMS be cured?
Although proper treatment can reduce clinical signs,
there is no “cure” for EMS
.
What should you feed a horse with EMS?
Feed vitamins, minerals and antioxidants:
Horses and ponies with EMS do not need large amounts of a concentrate feed but they still require a fully balanced diet to support health and well-being. Feeding a
low intake, low calorie, protein, vitamin and mineral balancer
is ideal.
What do you feed a horse with metabolic syndrome?
Avoid high-potassium feeds such as alfalfa hay, brome hay, canola oil, soybean meal or oil, and molasses. Feed
timothy or Bermuda grass hay, beet pulp, or grains such as oats, corn, wheat and barley
. Pasture is usually OK.
Can horse insulin resistance be reversed?
Obese horses and ponies have a higher chance of developing health issues such as insulin dysregulation, a prominent characteristic of metabolic syndrome.
Whether or not insulin dysregulation can be reversed once it develops remains unclear, but one recently published study suggests that it can
.
Can you breed from a mare with EMS?
As a result of EMS, they are at high risk of developing laminitis, a very painful inflammatory in the tissues around the hoof.
Any breed can be affected by EMS
; however, those most predisposed include: Warmbloods, Arabian horses, Welsh, Dartmoor and Shetland ponies.
What hay is best for insulin resistant horses?
Timothy grass hay
is a good choice for insulin-resistant horses because it tends to be lower in starch, and Orchardgrass and Alfalfa are also great selections when you need to monitor the amount of starch that your horse is consuming.
Can EMS cause colic in horses?
EMS horses may also have increased inflammatory responses. Obesity commonly associated with EMS horses can have negative effects on the body, including the formulation of pedunculated lipomas (benign tumors on the connective tissue of the intestine), which
can lead to intestinal colic
.
Is equine metabolic syndrome the same as laminitis?
The inability to metabolize carbohydrates, also known as insulin dysregulation, is the key problem in horses with equine metabolic syndrome.
High blood insulin concentrations lead to laminitis
, which in turn can lead to devastating lameness, loss of use, and death.
How long should you soak hay for EMS?
⏱ For ESM, hay should be soaked for
5 to 10 hours
Although this is a rare metabolic disease, EMS is characterized by weight gain as well as a permanent and abnormal increase in blood glucose and insulin levels.
What can mimic Cushing’s in horses?
Given the similarities in between EMS and Cushing’s, horses with
regional adiposity and laminitis
should be tested for Cushing’s in addition to EMS, especially horses over 15 years of age with the clinical signs described above. Insulin resistance can be attributed to EMS if there is no evidence of Cushing’s.
Is there a test for EMS in horses?
Young to middle aged horses with regional or general adiposity are characteristic of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Diagnosis is dependent on history, physical exam, and diagnostic tests. The diagnostic tests presently recommended for diagnosis and follow up of EMS are:
Insulin, the Oral Sugar Test (OST), and Leptin
.
Do all Cushings horses get laminitis?
Equine Cushing’s cases always develop laminitis if they live long enough
. They may become immunosuppressed and subject to a variety of parasitic or infectious agents such as helminthiasis or pneumonia. Many cases show muscle loss and become polydipsic and polyphagic; they may be diabetic.
How do you treat insulin resistance in horses?
Feeding & Management:
Treatment for insulin resistance may consist of the following: Weight loss through diet and exercise if the animal is obese. Limiting carbohydrate (sugar/starch) intake through elimination of grain and high sugar feeds. Test pastures and hay for amounts of sugars present.
Can EMS horses eat grass?
Grass is high in sugar content, and thus
potentially dangerous for horses with EMS
. Grass tends to have the most sugars in spring and fall and tends to accumulate sugar throughout the day on sunny days.
Is alfalfa OK for metabolic horses?
Alfalfa can be an excellent addition to most horses’ diets, even for those that are insulin resistant (IR)
. I often recommend feeding it because it boosts the overall protein quality of a grass-hay diet and, in general, enhances the horse’s muscle tone, immune system and overall health.
Is alfalfa safe for metabolic horses?
Horses diagnosed with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are typically overweight. Daily exercise and diet revision will help slim down horses. “
Alfalfa is one component that can be safely removed from the diet of metabolic horses
.
Is beet pulp good for insulin-resistant horses?
For insulin-resistant horses,
beet pulp is a good choice because it does not cause a significant glycemic response as it is being digested
. Despite its low-carbohydrate status, it can help put weight on some thin horses through the energy that is released when it is fermented in the hindgut.
Can an insulin-resistant horse eat grass?
Grass is the most natural food for horses, but
fresh grass can be your worst enemy if you have an insulin resistant (IR) horse
.
What does metformin do for horses?
Conclusions: Metformin resulted in
reduced glycaemic and insulinaemic responses
both in healthy horses and in horses with experimentally induced IR. Potential relevance: Metformin may benefit horses with naturally acquired IR by reducing glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to dietary nonstructural carbohydrates.
How do you manage EMS?
Reducing calorie intake and increasing physical activity
are key to reducing weight and improving insulin sensitivity
1 , 2
, which is a primary goal in the treatment for EMS. Exercise significantly improves the uptake of glucose by muscles and decreases blood sugar levels.
Is EMS the same as insulin resistance?
Currently EMS describes horses and ponies with evidence of obesity, insulin resistance and laminitis
(clinical evidence of laminitis, physical appearance of the hoof and/or radiographic evidence of laminitis).
Which hay is lowest in sugars?
How much hay should an insulin-resistant horse eat?
Your horse, if not getting any fresh grass, will need 2% of its body weight in hay daily. A normal 1,000 pound horse needs 20 pounds of hay daily. In most insulin-resistant horses, we’re trying to reduce weight, so feed less hay (
1.8% or 18 pounds of hay
).
Are Oats good for insulin-resistant horses?
Oats are the grain which are highest in fibre and lowest in sugar and starch of all the cereal grains fed to horses, so they are
least likely to cause insulin spikes
and blood sugar fluctuations, as well as hindgut and/or behavioural issues.
Can EMS ponies have grass?
When is it time to put a laminitic horse down?
In the most severe cases the horses will lie down
as their feet are too painful to bear weight
. An acute new episode or flare up of laminitis is a veterinary emergency and an equine vet should be called to assess any horse with suspected laminitis as a matter of urgency.
How do I get rid of my horses Cresty neck?
Addressing underlying metabolic issues,
increasing exercise and feeding a lower-calorie diet
will support weight loss and help you get rid of your horse’s cresty neck. Once your horse has reached a moderate body condition score of 4-5, excess fat along the neck should be eliminated or significantly reduced.
Can laminitis in horses be cured?
Laminitis is a crippling condition which can be fatal in severe cases. Once a horse has had an episode of laminitis, they are particularly susceptible to future episodes.
Laminitis can be managed but not cured
which is why prevention is so important.
Is cinnamon good for horses?
Antioxidant-rich Cinnamon is a great digestive aid that can help balance blood sugar levels, making it especially useful for equines prone to weight gain
. Use to support healthy digestion, particularly in good doers.
