Nutritional Consulting

Cushing’s disease is the most common endocrine disorder diagnosed in horses. Although Cushing’s disease in horses carries the same name as a similar disorder that affects people and dogs, the disease process is different because the equine version affects a different aspect of the pituitary gland. Endocrine disorders are those that affect the production of hormones.

Horses and ponies diagnosed with PPID/Cushing’s Disease should be fed a low sugar and starch diet. As alfalfa is naturally low in both sugar and starch, there are a number of feeds in our range that are suitable. Your horse’s diet should be balanced and provide a level of energy appropriate to your horse’s condition and workload – not all horses with PPID/Cushing’s Disease are overweight.

Gastric, or stomach, ulcers are sores that form on the stomach lining. They are common in horses, with the prevalence estimated between 50 and 90%.

They can affect any horse at any age but occur most frequently in horses that perform athletic activities such as racing, endurance, and showing. When horses exercise, the acidic fluid in the stomach splashes and exposes the upper, more vulnerable portion of the stomach to an acidic pH.

When horses are fed two times per day, which is common in many boarding situations, the stomach is subjected to a prolonged period without feed to neutralize the acid. In addition, high-grain diets produce volatile fatty acids that can also contribute to the development of ulcers.

Dietary changes often include the addition of at least some alfalfa into the diet, feeding a small amount of alfalfa 30 minutes prior to intense exercise, and corn oil under veterinary guidance.

Insulin is a hormone involved in the regulation of glucose (sugar) levels in the blood and tissues of the body.  In response to feeding, insulin is secreted by the pancreas into the blood stream. Insulin in the blood stream directs the glucose (sugar) absorbed from the food into the body’s tissues including liver, fat and muscle.  Insulin resistance occurs when insulin no longer has a normal effect on the tissues. In the insulin resistant horse, the pancreas releases insulin into the blood stream, and the insulin arrives at the tissues and binds the cells, however the glucose enters the tissue cells at a much lower rate than normal. This lower rate of glucose uptake into tissues results in higher levels of blood glucose.

For horses of good weight that are insulin resistant, calorie source becomes critical. These horses should also be fed low-sugar hay – either hay that has been tested to have low sugar (low non-structural carbohydrate), and/or hay that has been soaked. If these horses need additional calories to maintain weight, more hay should be offered, perhaps along with other high-fibre types of feeds, such as beet pulp (without molasses!) or rice bran. Adding in additional oil can also provide calories while being low in sugar, and total fat intake is still lower than what we might see in human diets.

ID horses should not be fed typical grain mixes that are high in corn, as corn is very high in starch.

Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO), also known as heaves, broken wind, and chronic airway reactivity, is a common respiratory disease of horses characterized by airway narrowing (bronchoconstriction), mucus production, and bronchospasm.

Soaking hay and feed in water prior to feeding may alleviate the signs in mildly affected individuals; however, soaked hay may still exacerbate respiratory signs in more severely affected cases. Moderate to severely affected horses should have all hay removed from the diet and be transitioned to a complete pelleted feed.

Equine exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER), often referred to as “tying-up”, is a clinical syndrome characterized by painful muscle contractures with exercise and skeletal muscle fiber necrosis.

The diet should be adjusted to include a balanced vitamin and mineral supplement, high-quality hay, and a minimum of carbohydrates such as grain and sweet feed. Dietary fat supplements may help to maintain weight in nervous fillies without providing excessive carbohydrates.