DIET FOR SHIVERS/EPSM

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littlewhittle

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Hi There

Does anyone have there horse on the high fat diet for shivers or EPSM? I need to put my horse on it but it's so bloody confusing. What food/supplements do you actually have to feed & what quantity for a 17h warmblood?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, i have been on the rural heritage site and still a bit confused!!

Thanks
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my lad is on a version of it.

he gets selenium and vit e NAF supplement and pink powder both as directed on the tub, and a cupful of sunflower oil.

he has no hard feed, just happy hoof (chaff)


he's a lot better on it, really pleased
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If you're on the proper EPSM diet I think you up the oil.

there's some more information here too

http://newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138781&highlight=epsm
 
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Can you read this? Its a scan of the magazine article. I have loads of emails to decipher. Would you like her email address? I am permitted to give it out and she is pssionate about this. She has saved the life of one of our rescues - and i was doing research to help someone else. I will try and put something together properly. Some of my info seems to have gone for a walk. When we do lectures i put literature out. I did put a note not to remove the shivers info. Shivers and Stringhalt all come under this by the way.
Beth did this aricle for us in Equestrian Life magazine - one of my proud moments.
 
http://www.ruralheritage.com/vet_clinic/epsmsigns.htm have a look at the rest of the EPSM stuff on Rural Heritage.

As a general rule, any feed that is suitable for laminitics will do as a base for the oil. Low sugar, low starch stuff.

Limit grass intake in the summer, even this source of sugar needs to be watched.

Start adding the oil slowly. Build up to the full quntity over weeks or months. The horse has to learn to taste the feed, not the molasses and cerials that are in 'normal' feed.

Feedmark's selenium suplement works out the cheapst. You need to keep track of all sources of fat and selenium in your horses diet. Some comercial feeds contain selenium and it can be toxic if fed at high levels... however horses fed over 250ml of oil a day need it.

If your horse goes through the EPSM hunger strike, drop the level of oil and then build up again. You can use mint or fenugreek seeds to stimulate apetite. Adding a tablespoon of salt also makes it nicer. The important thing is getting the oil in to them, if you need to add a bit of sweet feed to get them eating, don't panic because you can wean them off it later.

Avoid carrots, apples, molassed salt licks, lickits etc.

Remember that the EPSM therapy is diet AND EXERCISE therapy. Maximum turnout and exercise within the horses comfort zone are as important as the feed. The horse must stay on the diet and exercise program every day for the rest of its life. Don't even concider breeding from an EPSM /Shivers horse.

There is thought to be a link between shivers and EPSM. However, it is a condition that very little is known about. No one knows if the Shivers is a manifestation of EPSM or if horses with EPSM are more likely to get shivers as an unrelated condition.

Prof Valberg has looked in to EPSM (but gives it another name) This is her take on shivers... http://www.cvm.umn.edu/umec/lab/shivers.html

You have nothing to loose by trying the diet and exercise therapy. Get in touch with Dr Beth, she is lovely!
 
I have a horse with shivers.
He was very poor when i first bought him, so after speaking to Beth Valentine, I put him on the high oil diet. For 4 years he had a 1lt bottle of corn oil a day. His condition improved everyday and in the end i was able to affiliate him in the lower dressage levels.
After a while he refused to eat the oil feeds. I battled with ways to get it in his system, but in the end i had to change his diet with fingers and toes crossed. I have to say there has been no change since and at times he has even been on micro feed.
The biggest thing that helps him is MSM. He is perm on a loading dose. I can always tell if the groom has been forgetting to put it in there.

pm me if you would like a proper chat, as ive been managing a horse with this condition for 8 years now x
 
I feed my boy Allen and Page 'Fast Fibre' which i add his oil to and his vits and mins. This is very simple and as Low-cal as I can get it. he eats it with enthusiasm so I can't be going too far wroong.

Twice a day he has 300g of FF, soaked, then 350mil rapeseed oil. He is 650 -700kg so has about 1ml oil per kg horse. Vits and mins need to be high in Vit E ~ 1IU per lb of horse (sorry about the units but I go off what the American sites say and they are still imperial!)

My boy hates soya oil so I feed a low odour one ie veg/rapeseed oil.

He also hated the high oil feeds which would need to be fed at too high a level for my fatty if they were to provide all his oil needs.

Let me know if I can help any further.

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my boy with shivers was on alfa oil, its difficult getting lots of oil into them as your feeds go like slop!! the high oil content in the dengie alfa oil helps with this!
 
There are also some homeopathic treatments that can help I believe. I had a horse with it some years ago now so can't remember what tabs we were sent but I used someone who was recommended for homeopathic remedies on horses from Leicestershire.

Good luck.
 
vennessa said:
Beth.Valentine@oregonstate.edu I have put it on here as she is happy for anyone to contact her. She can help you with your exact needs and likes to be kept updated.
If you don't mind pm me your address i can post info to you as i have some from someone else. Easier tp photocopy and post as there is lots.
Anyone else interested also.
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Hi,

I'm not sure when you wrote this post so it might be a long shot asking for the information but any information you have and could send me would be brilliant? My mare has shivers and although it doesn't seem to cause her any problems I am keen to learn more about it as I would like to know whether I should change her diet in the hope that it will prevent the shiver getting any worse or if she is fine as she is until I see a change in her if it changes. There are lots of things I ask myself and feel research is the best way to find answers although some things I read do worry me more than prepare me for what I may have ahead. Anyway if you could send me any information you have it would be greatly appriciated :-) nicwatson5152@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks

Nicola
 
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