EMS and metformin

[debsflo]

My mini has tested positive for ems and as well as management changes have been advised to start Metformin and retest in 6 weeks. Vet has advised 7 tablets twice a day. Interested in any experience of either ems and/ or metformin please.

 

[Wagtail]

Definitely helped my mare to lose weight, but didn't help with the laminitis. I think it's a useful drug if they are overweight.

 

[TelH]

My 13hh 19yo gelding tested positive for ems some time ago and the vet said he should be on metformin for the rest of his life. I mix the tablets in with fast fibre for him to eat. He is on a low sugar, low starch, high fibre diet, turned out daily on fairly poor grazing and has his hay well soaked. I add oil to his feed for extra calories as he tends to be a little on the light side of good and he has a general vit/min supplement. He is in fairly light work, a bit of hacking and schooling and I show him in hand in veterans classes. Fingers crossed this is working for him, he hasn't had laminitis since being on the metformin.

 

[debsflo]

She is only slightly on the larger size ,only real signs are fatty eye sockets and this first episode of laminitis. Tested borderline for cushings 29 and resting insulin is 300.

 

[Rocky01]

have a look at st.hippolyt feed, They do a feed called Equigard that is specifically designed to help ems and cushings. They also do some supplements that help and they have scientific proof to back up their claims. I know both my boys (although not tested) lost all their fat pads and look 10x better on equigard and structur-e (the high energy addition) than they have in a long long time.

 

[JLD]

My 13.2 Welsh x got laminitis last year. He does put weight on but is carefully managed and wasn't fat at all when he got it. Despite keeping the weight off and being on restricted grazing and soaked hay he still got a bit footy ( only to the obsessive eye but I watch him like a hawk !) a few weeks ago when the grass started growing he went back in metformin and was better within a few days. I was sceptical but am prepared to accept I think it helped. His bloods were negative for EMS and cushings but he is a native who puts weight on overnight and has a strong genetic history of bad laminitis at a fairly early age so me and the vet work on the basis EMS is a given even with normal bloods.

 

[debsflo]

My 13.2 Welsh x got laminitis last year. He does put weight on but is carefully managed and wasn't fat at all when he got it. Despite keeping the weight off and being on restricted grazing and soaked hay he still got a bit footy ( only to the obsessive eye but I watch him like a hawk !) a few weeks ago when the grass started growing he went back in metformin and was better within a few days. I was sceptical but am prepared to accept I think it helped. His bloods were negative for EMS and cushings but he is a native who puts weight on overnight and has a strong genetic history of bad laminitis at a fairly early age so me and the vet work on the basis EMS is a given even with normal bloods.

What dose do you have him on ?

 

[JLD]

He is on 8 tablets twice a day. I break them up in an old pestle and mortar we had a hanging around and feed it with a handful of anti lam balancer and oat straw chaff. He's not overly impressed but eats it if nothing else is on offer !

 

[lelly]

I had metformin for my Shetland who has Cushing's and is insulin resistant. We used to grind them in a coffee bean grinder and put them in her feed. They didn't really do a lot for her so vet decided to take her off them. She is now on magnesium oxide and salt and her insulin levels are normal.

 

[Leo Walker]

I'm on metformin as I'm a Type 1 diabetic and have insulin resistance, so not that dissimilar to horses. It tastes vile and is horrible to transition on to but it makes a massive difference to me. If I ever stop taking it, it takes about 6 weeks to take full effect. I'd give it 3 months to see if it makes a difference

 

[foraday]

My pony has been EMS for 7 years now

He's on 15 so 8 in the morning and 7 in the evening. I crush them up and dissolve them in no sugar juice as he is on them for life and I don't want to 'poison' his handfull of chaff

He's on high protein haylage and he's great!

He did finally test positive for cushings last year despite looking very cushings for all the EMS years.

We removed grass from his diet as well as we cannot control those sugars and he just would not get stable on grass, so made the bold step of saying ok quality of life not quantity made a woodchip pen and ad lib haylage and 4 mini feeds of chaff which have all his herbal remedies in and he's still with us.

As people say it takes a while to get into the system and it works by not allowing the intestines absorb sugars, very clever drug and cheap as well thankfully!

 

[MileAMinute]

I'm on metformin as I'm a Type 1 diabetic and have insulin resistance, so not that dissimilar to horses. It tastes vile and is horrible to transition on to but it makes a massive difference to me. If I ever stop taking it, it takes about 6 weeks to take full effect. I'd give it 3 months to see if it makes a difference

Same here! Nice to hear of another T1 on metformin, seems a rarity.

 

[Leo Walker]

Same here! Nice to hear of another T1 on metformin, seems a rarity.

Randomly I've just changed teams at work and there are 3 type 1s who all take metformin. I think its getting more common thankfully as its has made SUCH a difference to my blood sugars and weight!

 

[EstherYoung]

Our vet sells it ready ground, which is useful. It's not quite as good a drug for horses as it is for people as horses don't absorb it very well and have to have quite a high dose. That might explain why it doesn't work for every horse.

It was brilliant for our small pony - just gave him the kick start he needed to get his metabolism back under control. He's not on it at the moment, touch wood, and is doing very well on a hay/straw mix, no grass, and being out with my thug of a pony who chases him round all the time. But I do credit the metformin with enabling us to get to that steady state.