Equine Metabolic Syndrome

Troggy

Troggy

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Hi

Please can I have any advice/information/experiences of the above condition, particularly management/treatment (if possible). This is on behalf of someone else

Thanks
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Hi, my friend's horse has equine metabolic syndrome. He has to be kept on a strict diet. I think he has Bailey's Lo-Cal, HiFi Lite, soaked hay (weighed before soaking) and very limited grazing. He also has as much exercise as possible, either ridden or in-hand or lunge work. I believe he is on a drug called metformin which can apparently be used to treat diabetes in humans. (I'm not 100% sure of how it works on humans!) He is looking fantastic at the moment.
 
Equine Metabolic syndrome is very similar to equine cushings disease, however when younger horses are effected it is EMS.

Yahoo has a group on cushings and equine metabolic syndrome, it is very helpful.

Your friends vet should also be able to provide alot more information on management etc
 
To put it simply, EMS is generally seen in obese horses and ponies and caused by fat stores in the abdomen acting as hormonally active tissue. The symptoms are similar then Cushings, and these horses are prone to laminitis. (There are tests to differentiate between EMS and Cushings). EMS horses are also often insulin-resistent and may become diabetic.

Treatment/Management is aimed at weight loss mainly, so reduce calorie intake and increase exercise (if not laminitic), but crash diets should be avoided.
 
Thank you all. I can't really give anymore info as a tricky situation but thank you for the above, it's been helpfull
 
My sisters connie has EMS / insulin resistance and she has never been that fat (she was hunted regularly and competed at 2nd level dressage) and now she is always very slim but still has high insulin levels and had foundered badly twice even with meticulous management. So its not always to do with weight some horse have a genetic disposition towards it- my sister replanted one of her fields with some sort of crab grass (she lives in america). Muse wears a grazing muzzle most days even at times in the winter. She buys separate low sugar hay she has tested for her. She gives her cinnamon which is supposed to help balance bloodsugar as well as some other veterinary supplement that I can't remember the name of (if I remember I will let you know) and has her bloodtested regularly for cortisol levels.
 
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