BBP
Well-Known Member
I used to have such a simple life, handful of happy hoof, cup of balancer, hay and grass, jobs a good'un. Okay so pony is a bit mental but that's normal and calmers don't touch him.
Since his PSSM diagnosis, I have not only become a bit of a blood work boffin but also some kind of alchemist/dealer.
Feeds now consist of:
- the same balancer
- 40g micronised linseed
- milk thistle
- 1 scoop ProKalm (shock horrors, a calmer that actually works!!)
- 8g ALCAR (acetyl l carnitine, an amino acid to help him remove glycogen from his muscle cells as it stores up excessively)
And as of this week coming he'll also get:
- 8g magnesium oxide
- vitamin. E
I spend more time making his dinner than I do mine! I just used to laugh at people that fed like this.
And yet it really is working, not only is he more relaxed and less unpredictable to ride but I have 2 years of blood work that prove that the changes have made incredible physical improvements. Not only have all his muscle enzymes dropped to normal levels for the first time in 2 years, his liver enzymes have dropped to about normal too.
The vitamin e is being added this week as his blood work showed he is deficient, and I think deficiency is especially damaging to horses with pssm horses. The magnesium oxide is because my grass tested really high for calcium and puts the ratio of calcium to magnesium as a bit out of kilter, so that ones a bit of a trial to see whether I can improve his behaviour even more.
I always assumed what I was doing was fine, and to be fair it kept his pssm to a level where I never knew he had it as I never fed him cereal or lots of molasses chaff, but it's certainly changed how I think about feed yet again.
Worryingly I now have more bags of white powder in my house than would probably be considered normal if the neighbours saw them!
Since his PSSM diagnosis, I have not only become a bit of a blood work boffin but also some kind of alchemist/dealer.
Feeds now consist of:
- the same balancer
- 40g micronised linseed
- milk thistle
- 1 scoop ProKalm (shock horrors, a calmer that actually works!!)
- 8g ALCAR (acetyl l carnitine, an amino acid to help him remove glycogen from his muscle cells as it stores up excessively)
And as of this week coming he'll also get:
- 8g magnesium oxide
- vitamin. E
I spend more time making his dinner than I do mine! I just used to laugh at people that fed like this.
And yet it really is working, not only is he more relaxed and less unpredictable to ride but I have 2 years of blood work that prove that the changes have made incredible physical improvements. Not only have all his muscle enzymes dropped to normal levels for the first time in 2 years, his liver enzymes have dropped to about normal too.
The vitamin e is being added this week as his blood work showed he is deficient, and I think deficiency is especially damaging to horses with pssm horses. The magnesium oxide is because my grass tested really high for calcium and puts the ratio of calcium to magnesium as a bit out of kilter, so that ones a bit of a trial to see whether I can improve his behaviour even more.
I always assumed what I was doing was fine, and to be fair it kept his pssm to a level where I never knew he had it as I never fed him cereal or lots of molasses chaff, but it's certainly changed how I think about feed yet again.
Worryingly I now have more bags of white powder in my house than would probably be considered normal if the neighbours saw them!
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