insulin intolerance in native ponies

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trick123

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a friend of mine has had problems with her sec a pony. it has shown signs of being crippled and depressed and the vets are perplexed. they said she had laminitis. she has been blood tested and couldn't find any reasons for this, then they put her on metformin for lowering her blood sugar levels. she has improved since, has anybody had experience of this and any recommendations
 
Bit confused - the pony DOES have laminitis but the vets don't know why? Or the pony DOESN'T have laminitis? If she does have laminitis, is she being treated for it ie box rest on a deep soft bed. How old is the pony? Laminitis can accompany Cushings which is common in old ponies. Is it Cushings the vets tested for? Metformin is what humans take for diabetes/glucose intolerance and if the pony has improved it either means she was being fed far too rich a diet or she has a diabetes-type disease. If the pony is depressed it might indicate an underlying problem. Does the pony burn in the summer? Is she standing in a corner, sometimes pressing her head against the wall? Does your friend know the history of the pony - is there any possibility she could have eaten ragwort when she was younger (this often accompanies rescue ponies that have been badly neglected). Have the vets said that the pony will need to be on metformin for life or have they got the condition under control and the pony might just need a careful diet from now on?
 
I'm sorry didn't go into a lot of detail. she has had the pony since it was 2 came from a good place the pony is only 5 now. although we thought she didn't have heat in her feet, or a pulse, the vet seemed to think it was laminitis and put her on bute. My friend by the way is very concious of laminitis in too fat ponies so she has always been very particular about keeping them off grass and not giving them a rich diet. anyway of course the bute helped but as soon as she wasn't on it the condition was as bad as ever, so she was blood tested for something can't remember what but the blood test didn't reveal anything so the vet said it could be this insolin intolerence and put her on metformin. I've read some articles about this but was wondering if any of our H&H had any experience of this and could recommend anything?
 
My friend's Welsh cob has been diagnosed as having equine metabolic syndrome and is on metformin, and doing very well on it. He is also on an extremely strict diet and exercise regime. He goes out to graze 8am to 4pm with a grazing muzzle on, has his hay weighed and soaked, and no sugary treats whatsoever. His tablets are gradually being reduced but we don't know if he will ever be able to come off them completely. He looks fantastic and sound as a pound!
 
Have you heard of Dr. deborah Carley of Thunderbrook equine pure essentials www.thunderbrook.co.uk she wrote a good article in a free magazine we get about this, she also had a welsh cob with this and devised her own feed using various herbs instead of using metformin, and has had great success, maybe worth you having a look for your horse. i wonder is it something peculiar to the welsh? i'm glad somebody else has had experience of this as i hadn't heard of it at all, am always interested in expanding my knowledge. thanks
 
Yes, I've heard of Thunderbrook; I am thinking of trying their gut-balancer herb blend on my laminitis-prone boy when he runs out of Dodson & Horrell Stand-Free.
 
My sisters Connie has Equine Metabolic Sydrome - she has never been overweight and she has severly foundered a couple of times and my sister has spent a lot of time and careful management bringing her back to soundness. She replanted an entire field with a mix of low sugar grass and crab grass which they do not eat (she lives in Virginia) and she wears a grazing muzzle most of the time even in winter. She buys only low sugar hay for her which she has tested. She regularly has her blood tested for cortisol levels. I cant remember the name of veterinary supplements she gives but she does feed cinnamon as that is supposed to help regulate blood-sugar levels. I can ask her more about it if you like?
 
yes would be interested, it is always interesting to hear how people manage their horses, we can all learn something from one another.
 
I understand that native ponies are just not suited to our management regimes. They are designed to survive on scrub. Our lovely grass (which is high in sugars) and feed (high in cereal and starch) just doesn't suit their systems which is why the natives are so prone to laminitis and being overweight.
 
I'll speak to my sister probably over weekend so will get some more details. It's always interesting to hear how they treat stuff in the States as sometimes they are ahead of us in their thinking and treatments. They do seem to be less conservative in their treatments.
 
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I understand that native ponies are just not suited to our management regimes. They are designed to survive on scrub. Our lovely grass (which is high in sugars) and feed (high in cereal and starch) just doesn't suit their systems which is why the natives are so prone to laminitis and being overweight.

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Its not just natives that are designed to live on scrub type grazing. All our horses could benefit from being grazed on rough grazing. OUr lush fields are the cause of alot of problems from digestive problems to behavioural problems to sensitive soles...
 
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