PSSM Diet

We have had several rounds of blood tests, would selenium be on a full profile ? or would it be a separate test ?
 
SEL said:
Have either of your vets done a blood test for selenium levels? Lack of iodine can also apparently cause symptoms similar to tying up. Not sure what the levels are like in your soil.
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I haven't had any bloods done actually, mainly because my vets have settled on the ulcers and arthritis being the issue, I haven't even discussed PSSM with him! We have poor grazing, infact bar the scraps they get from the banks we are more onto just turn out now until they are allowed back in the other half of the field in June, I don't know if that makes a difference. Is there anything I could feed to see if this is the case?
 
My vets can't test for selenium at their internal lab - so its on the list of 'things to discuss with the vet doing the 2nd opinion'. I follow the US and German facebook forums and its common for them to have selenium levels tested as part of a full blood panel, but we seem to have to request it here in the UK, so no idea whether it would be on your blood panel. The site I've posted the link to below is pretty good at giving you an indication whether or not levels are high / low in the soil in your area. It also does other minerals too.

For the first time since my horses were diagnosed they are in a paddock that is likely to be 'theirs' for a while, so even though I'm on livery I'm going to run a soil test and see whether its lacking in anything. My gelding responds well to the forage plus winter balancer, but the mare is the one I'm struggling with so I'd be interested to see whether I need to feed her something specific to balance to the soil, rather than a general balancer.

My vet also believes her problems are anything apart from muscular - hence heading for a 2nd opinion.

http://www.ukso.org/nsi/Selenium.html
 
SEL said:
My vets can't test for selenium at their internal lab - so its on the list of 'things to discuss with the vet doing the 2nd opinion'. I follow the US and German facebook forums and its common for them to have selenium levels tested as part of a full blood panel, but we seem to have to request it here in the UK, so no idea whether it would be on your blood panel. The site I've posted the link to below is pretty good at giving you an indication whether or not levels are high / low in the soil in your area. It also does other minerals too.

For the first time since my horses were diagnosed they are in a paddock that is likely to be 'theirs' for a while, so even though I'm on livery I'm going to run a soil test and see whether its lacking in anything. My gelding responds well to the forage plus winter balancer, but the mare is the one I'm struggling with so I'd be interested to see whether I need to feed her something specific to balance to the soil, rather than a general balancer.

My vet also believes her problems are anything apart from muscular - hence heading for a 2nd opinion.

http://www.ukso.org/nsi/Selenium.html
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It's really worth pushing for a selenium test. Deficiency in selenium can also cause muscle soreness, as well as an increase in liver enzymes along with increased muscle enzymes.
 
I am firmly within the red zone according the map but given there is no grass at the moment i don't know if he is actually getting any! I currently feed a Vit E & Selenium supplement at the recommended daily amount and then he gets the extra Vit E top up with the equimins oil as I read that Selenium in high quantities is toxic..
 
I too am in a red zone for selenium, however I am in a dark blue area for magnesium.
I struggle with balancers/vits and mins as there always seems to be something in them that doesn't agree with his delicate tummy.
I am currently gradually introducing about the 7th which only contains alfalfa as a filler.
 
You don't need to feed a complete supplement. I supplement only magnesium, copper, zinc, selenium brewer's yeast , vitamin E and alcar, balanced to blood tests. I'm very high on copper and zinc, far higher than any of the supplements, and half on selenium.

My vet tells me that there are no recognised tables of levels in blood for horses, so they have to use the one for cows and hope horses are the same.
 
I would definitely test for Type 1 - I did for my boy and it was negative thank goodness. He is kept on a high fibre/low starch diet anyway though as are all of my horses.

Also, be very careful supplementing things such as Vitamin E without a proper diagnosis as two much Vitamin E is actually taxi to horses and can cause more harm than good.
 
spotty_pony2 said:
I would definitely test for Type 1 - I did for my boy and it was negative thank goodness. He is kept on a high fibre/low starch diet anyway though as are all of my horses.

Also, be very careful supplementing things such as Vitamin E without a proper diagnosis as two much Vitamin E is actually taxi to horses and can cause more harm than good.
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Selenium is toxic at relatively low amounts, but vitamin E has been tested at high doses on horses without any proven ill effects.
 
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