PSSM diet

[Marigold4]

Could anyone advise on a diet for this? I have a small warmblood mare who just doesn't look right. Won't put on weight no matter how much I feed her, looks weak, unwilling to go forward under saddle, physios comment on tight muscles, rolls a lot. I've sent off hair samples to animal genetics to test for type 1 but I gather because she is a warmblood she is more likely to be type 2. I want to try her on a PSSM diet to see if it improves her before going for muscle testing. Can anyone tell me what to feed her or what not to feed her? ALcar? Vitamin E? Oil? All 3? so much conflicting information around i can't make sense of it.

 

[SEL]

Low sugar and starch - many are better off grass and I've seen / heard reports of a fair few horses tying up on spring grass this year.

If she needs to put on weight then oil based feeds such as micronised linseed and copra are good starting points. Low sugar / starch, but the oil will help with weight gain and energy. Other useful feeds are alfalfa (if your horse is OK with it), and kwik beet / speedi beet. If you can test your hay or haylage so you know the NSC levels then that's helpful. If its low then feed ad lib for weight gain.

Vitamin E is one of the main supplements and if your horse is struggling then try a month on a high dose. It needs to be natural vitamin E and not mixed with selenium - forage plus, equimins and progressive earth all stock it. I'd try 10,000 iU to start with and see if it makes a difference.

Is your horse on a balancer? Muscle tightness can be a sign of a shortness of certain minerals. Magnesium is also worth supplementing, as is iodine and selenium (if not already in a balancer - too much selenium is toxic).

Alcar is interesting. Did nothing for either of mine, but I know a couple of people on here have seen a real difference with their horses. You can buy it from Bulk Powders and if its going to make a difference then you'll find out pretty quickly. Tastes nasty so needs hiding in something yummy! If you feed Alcar then don't add any additional vegetable oil and see how you get on.

There's evidence in the US that horses with type 2 PSSM need protein supplementing. Depending on what you choose to feed (eg alfalfa has a good protein profile) then you might need to add extra.

I don't think a muscle biopsy is ridiculously expensive if you really want to investigate what is going on. My 2 were both positive to the hair test, so I had answers pretty quickly sadly.

 

[Marigold4]

Thanks SEL. All useful stuff. I'm struggling to understand what Alcar is? Is it a supplement for horses only or also for human consumption. Bulk powders site seem to suggest it is for humans.

 

[paddy555]

Thanks SEL. All useful stuff. I'm struggling to understand what Alcar is? Is it a supplement for horses only or also for human consumption. Bulk powders site seem to suggest it is for humans.

alcar is a human supp used for horses. Mine needs alcar or his performance deteriorates.

start off with one thing at a time so you can monitor what works. Start with high dose vit e, natural 10000iu per day. You should see improvements in a week.

Mine gets 8000iu vit e, salt, supplement, equishure, alcar. His feed is micro linseed, copra, dengie alfalfa nuts. He is at grass 24/7 in summer, yarded on hay in winter. For him keeping his back warm is important as is daily exercise especially in winter when he is not moving around in the field so much.

 

[ycbm]

Alcar is an amino acid product these horses can't make for themselves and need to be fed. Cheapest supplies are usually on eBay. I like the taste (sherbet) and so did both the horses I've had it on. The one I have it on now runs out of stamina if he doesn't get it. If he doesn't get 5,000 iu of vitamin E in winter and 2,000 in summer, his muscles go stiff. My other one used to go very weak. It must either be natural vitamin E or you must double the dose.

These horses are very variable. Neither of mine needed riding every day and neither of them were affected by cold or needed extra rugging as many do. It's a case of try it, and see what works.

 

[Marigold4]

Thanks all for replies. So if I start with vitamin e, how long until I would know whether or not it is working. Trial it for two weeks? Horse is chronically tight over mid back and lumbar but hindquarters appear quite soft. Does that mean less likely to be PSSM?

 

[ycbm]

You should feel a change in the muscles on manual manipulation within days.

My own experience is that both horses got tight in the hind quarters, but not every horse is the same.

Mid back and lumbar does sound more like an SI strain to me, though.

 

[paddy555]

Thanks all for replies. So if I start with vitamin e, how long until I would know whether or not it is working. Trial it for two weeks? Horse is chronically tight over mid back and lumbar but hindquarters appear quite soft. Does that mean less likely to be PSSM?

sometimes I don't think you know if a horse is PSSM or not. It is more a case of finding a regime that works rather than attaching a label to it. Try vit E for 2 weeks, you should see a response after around a week. For mine after 2 days horse started getting a bit nicer, less grumpy. You just see little changes, perhaps in attitude, that suggest something is happening and they are more comfortable. Start at 10000iu a day and if you can split into 2 doses. Starting on any less than that may not produce a quick indication as to the effectiveness.
Trialling the PSSM diet and management is not difficult nor bad for any horse. If it doesn't work then it may be a case of looking elsewhere. I went through endless scenarios including colic before I got success which suggested PSSM.