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  Discussion on Feeding an Insulin Resistant Horse with few/poor teeth
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New Member:
lucyc1

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009 - 7:54 pm:

I have a thirty-something year old gelding in my boarding barn that has recently been diagnosed as Insulin Resistant. He normally has a VERY healthy appetite, but he lost interest in food and when we had him checked, turned out his blood sugar was over 400! At the time he was on 1 quart sweet beet pulp 2x per day plus 4 lbs Nutrena Senior 2x per day. Because of his teeth, or lack of them, he can no longer graze (although he "quids") and he can't eat hay.

We changed his beet pulp to a non sweetened beet pulp and added Smart Pak's "IR" a supplement with Magnesium, Chromium and a large number of other ingredients which supposedly will help. We stopped all treats except for a "diabetic" treat. We did not change his Nutrena Senior, however. Now, about 6 weeks later he appears to be doing very well. His appetite has completely returned as has his energy and interest in life. His blood sugar, however, is still around 250, and he still urinates excessively.

My question is: what is the best feed? I think Nutrena Senior (14% protein; 5% fat pellet) is a very high quality feed, BUT it has molasses. I don't know what its glycemic index/percent non structural carbs are; but I am concerned it may not be the best choice for an IR horse. My problem is that I am having trouble finding, or identifying, an appropriate low carb feed that is designed as a pelleted, complete feed. Can I use a feed that is not designed as a complete feed and rely on the beet pulp as a hay substitute? (I did pick up, on a post somewhere on this site that I should add 3 oz of wheat bran per pound of dry beet pulp to correct its calcium/phosphorus ratio.) I would love to be able to get his blood sugar down.

Any suggestions?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009 - 9:01 am:

Welcome Lucy,
Let's first be sure we have our terminology right, I think you do since you posted here, but just to be sure: your horse has Equine Cushings of which a common complication is insulin resistance. You are fighting all of the problems associated with EC? I do not think the loss of interest in food is a direct consequence of the hyperinsulinemia or the hyperglucosenemia but more associated with the mild depression that is so common in this disease. Is this true in your case? I personally have not found either magnesium or chromium significantly effect the course of the disease and if medication is required to improve your horses appetite, save your money of these and find an inexpensive source of pergolide.

Lucy I don't think there are any "best feeds" instead consider what is available to you and what best fits your needs. I do like sticking with well known companies like Purina, Southern States, Triple Crown and others. If you would like to choose one of the feeds formulated to be low in NSC's that is not complete you certainly can use beet pulp to increase fiber intake. We discuss these feed choices for horses in the article on Cushings. If after reading this you still have questions by all means bring them here.
DrO
New Member:
lucyc1

Posted on Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009 - 9:54 am:

Dr. O: I am new to this site and did not intend to post under the Cushings heading. I was in this area (the Cushings area) because I also have a new boarder who is diagnosed with Cushings. That horse is on pergolide.

Our vet said that the IR horse (SunDown) does not have Cushings, so it is the IR, and blood sugar that I am focused on. From your response I think I should choose a feed that is formulated to be low carb and not worry about whether or not it is designed to be "complete." I will continue to give unsweet beet pulp with a little bran. My concern is that since beet pulp is a by-product and not a whole plant (like hay) SunDown would end up deficient in some basic nutrients I don't know enough to have thought about.

Thank you!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 - 8:26 am:

It is not just where you posted it is also just statistically likely that your 30 year old horse has Equine Cushings. By 27 years 70% of the horse population has the tumors responsible for EC and it is one of the main causes of IR in the older horse is EC...

Concerning the use of Beet Pulp we have an article that explains the deficiencies and how to make up for them, for more see Horse Care » Equine Nutrition, Horse Feeds, Feeding » Beet Pulp.
DrO
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