How Do You Treat An Insulin-Resistant Horse?

Treatment for insulin resistance may consist of the following: Weight loss through diet and exercise if the animal is obese. Limiting carbohydrate (sugar/starch) intake through elimination of grain and high sugar feeds. Test pastures and hay for amounts of sugars present.

Can a horse recover from insulin resistance?

Horses that are “easy-keepers” or have persistently high insulin levels can be more challenging to manage and may require medical treatments. Although proper treatment can reduce clinical signs, there is no “cure” for EMS. Long-term care requires diligence along with support and guidance from a veterinarian.

How do you help a horse with insulin resistance?

However, if your horse is already insulin-resistant, changing its diet and exercise is the best way to maintain a good quality of life. Feeding low glycemic index feeds, like plain beet pulp and warm-season grasses, will also help to lower blood glucose and insulin.

What is the fastest way to cure insulin resistance?

Exercise is one of the fastest and most effective ways to reverse insulin resistance. Eat a balanced diet emphasizing vegetables, proteins, and low-fat dairy. Moderating your carb intake can help with weight loss and decreasing insulin resistance.

What can insulin-resistant horses eat?

If you have a horse with IR, EMS, Cushing’s, or another metabolic concern, here are the proper treats for insulin-resistant horses:

• Strawberries.
• Celery.
• Apple Peels.
• Commerical Low Starch Treats.
• Pumpkin Seeds.
• Chopped Low-NSC Forage.
• Watermelon Rinds.
• Molasses-Free Beet Pulp.

What are the signs of insulin resistance in horses?

Early signs of Insulin Resistant Horse:

• Abnormal weight gain or weight loss.
• Increased or excessive water consumption.
• Loss of stamina and muscle tone.
• Tendency to develop laminitis or colic.
• Abdominal bloating.
• Increased blood triglyceride levels.

What hay is best for insulin resistant horses?

Alfalfa can be an excellent addition to most horses’ diets, even for those that are insulin resistant (IR). I often recommend feeding it because it boosts the overall protein quality of a grass-hay diet and, in general, enhances the horse’s muscle tone, immune system and overall health.

Can insulin resistance be overcome?

Your diet has a big impact on your blood sugar and insulin levels. Highly processed, high-carbohydrate and high-fat foods require more insulin. In general, eating foods that have a low to medium glycemic index and limiting foods that have a high glycemic index can help you reverse and/or manage insulin resistance.

What is the best supplement for insulin resistance?

Many different supplements may increase insulin sensitivity, but chromium, berberine, magnesium, and resveratrol are backed by the most consistent evidence.

• Chromium is a mineral involved in carb and fat metabolism.
• Magnesium is a mineral that works with insulin receptors to store blood sugar.

What exercise reduces insulin resistance?

Aerobic exercise training is an effective intervention for the prevention and treatment of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (1–4).

How long does it take to heal insulin resistance?

A minimum initial prolonged fast of 36 hours to 3 days may be needed to start the process of reversing insulin resistance. For morbidly obese patients Fung uses initial fasts of 7 to 21 days. The longest known medically supervised fast is over 1 year in a male weighing more than 460 lbs.

How do you reverse severe insulin resistance?

Reversing Insulin Resistance

1. Choose a Whole Foods Diet. Try to eat complex carbohydrates.
2. Eliminate Sugary Drinks and Simple Carbohydrates. Simple sugars alone don’t cause diabetes, but they do contribute to insulin resistance and overall poor health.
3. Increase Fiber Intake.

What is the best diet to reverse insulin resistance?

What to eat on an insulin resistance diet

• boost your fiber intake by eating more whole grains.
• eat food that provides polyunsaturated or “good” fats.
• focus on non-starchy vegetables (fewer potatoes, more leafy greens)
• choose whole foods rather than processed or junk food.

How much hay should an insulin resistant horse eat?

Your horse, if not getting any fresh grass, will need 2% of its body weight in hay daily. A normal 1,000 pound horse needs 20 pounds of hay daily. In most insulin-resistant horses, we’re trying to reduce weight, so feed less hay (1.8% or 18 pounds of hay).

Is beet pulp good for insulin resistant horses?

Beet pulp is an excellent addition for horses that cannot tolerate diets high in starch, like your mare diagnosed with insulin resistance.

What hay is best for Laminitic horses?

Hay – The Core Feed For A Laminitis Diet
Safer-type forages include Timothy, Teff, and Rhodes grass hays. Avoid hays containing high amounts of fructan such as ryegrass, oaten, wheaten, or barley hays. If you are unsure of the NSC level of the hay or chaff, you will need to soak it in water to leach the sugars out.

Does Cushing’s cause insulin resistance in horses?

Equine Cushing’s disease is caused by a benign growth in the pituitary gland. Signs of disease include abnormal hair growth, muscle atrophy, laminitis, and a decreased sensitivity to insulin. Impaired insulin sensitivity occurs when a horse does not respond to the effects of insulin after being fed a meal.

Can insulin resistant horses have alfalfa?

A: Alfalfa can be an excellent addition to most horses’ diets, even for those that are insulin resistant (IR). I often recommend feeding it because it boosts the overall protein quality of a grass-hay diet and, in general, enhances the horse’s muscle tone, immune system and overall health.

Are Oats good for insulin resistance horses?

Oats are the grain which are highest in fibre and lowest in sugar and starch of all the cereal grains fed to horses, so they are least likely to cause insulin spikes and blood sugar fluctuations, as well as hindgut and/or behavioural issues.

What is the best grass for laminitic horses?

Try to graze paddocks that are sown with grasses that are naturally lower in sugar such as Timothy. Some grass types such as ryegrass are much higher in sugar and are commonly found in former dairy pasture.

Is alfalfa OK for metabolic horses?

“Alfalfa is one component that can be safely removed from the diet of metabolic horses. In its stead, a mid-quality grass hay should be fed in appropriate quantities,” Whitehouse said.