What Does Ir Mean In Horses?

Insulin resistance (IR) in horses describes a condition in which the body fails to properly respond to the hormone insulin. Impaired insulin response is the main feature of Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS). Horses with EMS do not metabolize sugars properly and have difficulty losing weight.

What causes IR in horses?

Obesity is the biggest risk factor for insulin resistance. Age is another one; older horses (older than 20 years) have an increased risk of developing Equine Metabolic Syndrome. Increased age is often also associated with Cushing’s disease, a frequently diagnosed endocrine abnormality in horses.

How do you test for IR in horses?

Resting insulin tests
This is the easiest test to carry out and involves taking a single sample of blood to measure the amount of insulin in the horse’s blood at that moment in time.

Is EMS the same as IR in horses?

Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a recently described endocrine pathologic condition of obese horses that is associated with IR, laminitis, and fat redistribution. IR is the hallmark of EMS.

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.

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.

What do you feed a horse with insulin resistance?

Select a horse feed low in sugar and starch (20% or less) to normalize blood glucose and insulin levels for your horse with IR. Beet pulp and soy hulls contain very low levels of soluble carbohydrates, so select a feed that is based on one of these ingredients.

What is IR testing?

An insulation resistance (IR) test measures the total resistance between any two points separated by electrical insulation. The test, therefore, determines how effective the dielectric (insulation) is in resisting the flow of electrical current.

How does an IR test work?

What is insulation resistance testing? Basically, you’re applying a voltage (specifically a highly regulated, stabilized DC voltage) across a dielectric, measuring the amount of current flowing through that dielectric, and then calculating (using Ohm’s Law) a resistance measurement.

How do you diagnose equine infectious anemia?

Equine infectious anemia is often confirmed by serology. Once an animal is infected, it becomes a carrier for life. The two most commonly used serological tests are the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID or Coggins) test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs).

Can IR horses have grass?

Grass is the most natural food for horses, but fresh grass can be your worst enemy if you have an insulin resistant (IR) horse. Known as Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), insulin resistance presents a special challenge when it comes to grazing.

What do you feed a horse with Equine Metabolic Syndrome?

Feed hay and incorporate appropriate feeds. Metabolic horses not on pasture need to meet their roughage requirement through hay. In general, the minimum amount of hay offered should be 1.2 percent of body weight, split into multiple meals.

Can a horse with EMS have grass?

Grass is high in sugar content, and thus potentially dangerous for horses with EMS. Grass tends to have the most sugars in spring and fall and tends to accumulate sugar throughout the day on sunny days.

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.

Can insulin resistance be fixed?

Taking small steps, such as eating healthier foods and moving more to lose weight, can help reverse insulin resistance and prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes. Physical activity can help prevent or reverse insulin resistance and prediabetes.

What hay is lowest in sugar?

What is this? In addition Timothy hay is higher in fiber and lower in sugar and calories than most other types of horse hay, making it a great choice for overweight horses. Timothy hay is also higher in calcium, which is essential for horse health.

How quickly can you fix 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.

What happens if insulin resistance is not treated?

Over time, chronic insulin resistance can lead to prediabetes and then Type 2 diabetes if it’s not treated or able to be treated. Prediabetes happens when your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

What treats can you give a diabetic horse?

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.

Is alfalfa OK for IR horses?

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.

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).