What Should You Feed A Horse With Ems?

Typically, nutritionists and veterinarians recommend grass hays for horses with EMS, even though alfalfa (a legume) has a low glycemic index, which means it doesn’t tend to cause blood-glucose and insulin spikes.

What do you feed a horse with EMS?

Feed vitamins, minerals and antioxidants:
Horses and ponies with EMS do not need large amounts of a concentrate feed but they still require a fully balanced diet to support health and well-being. Feeding a low intake, low calorie, protein, vitamin and mineral balancer is ideal.

What do you feed a horse with 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.

How can I help my horse with EMS?

How is EMS treated? Because most horses with EMS are overweight, the mainstay of treatment involves management changes that promote weight loss. These include reducing overall calorie intake, dietary sugar restriction, and increased exercise.

Can EMS horses have oats?

Grains and Concentrates. Grains and concentrates in an EMS patient’s diet also require evaluation to determine their appropriateness. Concentrates such as sweet feeds containing oats, barley, and corn are high in sugars and starches and are therefore contraindicated.

Can horses with EMS have carrots?

We know of many owners of horses with EMS and laminitis who give their horses a small amount of carrot (generally less than 100 g/day) with no problems.

Can horses 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 do you feed insulin resistant horses?

Select hay with a low level of soluble carbohydrates for the IR horse. Small grain hays such as oat and ryegrass have much greater sugar content than other grass hays like timothy and orchard grass.

Is cinnamon good for horses with EMS?

One of interest is the use of cinnamon to aid in the treatment of EMS. Cinnamon has been shown to exert some beneficial effects on humans with type 2 or adult-onset diabetes, and it is unlikely to have any negative or harmful side effects on your horse.

How do I put weight on my horse with EMS?

Activate weight management.
In such cases, limit forage intake to 1.5% of their ideal body weight. For example, if your horse’s ideal body weight is 1,100 lb (500 kg), then 16.5 lb (7.5 kg) of hay with less than 10-12% NSC should be offered in a 24-hour period.

Is there medication for EMS in horses?

Some recent research has also suggested that ponies with EMS may benefit from treatment with Trilostane (Vetoryl). This drug inhibits an enzyme involved in the production of steroid hormone, and has been previously used in the treatment of Cushings Disease in both horses and dogs.