Why Does Horses With Hypp Need Potassium?

As potassium levels rise further in the bloodstream, the muscles become unable to contract, and the horse becomes paralyzed. This cycle continues until excessive potassium is excreted through the urine or resorption of potassium into cells occurs. The physical effects of HYPP vary considerably.

How much potassium can a HYPP horse have?

Research studies suggest HYPP horses should be fed with no more than 1.5% potassium of the total diet and individual meals should not exceed 33 grams of potassium.

What do you feed horses with HYPP?

Bermuda grass, prairie grass, and timothy are suitable forage choices for horses diagnosed with HYPP. Soaking hay might leach some of the potassium from hay and constitutes an added layer of safety.

How do you manage HYPP in horses?

HYPP horse should be maintained on a low-potassium diet and should be turned out as much as possible. If turn out is limited then they should be put on a program of regular light exercise. Regular exercise helps prevent attacks.

What triggers HYPP in horses?

HYPP results from a mutation in the muscle’s sodium channel. The channel becomes leaky, which causes the muscle to be more sensitive. As a result the muscles contract involuntarily with blood potassium changes. This can occur with stress or fasting followed by eating high potassium feed like alfalfa.

What can you not feed a horse with HYPP?

Most commercially prepared sweet and pelleted feeds are a no-no for HYPP-positive horses because they contain molasses. According to Nutrient Requirements of Horses, molasses often possesses as much as 6% potassium.

What is potassium used for in horses?

Potassium chloride is an ingredient commonly added to equine electrolyte supplements to replenish potassium levels following exercise. This mineral is important for nerve and muscle function as well as maintaining ion balance.

Is alfalfa hay high in potassium?

Alfalfa hay tends to contain high levels of potassium and should not be fed to horses with HYPP.

Is alfalfa high in potassium?

For example, the average potassium content of alfalfa hay is 2.4% but can range from 1.8 to 2.9%, while the average for Bermuda grass hay is 1.7%, with a range from 1.2 to 2.1% (www.equi-analytical.com ).

What horse feed is high in potassium?

It is important to note that hay or pasture contributes the greatest amount of potassium in the horse’s diet. HYPP horses are extremely sensitive to dietary changes but appear to adapt to higher potassium diets over a 2-week period.

How much potassium should a horse have daily?

The recommended potassium intake for maintenance in adult horses is 0.05 g/kg body weight. Most roughages contain >1% potassium, and a ration containing ≥50% roughage provides more than sufficient potassium for maintenance animals.

What is the difference between PSSM and HYPP in horses?

Type 1 PSSM is a common cause for tie-up signs in Quarter Horses, Paints, Appaloosas, and warmbloods. PSSM can often be managed with diet and exercise changes but there is no cure or medication used to treat it. HYPP is an inherited muscle disease causing an abnormality in how muscle cells manage electrolytes.

What bloodlines carry HYPP?

The bloodline of the stallion Impressive dominated the American Quarter Horse world for many years. Today it is well known as a direct link to a genetic illness called HYPP or hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. This disease causes the muscle cells in a horse to be unable to handle any potassium that they eat.

Is HYPP painful for horses?

During an attack, horses with HYPP are conscious, aware of their surroundings, and do not appear to be in pain. Environmental factors including stress, dietary changes, fasting, general anesthesia, illness and changes in exercise can cause attacks of muscle weakness in affected horses.

What happens if a horse has too much potassium?

The staff at Kentucky Equine Research indicates that clinical signs noted with a high potassium level include muscle weakness, trembling, depression, lethargy and a change in the heart rhythm, specifically a very slow heart rate.

Do all Impressive horses have HYPP?

In 1992, researchers designated the Impressive line of horses as carriers. Not all horses of that line had HYPP, but all horses with HYPP were descended from Impressive himself. In 1994, a genetic test that utilized DNA from hair or blood, was perfected, this determined whether a horse had HYPP or not.

What are 3 uses of potassium?

What are the industrial uses of potassium? Industrial applications for potassium include soaps, detergents, gold mining, dyes, glass production, gunpowder, and batteries.

How does potassium improve performance?

Even more exciting, potassium has been linked to increased muscle-protein synthesis and cell growth. This means your muscles can become bigger & stronger with ample potassium intake, which can lead to an increased metabolism due to the heightened caloric requirement of muscle tissue!

Why potassium is prescribed?

Potassium is most commonly used for treating and preventing low potassium levels, treating high blood pressure, and preventing stroke. It’s also used for prediabetes and many other conditions, but there’s no good scientific evidence to support these other uses.

What does potassium do for alfalfa?

In fact, alfalfa uses upwards of 50-75 pounds of potassium per ton of dry matter. For an 8-10 Ton/Acre yield goal, that’s a huge amount of potassium. Potassium is important for good plant growth, stand longevity, winter hardiness, and movement of water and food throughout the plant.

Which grain is highest in potassium?

Whole grains with higher potassium and phosphorus content (check with your dietitian before including these whole grains):

• Amaranth.
• Brown rice.
• Millet.
• Oats.
• Quinoa.
• Sorghum (milo)
• Spelt.
• Teff.