madmare1
Grand Prix Poster
The Gruesome Twosome
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Post by madmare1 on Dec 8, 2010 21:07:23 GMT 1
My friend's 14yr old welsh pony has just been diagnosed as Insulin resistant....
she has had laminitis for the past few weeks, but was improving, then with the cold weather, she has gone downhill and pretty quickly. We originally thought that she had Cushings, as she does have the fat deposits over her eyes and is drinking a lot.
But, the test for Cushings has come back as negative, and the vet has said she is insulin resistant.
Just wondering how much info there is on this, and what the options are for management/treatment of this.
Any info appreciated, as my friend is at the end of her tether.
Emma xx
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Post by jill on Dec 8, 2010 21:35:26 GMT 1
It is a normal side effect of Cushings, and while Pergolide is the therapy for Cushings, management is the key to a metabolic disorder such as IR. Which means finding a diet which contains little or no sugars or starches. So, low sugar beet pulp, no cereals (which contain starch), soaked and rinsed hay to remove the sugars and no carrots or spring grass are the key. Jackie JA Taylor has a diet sheet intended for laminitics which details all the things to avoid and what to replace them with - www.metabolichorse.co.uk/My old Cushingoid pony lives on speedibeet, grass nuts, alfabeet and Top Spec Cool Condition, or the other alternative is Simple Systems who do a whole range of foods based on lucerne (alfalfa) Good luck. MTA frosted grass is very high in sugars which is probably why she has deteriorated. Get her on soaked and rinsed hay, and if she can't get any low sugar beet, normal beet pulp can be soaked, rinsed and soaked again to reduce the sugars in it.
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jfors
Intermediate Poster
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Post by jfors on Dec 9, 2010 6:46:16 GMT 1
Jill's right! Go to the Metabolic Horse site without delay. When our oldie got laminitis with a vengeance - pedal bone rotation and sinking - he was diagnosed with insulin resistance and the site was a Godsend to us. Must admit though he was never diagnosed as Cushingoid, he responded amazingly well to Pergolide and I do believe that is what saved his life in the first place. Good Luck and do let us know how things go please.
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Post by BJMM on Dec 9, 2010 8:17:13 GMT 1
Have pm'ed you x
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Post by Catrin on Dec 9, 2010 11:41:21 GMT 1
Richard Vialls has an excellent explanation on his website www.bodrwyn.org/articles/insulinresistance.php My horse has had little effect of IR since following his dietary advice for the last three years. I just have to keep him off the grass until the frost has gone at present.
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madmare1
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The Gruesome Twosome
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Post by madmare1 on Dec 9, 2010 15:18:12 GMT 1
thanks guys....blazesmum, thanks for the PM!
I'm really trying to help my friend see that this condition is MANAGEABLE and the Poppy will have a decent quality of life. Vet wants to xray her tootsies, see if there is any rotation/how much rotation, and see where we go from there.
She is only 14, and a total darling....and Crystal, my mare, is totally in love with Poppy....they are stabled next to each other and they are best friends....yet her owner is convinced that she'll never come sound and is considering PTS...waste of a life if she has a fighting chance.
Emma xx
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Post by jill on Dec 9, 2010 17:28:16 GMT 1
She has much much more than a fighting chance, her problem will be if she is on a yard whether they will allow her to manage her grass intake during spring and summer. As a laminitic - starvation paddock with soaked hay or haylage, but lots of yards don't even have starvation paddock (don't get me started)
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Post by mags on Dec 9, 2010 17:56:17 GMT 1
Also good information on here: www.ecirhorse.comIR is definitely manageable, but it does take a lot of dedication. Personally, I would take an IR horse completely off grass (dirt paddock without a blade of grass in sight) until all signs of laminitis have disappeared. Once the horse is stable on a low sugar/starch diet, it may tolerate some turnout again, or it may not. I hope your friend takes heart and can figure out a way to manage her horse.
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madmare1
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The Gruesome Twosome
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Post by madmare1 on Dec 9, 2010 23:03:56 GMT 1
Jill, Poppy shares a starvation paddock with my arab mare in summer....and believe me, I have to keep turnout severely limited due to my mare being a pig and given half a chance, she'll stuff herself silly, and end up like we were last winter, when my girl was on a vet enforced diet to lose 120 kilos (she is a 14.2hh 24 yr old pure bred arab!). I try to keep it pretty poor....and it is very small, about 1 acre (if that), so not much really for a 12.2hh and a 14.2hh.
My friend is almost certain she will have to have her PTS, and I am at a loss as to what I can do to convince her to let the pony have a chance. I KNOW this mare can be saved, she can have a quality of life, and she can come back to being gently worked, as she was bought as a lead rein pony, which she is brilliant at....in fact, some of the research says that exercise is crucial in managing IR, as it increases the uptake of insulin in the blood...and 20-30 mins of exercise 2 or 3 times a week is recommended as soon as a pony with lami and IR is sound enough to take it.
Emma xx
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Post by horsesfirst on Dec 10, 2010 13:00:01 GMT 1
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Post by horsesfirst on Dec 10, 2010 13:04:22 GMT 1
I might have missed it - but has anyone mentioned exercise.
Very important in managing IR. Even handwalking 3x a week is beneficial. Obviously you need to have the horse comfy enough, but a decent trimmer should be able to advise you on this.
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milo
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milo, lily, bob,henry and monty
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Post by milo on Dec 12, 2010 9:13:47 GMT 1
i lost my horse to insulin resistance, we had a 3 year battle with weight, absess's and constant medication, laminitis was only in the winter not in the summer,its apainfull awfull condition, we were told to exercise him even though he was cronically lame,it was stupid, we didnt do it obviously, he was on box rest for 6 months while absessing constantly in 3 feet at the same time, then his legs would fill up so we had to get him moving and turn him out and then he would absess again it was a horrible cycle we were on, he would have a feww good weeks when we thought he was improving, i had nutrition advice from jackie taylor on the metabolic horse web site , tried every lotion , potion, herb going, i spent 150 pound a month trying human diabetic tablets metformin for him, spent thousands of pounds of vet bills, xrays, barefoot trimmers and nothing could save him.his sugar levels in his blood were off the scale and he couldnt utilise the sugar so just put more weight on, causing yet more laminitis so despite all the best intentions and all the money in the world its not always that easy to save your horse, our horse was put to sleep after 3 years of constantly battling this horrible disease when his pedal bones sunk through his soles and the vet advised it was kinder to have him put to sleep, he was only 7 and we'd had him since a foal,it was horrendous.
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madmare1
Grand Prix Poster
The Gruesome Twosome
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Post by madmare1 on Dec 12, 2010 17:17:34 GMT 1
Poppy will be PTS sometime this week....her owner is calling the vet tomorrow. I am not speaking to her owner at the moment, over something else. Thanks though for all the info, it's worth knowing, just in case any other horse starts showing signs.
Emma xx
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Post by jill on Dec 12, 2010 18:46:13 GMT 1
Oh that is such a shame - poor Poppy
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Post by BJMM on Dec 12, 2010 19:03:39 GMT 1
Poor pony! What a shame.xx
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