Equine Metabolic Syndrome
What is it? How does it present? How is it managed/treated?
My coming three year old Drum Mare, Cami, went from a chunky girl to morbidly obese what seemed like overnight. Luckily I work for an Equine Internal Med Specialist, so we knew to check her for Insulin Resistance (now more commonly known as Equine Metabolic Syndrome). We performed the Oral Sugar Test (fast the horse, take a blood sample, give the horse Karo Syrup, then pull more blood over the next two hours), sent all the blood to Cornell University, and the results came back her Insulin Levels were sky high. So we started her on a diet and a product called Insulin Wise by Kentucky Performance Products. Due to the EMS she did develop a mild case of Laminitis. Once we got the EMS under control and she dropped substantial weight, we got the laminitis under control as well.
Equine Metabolic Syndrome (will be referred to as EMS as we continue through the article) is unknown why it affects some horses and not others. There does seem to be a genetic predisposition to it along with environmental/dietary as it is an endocrine disorder. Insulin dysregulation (EMS) is when a horse has an abnormal regulation and secretion of insulin due to loss of sensitivity at the cellular/tissue level. Insulin is secreted by the pancreas and is released into the bloodstream. Insulin’s primary job is maintaining normal blood glucose (sugar) levels and the body’s ability to utilize glucose for energy at the tissue level. Insulin dysregulation occurs when insulin no longer has a normal effect on the tissues. The pancreas continues to secrete insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels resulting in hyperinsulinemia (higher than normal insulin levels), which is a direct cause of laminitis. Most laminitis cases (approximately 85%) are insulin-related endocrine disorders (EMS and Equine Cushing’s). The high risk of laminitis is reason enough to have your horse’s insulin levels checked going into the summer months if they are predisposed or have clinical signs of EMS. Since it is so important to know about, it is equally important to know how to diagnosis it/what to look for.
Common Symptoms of a Horse with EMS:
*Obese horse often with fatty deposits on the neck (crest), back and hind end. Excessive fat adiposity (fat deposits), cresty neck, obesity. These horses are often known as easy keepers. Fat deposits can be along the neck, the shoulder, and hindquarters. If your horse is looking more like a Draft Horse when it is actually an Arabian, Quarter Horse, or Pony then there is a good chance of insulin dysregulation.
*Laminitis is another sign associated with insulin dysregulation. There are other causes for laminitis (trauma, infection, farrier imbalance/no sole, etc) but if your horse does not have a history of the other causes then it could be ID and they should be evaluated for EMS by a veterinarian.
So my Horse has EMS. How do I treat it?
Many ways and often depends on where you live, work closely with your vet!
Cami was placed in a pen where I could fully regulate her diet instead of out with her herd. This way I was able to make sure she ate the minimum daily requirements she needed, without her being able to free-feed. Started soaking her alfalfa before feeding to help remove excess sugars from the hay. Also started her on Insulin Wise.
Biggest keys to successfully treating EMS is:
*Limiting feed intake (horse needs to lose weight, so need to meet their minimum feeding requirements on a daily basis but nothing more). Limiting/eliminating sugars from their diet (no sweet feed, oats, minimal carrots/apples, treats, etc). As with humans, if it is sweet and they love it, they can't have it if they are metabolic! The one exception they can have is a ration balancer grain but keep it to the minimum recommended amount. We feed and recommend Purina Enrich Plus for Ration Balancer.
*Increasing exercise if they are not dealing with laminitis. The more calories they can safely burn, the more weight they will lose and the easier it will be on their feet to prevent laminitis. If your horse is currently laminitic, work with your vet on proper protocol for that horse.
*Using Insulin Wise, this supplement has shown success maintaining normal metabolic function and regulating insulin levels. Cami eats hers in her ration balancer.
There are still constantly new updates coming out yearly on EMS, so check back for updates as more updated information is provided to horse owners on how to successfully deal with Equine Metabolic Syndrome.
