4. Assess His Health
After you’ve established that your horse needs to lose weight and you know his current diet and exercise level, have your veterinarian check him over for potential issues that could complicate a weight-loss plan.
Horses that have seasonal or nonseasonal allergies may have specific dietary requirements, says Nimet Browne, DVM, MPH, Dipl. ACVIM, of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, in Lexington, Kentucky. “As a result, significantly cutting calories can cause dietary imbalances,” she says. “These horses need a weight-loss plan tailored by a veterinarian or nutritionist who can closely monitor balances in trace minerals, while keeping in mind the horse’s specific allergies.”
Insulin resistance
“Weight loss in horses that are insulin resistant can be quite challenging, as this condition may result from—and can perpetuate—obesity,” says Browne. “Carbohydrate intake may be the single most important element to control in these horses.”
Formulating a dietary plan consists of identifying the horse’s goal body weight, she says, and adjusting his hay and concentrate intake to meet that goal.
“Hay analysis can be extremely important to identify the nonstructural carbohydrate component; our goal would be to feed hay that contains less than 10%,” Browne says. “Once the carbohydrate content of the hay is adjusted, then the amount of hay should be restricted (to 1.25-1.5% body weight) until the horse reaches his goal weight.
“Most horses with insulin resistance don’t need to be fed concentrate but, when cutting out grain completely, a ration balancer to provide essential nutrients and trace minerals is extremely important,” she adds.
Veterinarians have also used levothyroxine sodium powder to help heavy insulin-resistant horses drop weight.
Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, aka equine Cushing’s disease)
Your veterinarian can tailor a nutritional plan for your PPID horse based on his body condition and insulin status. “Horses with PPID come in many shapes and sizes,” says Browne. “Some are extremely easy keepers and would benefit from a decrease in concentrates and grass, but others are hard keepers and need to maintain a certain caloric intake to prevent weight loss.”
Many horses with soundness issues can be managed more successfully if they aren’t carrying extra weight, says Browne. “Obesity can put additional strain on musculoskeletal structures, exacerbating preexisting issues, as well as sometimes causing new ones,” she says.
Horses with laminitis pose a unique challenge, Browne says. “Ultimately, these horses’ weight-loss programs should be aimed at understanding the cause of the laminitis and then addressing those concerns,” she says, which could include insulin resistance, PPID, obesity, or systemic disease, as well as an injury or limitation in the supporting limb.
“As all of these situations require unique approaches, these horses should be managed with close adherence to veterinarian and farrier recommendations,” Browne adds. “Generally, horses with laminitis secondary to insulin resistance and PPID can be managed similarly as described above; however, due to potential stall rest, these horses may require additional (diet) restrictions as they will not be getting exercise.”
This content was originally published here.
