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So my horse seems to have developed insulin resistance. It's not just a weight thing - even at a perfect 5 body condition, he still has fat pads, some crest, etc. I board, and we go through batches of hay very quickly, so testing doesn't really help. In the past I've tested and some of the greenest hay was actually much lower sugar than the browner hay.

So, I'm soaking his hay for now, and restricting amount, but I'd like to really get a handle on it.

I've heard magnesium is important, chromium is important. Someone told me Taurine helps with seasonal changes. I also need to get his regular vitamins and hoof supplement into his feed.

Smartpak has several supplements, and other companies have their own supplements. It's a bit overwhelming actually, and I'm not even sure if they are any different except for price...

Anyone have particularly good luck with something? Pelleted is best as he can be picky with powders.

What does your vet suggest?

I find the SmartPak comparison charts helpful. Here is one for the metabolic supplements that they sell.

Best of luck getting this problem sorted out.

Thanks for the comparison chart. I'll take a look at that.

The vet recommended this: https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.htm ... b53e12dce0 but it's very expensive. It does have research behind it but I don't think I can afford that very long.

Also, I remember that posters on UDBB and COTH recommended joining the Yahoo Cushings Group for good info and support.

I have two that have tested high on occasion, but not consistently. I am careful with their diet (a mixture of grass hay, with small amounts of Timothy pellets, beet pulp pellets, and the minimum amount of a ration balancer plus other supplements as needed by each individual). I also add potassium chromide from Platinum Performance to their supplements. It is not cheap, but the dosing is tiny so it lasts a long time. It is supposed to help balance sugars. They are also on dry lot turnout 20 hours a day and worked at least 3 times a week. I'm diabetic so I try to follow a similar program with them.

I feed smartpak's Metabolean pellets to my pony. She's super picky, and will eat this product. I think it helps. She also gets mag restore, probiotics, and HorseTech's grass vit/min pellets. She's only turned out for no more than 3 hours a day and with a grazing muzzle. The rest of the time she's dry lotted with low NSC hay (<10%), in a slow feed hay net. I have read in one of my equine nutrition books, (Feed Your Horse Like a Horse by Getty), that restricting hay actually makes the IR problem worse. You might look into keeping soaked or low NSC hay in front of him in a slow feeder.

CORRECTION it's chromium yeast by Patinum Performance...I don't know where I came up with potassium chromide!

I agree with Fatcat. Mine get their hay in slow feeders four times a day while turned out on dry lot.

Did your vet confirm he is IR? If not, it could be Cushings - which you treat differently. My aged gelding has Cushings BUT is not IR.

Hayburner wrote:Did your vet confirm he is IR? If not, it could be Cushings - which you treat differently. My aged gelding has Cushings BUT is not IR.

Yes! Ace is the same, and I often have to explain to folks that they are not one and the same.

But do you get fat pockets with Cushings? I have a really hard time keeping weight on Ace. And it's not just the topline wasting issue. Ace developed Cushings at an unusually young age-- 15/16 -- and hasn't been a "typical" case, though.

I am going to try Remission. It is pretty inexpensive as supplements go. I am not liking the way my mare looks right now either. She dropped weight over the winter and despite being on dry lot this spring has sprung a chubby neck and dimpled butt. Her neck isn't rock hard...yet. I am trying to up her exercise but between work and parent care issues, I am not getting her worked very consistently. Hay soaking isn't going to happen at my current barn.

I have got to find a new vet. My current one is close to retirement and not very proactive on stuff like IR so I need to establish a relationship with someone and get her tested.

Good Luck.
Susan

My gelding was diagnosed with Cushings in January as a 12 yr. old. It is NOT just an "old horse" disease. Better testing is showing horses testing positive at much younger ages. He also tested positive for IR. Also shocking. But, after 8 wks on Pergolide I had him re-tested and both numbers had dropped significantly.
Just an FYI ..... my horse had none of the normal Cushings symptoms and I had to argue with 2 Vets to get him tested. I just had a gut feeling.

I put my old guy on Quissence and Smartpac's Smart Pituitary and his numbers(Lepitan, Glucose and ??) all doubled from his previous test. ATCH was still in a good range, due to increasing from 1 tab of Prascend to 1 1/2.
Nothing else changed in his diet! Except to get his glucose in line fast, I started to soak his hay. Before the new test, I stopped soaking, since I board my horse I prefer not to soak.

Vet said to stop the supplements - I did and his numbers dropped dramatically. They still weren't great but way better.

With his glucose being almost double - I'm wondering if he also is IR now.