2017 Miniature Horse World SPRING Issue | Page 40

readily available , and you can compare your horse to those . Healthy-weight Minis have ribs that can be found , soft crests that are not excessive in size , and no fat pads around the tail . Any fat they do have is smooth and soft . If you cannot feel the ribs , the fat is hard or lumpy , and there are extra fat pads present , you need a muzzle and some dietary adjustments .
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of Insulin Resistance and PPID can be made with blood tests , but these also may not be conclusive . Blood tests can be affected by the time of year , so careful interpretation is important . Stress also affects the tests significantly , so a test for Cortisol or ACTH ( the most common for PPID ) will show much higher levels during a flair up of laminitis . Insulin tests can also be affected by stress . It is important to retest as the pain of laminitis decreases to get a complete picture .
In some cases , all the symptoms are present for insulin resistance or PPID , but the blood tests are normal . This does not rule the condition out ; it just means the condition has not progressed to the point it shows up in the blood . The natural treatments will be very helpful at this stage .
Causes of Laminitis
Minis naturally tend to be easy keepers . These animals are very efficient at processing food and storing it as fat for times when the food supply is not there ( think winter with no grass to eat ). When they eat in a pasture full of grass or are fed free choice high-quality hay , it is the equivalent of humans eating at Dunkin ’ Donuts every day .
Most of them do not need any grain at all , but that does not mean that they aren ’ t fed grains . Severely limiting feed and hay intake does not help the metabolism . Chronic overeating creates Insulin Resistance , which leads to metabolically triggered laminitis . PPID , also incorrectly called Cushing ’ s , is a common occurrence , usually in the older horses , or those that have been insulin resistant for a long time .
Another reason for laminitis , especially chronic laminitis , may be caused by the health of the gut wall . Drugs , such as antibiotics and anti-inflammatories , actually create inflammation in the gut wall , which can let bacterial toxins leak out to trigger laminitis . Minis are especially susceptible to these toxic effects from drugs like phenylbutazone ( Bute ).
Lack of exercise is a real problem with many horses , especially with Minis . Though some have jobs where they get significant exercise , most do not . And since many Minis do not tolerate grass , they get kept in small paddocks , further restricting exercise .
Conventional Medical Treatment
The standard treatments used with laminitis are the non-steroidal antiinflammatories ( NSAIDs ) to relieve pain and decrease inflammation . Other drugs may be used to alter the circulation or reduce swelling . The treatment of chronic laminitis that may be associated with PPID , the drug pergolide mesylate is used with varying degrees of success . Metformin is another drug that has been used for insulin resistance , but research and clinical experience have not shown that it helps many horses . Thyroid drugs are also frequently used and may be helpful , but in many cases , the thyroid is not the primary problem . Single thyroid blood tests are much less useful for making an accurate diagnosis of hypothyroid .
Nutrition
The first question you need to ask yourself , is your Mini underweight or overweight ? If he is overweight , you should consider some feed restriction and supplementation ( see below ) to assist with weight loss . The most important factor for the overweight horse is that much of the diet be fiber .
For the underweight Mini , it is critically important to provide safe calories , usually in the form of fats or oils ( rice bran or rice bran oil ) along with beet pulp or hay pellets . Coconut oil or coconut-based feeds can be used very successfully ( Coolstance ). Even with significant laminitis present , the underweight horse can be fed up to a pound of rice bran or a cup of oil two or three times a day . It is optimum to use cold pressed and organic oils , but often this is cost prohibitive . The least processed oil is the best . Sometimes , you can find rice bran oil that is less processed than what is in the grocery store . Some of these horses tolerate grains such as barley ( which is a cooling food from a Chinese perspective ).
Sweet feeds should be avoided at all costs as they are inflammatory ; most Minis with metabolically based laminitis cannot tolerate sugar .
Higher levels of protein may be needed in some of the horses with weight loss problems . However some horses will lose weight if the protein levels are too high . Horses with severe pain will burn a lot of calories and break down protein just in an effort to stand and move around .
Forage It is now common knowledge that we need to pay attention to the amount of carbohydrates present in the hay . If you have access to a large supply of your hay , you can have it tested at www . equi-analytical . com . It is possible for moderate to poor looking hay to be high in sugar and starch , while a pretty green hay may be much lower . Feeding a hay that is high in sugars and starches is like feeding sweet feed . If you have changed your hay and you suddenly notice your Mini gaining a bit of weight or becoming cresty , the hay can easily be the culprit . Go to the website www . safergrass . org for information about hay testing and carbohydrate content of forage .
Alfalfa hays are higher in protein and can be lower in sugars , but some Minis cannot handle the richness of alfalfa . With a thin mini , alfalfa hay or hay cubes may be helpful as part of the diet .
Slow feeder hay nets can be very helpful . For minis , the holes need to
38 Miniature Horse World SPRING 2017