Bossmare11
Member
I would love to see pic of yours.I never thought at 2 yrs old I would be looking at bloodwork
Mini crested up
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I use the same hay nets as @Kelly for my mini. He is on alfalfa and gets anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 a flake @ each feeding, depending on whether he is turned out or stalled. I have never had any issues on the alfalfa.
My Haflinger, however, is a big boy and fattens up fast on coastal. He was exhibiting classic signs of IR, so I had his blood pulled. His insulin levels were fine, but my vet advised we continue to monitor him as a horse with a high probability to progress to full-on IR.
I, myself, am insulin resistant and on metformin to treat. I know from my own diet challenges that high carbs / empty carbs aren’t good, so I moved my gelding to alfalfa too. It’s high protein and extremely low NSC.
He also gets it in a haybag for slow feeding and has done awesome on it, already losing his puppy tummy. There is also the added benefit of hoof wall improvement since the hoof wall is mostly protein.
Good luck!
My Haflinger, however, is a big boy and fattens up fast on coastal. He was exhibiting classic signs of IR, so I had his blood pulled. His insulin levels were fine, but my vet advised we continue to monitor him as a horse with a high probability to progress to full-on IR.
I, myself, am insulin resistant and on metformin to treat. I know from my own diet challenges that high carbs / empty carbs aren’t good, so I moved my gelding to alfalfa too. It’s high protein and extremely low NSC.
He also gets it in a haybag for slow feeding and has done awesome on it, already losing his puppy tummy. There is also the added benefit of hoof wall improvement since the hoof wall is mostly protein.
Good luck!
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Good you are getting the vet out for bloodwork. Being proactive can solve problems later and then you know what you're dealing with and can target the treatment so you're not guessing. I have one that looked insulin resistant but wasn't so the vet put him on Thyro. It's so hard to know the reason without a blood test.
Bossmare11
Member
Thank you for the info I appreciate it
OP, has your horse's crest gone down since coming off grass?
Bossmare11
Member
Yes I will take a pic but it is definitely getting better
That's great news! Grass can change composition at the drop of a hat so something probably happened to cause it to suddenly spike in sugar content. So good that you caught it right away.
Bossmare11
Member
Yes my now i have a new problem..i soak my hay and hang it on the gate to dry overnight by noon its hot getting ready to mold i only soak for a hr but we hsve had hot days here
To me the sudden cresting up while on pasture points to the main issue being the grass - so if they are dry-lotted perhaps they don't need their hay soaked? Unless of course you have tested it and know that the sugar is high. But lots and lots of horses will have issues with grass or grain and be totally fine on hay. I would say, again unless you have tested the hay and know the sugar is really high, try just putting it in the smallest hole nets and not soaking - chances are they will be fine. My guy will get a crest and saddlebags on even very limited grass, but is currently losing weight and losing his fat pads on free-choice hay netted in the 3/4" Hayburners nets. Of course every horse is different but since they had no issues before, hopefully you can get away without having to soak.
If you do have to soak, then you either have to feed it straightaway when it's hot out, or keep it somewhere cool (like a basement), but still I wouldn't keep it longer than 12 hours or so because it can go bad pretty quickly.
Also just an aside, the fat pads can come up REALLY fast, but then take a while to go totally away. The crest seems to be faster but the saddlebags can take forever to go down again once they form. Still, don't expect the crest to go down as fast as it forms - it will soften and harden very fast though so you can feel it to know whether you're on the right track. If it gets softer and starts to go down, you're doing fine. If it hardens up again then you know something they are eating is too much sugar.
If you do have to soak, then you either have to feed it straightaway when it's hot out, or keep it somewhere cool (like a basement), but still I wouldn't keep it longer than 12 hours or so because it can go bad pretty quickly.
Also just an aside, the fat pads can come up REALLY fast, but then take a while to go totally away. The crest seems to be faster but the saddlebags can take forever to go down again once they form. Still, don't expect the crest to go down as fast as it forms - it will soften and harden very fast though so you can feel it to know whether you're on the right track. If it gets softer and starts to go down, you're doing fine. If it hardens up again then you know something they are eating is too much sugar.
Bossmare11
Member
THANK YOU SOO MUCH for the reply I will follow this
