can anyone recommend a supplement that contains a mix of the beneficial and crucial vitamins/minerals/amino acids/yeast/nitrous oxide,etc.,that is critical in possibly warding off future episodes.

thank you,
s. schachter

can anyone recommend a supplement that contains a mix of the beneficial and crucial vitamins/minerals/amino acids/yeast/nitrous oxide,etc.,that is critical in possibly warding off future episodes.

Hi -

Actually, no! The best supplement program for ANY horse is knowing what is missing or excess in your hay and then balancing to that. There might be a supplement on the market that comes close, but it's not likely, and you won't know until you test your hay.

Additionally, commercial supplements focus on the trace minerals since they are a little more predictable than the majors, which usually are not included except in small amounts. There are a few that are for *IR* type horses that will be appropriately generous in magnesium and chromium.

I have not heard of a supplement that adds a nitric oxide enhancing source. Jiaogulan and AAKG are what many horses on this list are on, but they need to be feed on an empty stomach...so doubtful you will find them in a supplement.

So the answer to warding off future events is to know exactly what you are dealing with by lab work (glucose and insulin for IR, and ACTH for cushings if appropriate by age), feed a low sugar/starch forage based diet with minerals balanced to it; good hoof form, and exercise!

Where are you located? There are a couple of products that have been formulated with specific regions in mind based on known typical excesses and deficits.

Do you want to tell us a bit about the horse in question?

Linda
EC Primary Response
West Coast
May 2004

I can tell you what I used for my mare.
It worked great for her with no issues.
We dont test our hay since we get it from different suppliers.
Its Purinas Enrich 32, NSC 10%. I compared it to 5 different other
complete pelleted vitamin supps and it has the most vitamins/min
then any other supp I looked at. All my horses are on it, even my IR
mare and they all look and feel great.
 
It is a bit pricey. $25/50 lbs, but you only feed 1-2 lbs a day depending on need.
 
I dont know about the the yeast and oxide part. Ive never had an issue with her since I put her on Enrich.
 
Julie

Its Purinas Enrich 32, NSC 10%.

One of the things that is often *lost* in the search for something safe to feed an IR horse is fat content. It is a trend to add fat to many supplements, and many even boast about the amount of fat they've added.

Enrich 32 is 5%(min) fat, which means it could indeed be higher. Fat can induce or worsen IR.

<http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/message/106608>

<http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/message/120961>

The fat in this product and many others is Omega6, which is pro-inflammatory. A horse's natural diet (grazing on grass 24/7) consists of mostly Omega3 - the anti-inflammatory fatty acid. The Omega3/Omega6 ratio in grass is most closely found in 2-4 ounces of ground flax seed.

Many IR horses cannot tolerate added Omega6 fats.

Just some food for thought when looking at safe products. It's not all about sugar and starch.

Linda
EC Primary Response
West Coast
May 2004

Its Purinas Enrich 32, NSC 10%. I compared it to 5 different other
complete pelleted vitamin supps and it has the most vitamins/min
then any other supp I looked at. All my horses are on it, even my IR
mare and they all look and feel great.

I'd be hesitant to feed this to my IR boys.

http://horse.purinamills.com/products/Enrich32.asp

Did you call them to ask about the NSC,Julie?I don't see it on their web site,but may have missed it.

Equi-Min isn't a pellet,but it has higher levels of traces.It's Purina Agri-Brands,so I'm not sure if we're comparing apples and apples or not.

I'd just encourage anyone considering it for IR horses to be picky about the details before using it.

Having said that,it's great it is working so well for your horses,Julie.

Lorna in Ontario
Support/Moderator
2002

--- In EquineCushings@..., "smschachter" <smschachter@...> wrote:

can anyone recommend a supplement that contains a mix of the beneficial and crucial vitamins/minerals/amino acids/yeast/nitrous oxide,etc.,that is critical in possibly warding off future episodes.

Doesn't exist! That's because the right levels of minerals, protein etc. depend entirely on what is already in the horse's diet. To know that, you have to have a hay analysis done. Please read the materials that were sent to you when you joined.

Eleanor in PA
www.drkellon.com
EC Co-owner
Feb 2001

Hello-
I checked with Purina about the NSC. Out of all the brands I checked, they had the lowest NSC.
 
What I do with my horses, including rescues that I take in, is watch how
they do on a particular diet. I dont have anything tested just because I do have different hay suppliers depending on who has the best hay and can supply our needs.
I just watch the horses closely and tweek here and there for what I believe may be going on with them. Then change their diets accordingly.
 
I only have 1 IR mare. She was a rescue (that we adopted). She came to me with a body score of 1 last March. Her hooves were literally falling off her legs. She was sensitive to everything, yet we needed to put weight on her. The vets didnt think she would make it. Well 1 year later she is alive and healthy. BUT, it did take a lot of tweaking to get her the calories she needed to put weight on and to do it without comprimising her health her since she was IR. Most was done by weight builders, Amplify fat and of course free choice brome hay. After she put the weight on that she needed, I backed her off all of that so she didnt get too fat and put her on Enrich and of course free choice hay. She is doing great.
 
Im not an expert on Nutrition, but I do know my horses.
My best advice is to watch your horse closely for what they are telling you.
Always watch for changes and tweek your feeding program as needed.
One program may work for a horse for a few months, then you may find
you need to change it according to how their needs are changing.
 
I attached a pic of my IR horse Rosie just for the fun of it :-)

Take Care
Julie
Member Jan 2010
Nebraska