Tag Archives: horses

Insulin, ACTH and Pain

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Dr. Kellon

Because testing for hormonal disease in horses is often triggered by the horse developing laminitis, the effect of pain on test results is always a concern. A 2020 German study looked at hospitalized horses in pain from various conditions including … Continue reading →

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Available Tests for Allergic Lung Disease are Useless

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Dr. Kellon

A study that will be published in the July issue of the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science has found that none of the currently available tests for equine lung allergic disease are helpful. The study looked at 15 horses – … Continue reading →

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Flax To Mimic Pasture

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Dr. Kellon

How much flax seed do you need to feed to match intake from grazing? We know that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential elements of the diet for mammals because their bodies cannot synthesize them. What we don’t know … Continue reading →

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Insulin Resistance or Insulin Dysregulation?

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Dr. Kellon

Insulin dysregulation [ID] is a term coined in a 2014 publication to describe horses with abnormal levels of insulin.  Elevated insulin used to be considered to mean a horse is insulin resistant, and in many cases it still does, but … Continue reading →

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Forget About Fructan and NSC

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Dr. Kellon

Some beliefs simply will not die, no matter how incorrect they are. Horses, ponies, donkeys/mules and minis which are prone to high insulin levels are at risk of developing health problems. For example, it has been clearly demonstrated that high … Continue reading →

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The Facts About Feeding Straw

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

Straw is often recommended as an alternative to hay in a variety of scenarios – hay shortage, for weight loss, to decrease sugar/starch in the diet or simply to give the horse something to chew on for longer periods without … Continue reading →

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Free Fecal Water Syndrome

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

  It’s as unappealing as it sounds. The horse has normally formed manure but passes extra brown water along with it, staining the tail and hindquarters. This is different from diarrhea, where the frequency of passing manure is increased and/or … Continue reading →

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Cleaner Water For Your Horse

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

Since horses are classified as “livestock” there are less rigid water quality standards used for them.  However, unlike other livestock they are often with us for decades rather than the short lifespans of meat and milk animals or smaller herbivores … Continue reading →

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Skeletal Development in Young Horses

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

“You are what you eat” is never more true than with a gr0wing animal.  The mare will rob her own body if necessary to provide for the growing foal, but by 2 months, when he starts eating solid food, only … Continue reading →

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Diet and Laminitis – No Link to Fructan

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

Horses and ponies, donkeys and mules, may develop laminitis on diets based on either hay or pasture. The cause isn’t fructan.  It isn’t hind gut acidosis.  Here’s the science. The AAEP’s Laminitis Working Group did a four year study with … Continue reading →

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