Tag Archives: insulin

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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Safe Supplements for Metabolic Horses

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

When evaluating supplements for horses prone to high insulin levels there are two basic areas to consider – the active ingredients and the base. On the ingredients front, some things to generally avoid include:  Added iron.  These horses often have … Continue reading →

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Grazing the Metabolic Horse

Posted on June 20, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

The hardest thing for owners of horses with EMS or PPID to accept is that grazing can be hazardous. Vegetation available to feral horses looks very different from the dense green grass domestic horses graze. Eating grass seems like the … Continue reading →

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All Carbs Matter in Equine Metabolic Syndrome

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

There are physiological differences between humans and horses. For example, horses don’t produce high levels of ketones, even when starving.  Horses with EMS are not at high risk for cardiovascular disease the way humans are. They develop laminitis instead. Despite … Continue reading →

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Metabolic Disease Misinformation

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

Grazing season makes attention turn to equine metabolic disorders but there is a wealth of misinformation out there, despite solid research that disproves some pieces of advice and a clear lack of supporting research for others. False:  NSC and fructan … Continue reading →

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Spring Pastures

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

In most areas of North America, pastures are coming to their verdant peak.  This beautiful flush is also a powerhouse of nutrition for the horse. Spring grass has abundant supplies of  vitamins and omega-3 essential fats which likely contribute to … Continue reading →

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Do You Need an Oral Sugar Test to Diagnose EMS?

Posted on October 27, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

It has been established that high blood insulin is responsible for about 90% of all laminitis cases and best current estimate is 10 to 15% of the equine population is at risk of EMS – Equine Metabolic Syndrome.  A central … Continue reading →

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Insulin Problems – Forget about NSC

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

Hay or pasture is a major component of any horse’s diet, and is likely to be virtually the complete diet in animals that are obese.  Since insulin resistance is often part of the reason why a horse or pony becomes … Continue reading →

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Obesity and Metabolic Problems

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

The vast majority of us are well familiar with how easy it is to gain weight with the wrong foods or simply too much food and how hard it can be to lose it. The same is true for most … Continue reading →

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Ketogenic Diet for Horses? Pass

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

Everyone has heard about the ketogenic diet by now, “keto” for short. It’s basically a reinvention of the Atkins diet with more emphasis on eating fat.   Fasting, starvation and no or low simple carbohydrate diets trigger a higher rate of … Continue reading →

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