Creating Real Change in the Metabolic Horse

The easy-keeper and metabolic horse pose many challenges to horse owners, farriers, and veterinarians in many facets of equine health and soundness.  For some owners, they are contending with weight issues, insulin resistance, laminitis, and other health concerns in their horse.  For many others, these primary issues are not the problem, but more so it is allergies, ongoing colic concerns, irritable bowel issues, hindgut acidosis, and non-healing injuries or foot problems.  While this second group doesn’t realize it, all of those issues stem from underlying weight issues, metabolic concerns, and often poor digestive health balance.  Let’s look at some new options to assist these horses.

Metabolic Horse Options for Therapy
Metabolic Horse Options for Therapy

An overweight or heavy body condition can dramatically impact health in the horse, which seems to mirror that in human medicine.  The reason for this is two-fold, being that the excess fat can increase levels of inflammation and that the digestive microbiome is often disturbed or imbalanced.  Another effect that are seen in some but not all heavier or easy-keeper horses, is insulin resistance or glucose intolerance on various levels.

While these problems are often very noticeable clinically in the average easy-keeper having diagnosed insulin resistance and weight concerns, there are often overlooked in many others, and despite having these clinical issues, the owners, veterinarians, and farriers often just see the ‘effects’.

These effects include:

  • tendon issues
  • poor hoof growth
  • laminitis
  • sole pain
  • weakened tendons and ligaments
  • allergies
  • respiratory complaints
  • circulatory issues
  • poor performance

The primary goals in helping to rehabilitate these easy-keeper horses include:

  • Establish proper nutrition for cellular health, healing, and function
  • Establish proper exercise to aid in weight reduction and improvement in health
  • Address inflammatory events in the body
  • Re-balance and encourage diversity in the digestive microbiome
  • Encourage healthy cellular metabolism

Current Cur-OST® Options for Metabolic Support Include:

  1. Cur-OST EQ Total Support – baseline formula for inflammatory, digestive, and nutrient provision
  2. Cur-OST EQ Meta-Support – baseline formula for metabolism support, body weight
  3. Cur-OST EQ Tri-Gut – baseline formula for digestive support and microbiome balance

These have been the primary three formulas that are utilized in our horse patients and recommended to others, along with a modification of the diet and implementation of exercise.  Some horses do very well on just the first formula, along with diet and exercise, while others require a higher level of support which includes the incorporation of the other two supplements.  Even further, due to excess body weight and other contributors, some of these horses have moderate joint pain or foot pain, which is not addressed completely by the above recommendations, thus potentially more is needed.

What is needed by each individual horse can vary, dependent upon the stage of their clinical progression and how well other factors are managed. 

While this is logical, it is often very frustrating for the average owner, continuing to struggle with weight issues, foot pain, and other concerns despite efforts.  Given this, Nouvelle Research, Inc, is launching the release of 2 new formulas, which are used in rehab practice, and are now available to horse owners.

Cur-OST EQ Total Body & Joint Metabolic Formula:

  • A 5-in-one formula combining the power of the EQ Total Support, EQ Pure, EQ Tri-Gut, EQ Meta-Support and the EQ Cell Repair
  • Targets a higher level of inflammatory support with increased levels of Curcumin 95%
  • Targets a higher level of digestive support with added Triphala 40% tannin extract
  • Targets a higher level of metabolic support through added Blueberry 4:1 extract
  • Targets a higher level of cellular repair and oxidative stress support with Astaxanthin 1.5%

This is one vital option for those horse owners that are using multiple formulas in their overweight or metabolic horse, especially if added joint support is required or a higher level of foot pain is present, which may be inhibiting the horse from resuming proper exercise.

This is a ‘special order‘ formula, which is formulated based on patient needs and demand.  It can provide real results, as the active components of several formulas are included in one, while also reducing overall cost and ease of use by the owner.  It is generally very well accepted by the horses, due to the natural Blueberry fruit which is present in the blend.  Learn more about Cur-OST EQ Total Body & Joint.

Cur-OST EQ Tri-Guggul Metabolic Formula:

  • Targets digestive and microbiome balance and diversity
  • Improves overall digestion and nutrient absorption
  • Combines Triphala 40% tannin extract with Guggul 2.5% extract
  • Triphala extract well known for digestive health and support
  • Guggul (Commiphora mukul) is well known for improving overall lipid metabolism, detoxification, digestive support, and promotes a healthy body weight.

This new formula takes our Cur-OST EQ Tri-Gut to a new level, by adding in the Guggul extract for added digestive and lipid metabolism support, plus aids in overall body detoxification which can be of tremendous benefit in the metabolic prone horse.  The combination of Triphala and Guggul extracts is traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine not just for digestive support, but also weight management due to the impact of the blend on lipid metabolism.  Learn more about Cur-OST EQ Tri-Guggul.

If you are continuing to struggle with your easy-keeper or metabolic prone horse, give one of these new options a try.

 

Author:  Tom Schell, D.V.M., CVCH, CHN

 

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