Page 110 - November_2023

VETERINARY VIEWS
FAT SUPPLEMENTATION FOR SPECIFIC DISORDERS
As a calorie substitute for grain prod- ucts, fat is well metabolized by horses for energy. We addressed many of the benefits of feeding fat in the April 2021 issue of Speedhorse. Here, we’ll look at other favor-
able effects of fat that help to mitigate specific disorders in horses. (Some muscle disorders were discussed in the June 2022 issue of Speedhorse.)
FAT FOR MUSCLE DISORDERS
Fat supplementation is beneficial for horses with recurrent equine rhabdomyolysis (RER), a form of tying-up syndrome, particularly common to Thoroughbred horses. In horses with RER and a need for a high caloric diet, it is best to exclude high levels of dietary starch (grain) and instead supplement with fat. In clinical trials, RER horses had lower resting heart rates and were more tractable when
by Nancy S. Loving, DVM
consuming a high-fat diet. A close connection between a nervous temperament and tying-up
in RER horses makes dietary fat instrumental
in modulating anxiety and nervousness. Greater calm in these horses prior to exercise mitigates their predisposition to RER. Other management strategies are important to ameliorate attacks of RER – turnout, exercise, feeding RER horses prior to feeding other horses, and providing compatible social situations.
A high-fat diet is an effective strategy
to minimize clinical signs related to polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM). When fed to PSSM horses, a low-to-moderate caloric diet composed of grass hay and a fat supplement results in decreased skeletal muscle glycogen concentrations within 3 weeks.
Fat has specific protective effects in horses with PSSM through its effects on glucose
Management strategies important for horses with recurrent equine rhabdomyolysis (RER), a form of tying-up syndrome include turnout, exercise, feeding RER horses prior to others, and providing compatible social situations.
108 SPEEDHORSE November 2023