Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Dr. Getty
Hello Linda,
High blood glucose indicates that your horse has metabolic syndrome – a condition where he becomes insulin resistant. He should not eat any grain (oats, corn, barley, etc.) and therefore, I would discontinue the pellets, since they are most likely made from grains.
Instead, offer him hay pellets, beet pulp, or rice bran. If you feed the rice bran, balance it out with some alfalfa hay or alfalfa pellets to bring the calcium:phosphorus ratio into balance.
Thanks for writing,
Dr. Getty
