Hi Dr. Getty,
This summer I was able to board my horse Dixon where he was on pasture 24/7 and supplemented with some alfalfa hay. Unfortunately, the stable owners are going through a divorce so I'm having to move him where he will have a stall with a run and be fed grass hay. He got quite chubby being on pasture. He has also been laid up the past three months due to a muscle injury over his loin area which we think resulted from a fall in the pasture. The vet considered EPSM but we did not test him since he responed to acupuncture treatments. The vet gave me the ok to put him back into light work with lunging. With the new grass hay diet I'm sure I need to add a supplement. Would adding something like Triple Crown Lite to his diet be a good choice? He also has some dry, flaky skin. Would adding Flax to his diet be too much since he is on the chubby side?
Thank you so much for being there to answer all our questions.

Where are you from? Wyoming

How did you locate this forum? search

Hi Lori,

With hay as the main portion of his diet, you will definitely want to consider a supplement to fill in the gaps. There are several ways to approach this.

The Triple Crown Lite option would be fine if he were of normal weight. But, since he has some weight to lose, I would suggest instead, that you give him a small meal of alfalfa pellets to serve as a "carrier" for a supplement.

There is a product called Glanzen-Lite which is flaxseed meal along with added vitamins and minerals. It is designed to be more concentrated than regular Glanzen, and therefore lower in fat and calories. So this way, you could get him the flaxseed meal for the health of his coat (along with hooves, skin, joints, muscles, and immune function), and the vitamins and minerals he needs.

Give him enough hay to last throughout the night so he doesn't run out. This is important because he needs to nibble on some forage. Hours without something to eat can not only hurt the digestive tract, but actually cause weight gain.

And finally, if you feel that he is having trouble taking off weight, he may be somewhat insulin resistant. Quiessence (a magnesium/chromium supplement) is very effective and can be fed along with Glanzen-Lite.

I hope this is helpful. Please keep me posted.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Hi Dr. Getty,
I wanted to give you an update on my gelding. His back problems didn't resolve with acupuncture so my vet took muscle biopies and sent them off to Dr. Valberg. The results were positive for PSSM. He has been on a grass hay diet with 2lbs of Triple Crown Low Starch for the past two months. He has also lost the extra weight he was carrying and is now at an ideal weight. Before he was stiff, sore and cranky. I am amazed on what a difference a change in diet made. I've got my old horse back and its wonderful to see him run and buck when turned loose. The people at Triple Crown recommended I feed him 6lbs. a day. He isn't being worked right now due to the weather and I didn't want him to put the extra weight back on. When the weather warms up and I can begin working him regularly I planned on increasing the Tripel Crown. Would more TC Low Starch make him hyper? He also has free choice salt is there anything else I should add to his diet to help maintain his PSSM?
Thanks Dr. Getty.

Where are you from? Casper, WY

Hi Lori!

What excellent news about his weight loss! You can give him more of the Triple Crown Low Starch as his calorie needs increase, and I do not see any problems with it making him hyper.

I would still consider giving him Quiessence because the extra magnesium will help lower his circulating insulin levels. For a horse with his condition, this is very important.

And, good news! I'm just about to announce to everyone that I found a wonderful treat that is very low in sugar and starch. It's called Skode's Horse Treats -- click on the link and you can see the flavors available.

Thanks so much for the update. You're a great horse mom!

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO