Dietary Management with RER in horses

Dietary management with RER in horses is important to consider. High grain diets are thought to contribute to excitability which in turn is thought to trigger the RER form of tying-up.

For this reason it is recommended grain based feeds should only provide 20% or less of the calories in an RER prone horse's diet.

Raw grains are known to negatively affect behaviour (probably because they cause hindgut acidosis) so these should always be avoided.

Extruded grain based feeds which keep the horse's hindgut healthy and at a neutral pH are likely to be much safer for RER horses as they are less likely to cause excitable behaviour.

Don't overfeed!

Selenium, vitamin E and electrolyte requirements much be met.

Oils and high energy fibres should be used for additionnal energy/calories where required.

http://selector.pryd.es/au will tailor diets for horse's prone to the RER form of tying up.

How to manage horses that tie-up?

There are many forms of tying up but there are two main ones that will respond to nutritional management.

Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis (RER) - this is when muscles contract, calcium is released from muscle cells and then is taken back up to allow relaxation. It is thought that this mechanism is 'faulty' in horses with RER.

Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) - Sub-clinical PSSM is common and may simply result in a horse feeling stiff or lazy when ridden. These horses often have persistently abnormal blood CK levels.

 

How to nutritionally manage horses with laminitis?

Managing horses nutritionally with laminitis can be quite tricky. Here are some points to remember when doing so.

00:12 Always base the diet on forages (pastures or hay).
00:16 Feed forages with less than 12% non-structural carbohydrates (NSC).
01:09 If your horse is very sensitive or you have hay with a higher level of NSC soaking the hay will reduce the amount of NSC in the hay making it safer to feed.
02:28 Don't allow horses with active laminitis to graze.
03:15 If grazing is to be provided, only graze in the very early hours of the morning. Have horse's off pasture by 2 hours after sunrise in high risk periods.
04:21 Use a grazing muzzle to reduce pasture intake.
05:27 It is important to feed a balanced diet. Use a low dose rate vitamin and mineral supplement to meet vitamin and mineral requirements
5:45 Use low NSC, grain free feeds/ingredients where additional calories are required (for example Pryde's EasiSport and Pryde's EasiFibre).