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Skip Navigation LinksAll Horse Topics > Ailments/Syndromes > Obesity


Articles ( * = TheHorse.com members only )Date Posted
U.K. Couple Sentenced in Pony Obesity Cruelty Case
A couple in the United Kingdom have become the first horse owners convicted of obesity-related animal cruelty under that country's Animal Welfare Act, said a report from Horse and Hound. The Act stipulates that owners must provide a suitable diet for their animals. Keith and Lynn Hall of Blackpool, England, were charged with animal cruelty ... Read full story
 11/5/2009
Prevent Weight Gain to Minimize Metabolic Changes in Horses   *
Weight gain and obesity in horses should be avoided to prevent insulin resistance, increased insulin and leptin blood levels, and laminitis, and to maintain a healthy metabolic state. To date, "it is unknown whether obesity is the primary cause of or contributes to metabolic abnormalities or whether these abnormalities are inherent characteristics ... Read full story
 10/16/2009
Equine Metabolic Syndrome a Focus of Research  *
The Equine Science Society Symposium (ESS) is a gathering place for researchers involved in all aspects of equine health and well-being. For more than two decades, Kentucky Equine Research (KER) has presented findings from its nutrition and exercise physiology studies. At this year's event, more than 160 studies were presented at this symposium in ... Read full story
 8/25/2009
Laminitis Risk Increased by Pasture Grass Sugars  *
Pasture-induced laminitis (sometimes referred to as founder) can be triggered when susceptible horses ingest high amounts of sugar or fructans that are naturally found in some pasture grasses. Susceptible horses include, but are not limited to, overweight or easy keeping horses, ponies, horses with metabolic syndrome, and horses that have foundered ... Read full story
 6/29/2009
AAEP 2008: Causes of Laminitis   *
At the 2008 AAEP Convention, which was held Dec. 6-10 in San Diego, Calif., Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine, presented a thorough review of precipitating causes of laminitis. Obesity is a primary predisposing ... Read full story
 4/1/2009
Feeding to Lessen Inflammation   *
At the Purina Equine Veterinary Conference, held Oct. 17-19 in St. Louis, Mo., Karen Davison, PhD, manager of Equine Technical Services for the Horse Business Group of Purina Mills discussed managing inflammation and oxidative stress in horses through their diets A horse that stands idle, breathing, eating, and digesting food, is affected by tissue ... Read full story
 10/31/2008
Diagnosing Insulin Resistance: Q&A with Researchers  *
Over the past few years researchers have described a strong association between insulin resistance and laminitis in equines. They are working now on defining standard testing protocols and interpretations to identify horses at highest risk for laminitis. Many questions remain unanswered. How should insulin resistance be defined and diagnosed? How do ... Read full story
 8/28/2008
ACVIM: Causes and Management of Insulin Resistance and Sensitivity  *
Insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance in horses have become increasingly important areas of research in equine medicine over the past several years, as evidenced by the timely and popular presentations at this year's American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum, held June 4-7 in San Antonio, Texas. Rebecca Carter, a PhD candidate ... Read full story
 7/23/2008
Excerpt from Revised Understanding Equine Nutrition: Energy and Carbs  *
If forages provide the "maintenance" energy horses need for the workings of everyday life--grazing, sleeping, wandering from pasture to pasture, maintaining internal temperature--then cereal grains are the turbo-charged portion of the diet. Their main function is to provide higher concentrations of energy, in the form of carbohydrates and starches, ... Read full story
 6/4/2008
GetSmart Series: Managing Insulin Resistance   *
Does your horse have a cresty neck? Does he gain weight on air? Does he develop laminitis at the mere sight of spring grass? If so, your horse could have insulin resistance. Lydia F. Gray, DVM, MA, medical director/staff veterinarian for SmartPak presented a lecture on managing this condition at the SmartPak retail store in Natick, Mass., on March ... Read full story
 4/7/2008
Feeding Horses with Endocrine Disorders   *
Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of large animal clinical sciences at the University of Tennessee, spoke about equine endocrine disorders that are the most manageable by dietary control. There are two main endocrine disorders to address: equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and equine Cushing's disease (ECD or pituitary pars intermedia ... Read full story
 4/5/2008
U.K. Welfare Group Hitting the Road to Educate on Equine Weight   *
The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) Right Weight Road Show will be fighting the flab on the road this spring. The Right Weight Road Show is a campaign to help horse owners accurately measure their horses' weight and design nutrition plans to keep the pounds in check. "Our research suggests that over 80% of leisure horses ... Read full story
 3/19/2008
Dangerous Liaisons: Cytokines, Inflammation, and Insulin Resistance  *
Systemically or critically ill horses, such as those with sepsis (a whole-body inflammatory state caused by infection), might have a better chance of survival if their insulin is controlled, researchers from the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center reported earlier this month. Insulin resistance, the body's inability to control blood ... Read full story
 1/31/2008
Thyroid Supplement Effective Addition to Equine Weight Loss Program  *
Researchers from Tennessee recently reported that daily administration of a high dose of levothyroxine sodium--a synthetic thyroid hormone supplement--for 48 weeks resulted in significant weight loss and an improvement in horses' insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance, the failureof body tissues to respond appropriately to normal levels of insulin ... Read full story
 1/24/2008
The Role of Obesity in Insulin Resistance  *
"Not all obese individuals are insulin-resistant, and not all IR-affected horses are obese. But IR-associated medical problems are more likely to develop in concert with obesity in individuals born with IR," said Nat Messer, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, an associate professor of equine medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri, at the 2006 AAEP Convention. ... Read full story
 8/4/2007
Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Laminitis  *
Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of large animal clinical sciences at the University of Tennessee, discussed the causes, clinical signs, and management of insulin resistance in horses, and its link to laminitis at the 2006 AAEP Convention. "Insulin resistance can be defined as failure of tissues to respond appropriately ... Read full story
 7/31/2007
Overweight Horse Study: More on Improved Forages   *
More than half of 300 horses involved in a study at at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech were found to be overweight or obese. The researchers also found that generous grain diets weren’t the issue in these cases of apparently overzealous eaters; ... Read full story
 7/20/2007
New Study: Equine Obesity More Prevalent than Previously Reported  *
A team of researchers in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech have determined that horses are facing serious health risks because of obesity. Of the 300 horses examined, 51% were determined to be overweight or obese, and could be subject to serious health problems ... Read full story
 7/18/2007
Insulin Resistance: Hold the Grain, Please  *
Management of insulin resistance might lower the risk of laminitis, and one of the cornerstones of management is diet. “Think of these horses as being in a prediabetic state,” said Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of large animal clinical sciences at the University of Tennessee, at the 2006 AAEP Convention. “They need to exercise ... Read full story
 7/12/2007
Glucocorticoids and Obesity   *
Glucocorticoids have been implicated as a cause of both laminitis and IR. "Our team has been interested in the role that glucocorticoids (corticosteroid drugs or hormones that are involved in carbohydrate metabolism and the body's response to stress) might play in terms of risk of laminitis," Philip Johnson, BVSc(Hons), MS, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ECEIM, ... Read full story
 7/11/2007
Treating Obesity   *
Unfortunately, "Obesity in horses is often desirable to owners," said Nat Messer, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, an associate professor of equine medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri, at the 2006 AAEP Convention. "There clearly exists a need for objective criteria by which horses might be 'scored' in terms of whole-body adiposity (such as the body ... Read full story
 7/11/2007
Obesity and Laminitis   *
"Compelling experimental data have been published to suggest that glucose is essential for the health and strength of the equine hoof-lamellar interface," noted Philip Johnson, BVSc(Hons), MS, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ECEIM, MRCVS, professor of veterinary medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri, at the 2006 AAEP Convention. "Hemidesmosomes (HD) ... Read full story
 7/9/2007
Adipobiology (The Study of Fat in the Body): An Emerging Field  *
What exactly does stored fat do to a horse's body? It wreaks serious havoc on at least 11 vital body functions. Nat Messer, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, an associate professor of equine medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri (UM), presented a compelling discussion at the 2006 AAEP Convention of the relatively new field of adipobiology--the study of ... Read full story
 7/2/2007
U.K. Equine Welfare Charity Launching 'Right Weight' Campaign   *
The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), a U.K. equine welfare charity, has organized a campaign to help horse owners accurately measure their horses' weight and design nutrition plans to keep the pounds in check. The organization noted in a statement that while thin horses are recognized as a problem, equine obesity is also ... Read full story
 6/4/2007
AAEP Convention 2006: Obese Horses  *
Adipobiology (The Study of Fat in the Body): An Emerging Field What exactly does stored fat do to a horse's body? It wreaks serious havoc on at least 11 vital body functions. Nat Messer, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, an associate professor of equine medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri (UM), presented a compelling discussion of the relatively new ... Read full story
 3/1/2007
Nutrition to Go  *
A group of veterinarians gathered at the Land O' Lakes Purina Mills headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., last fall to participate in discussions on subjects that ranged from Cushing's disease to proper nutrition for horses young and old. Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, of the University of Tennessee, addressed the issues of Cushing's disease and ... Read full story
 3/1/2007
Fat Fillies and Slothful Stallions: The Obesity Epidemic Hits Equine Companions  *
An archive of Pet Columns from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is available online at www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/. Requests for reprints of this article may be directed to Mandy Barth, mandyb@uiuc.edu. The obesity trend is affecting every man, woman and child in America today. Unfortunately, pets are suffering the same ... Read full story
 11/6/2006
Help, My Horse is Too Fat!
Q: My 14-year-old mare has severe obesity problems. The veterinarian ruled out Cushing's disease because she does not exhibit the typical Cushing's traits. I am afraid to work her for fear that any overexertion will harm her physically. Are there any dietary supplements that can help to speed up her metabolism rate? Cindy Baker, Verona, Ky. A: ... Read full story
 6/1/2006
Obesity is Dangerous, Warns UK Researcher  *
Laminitis specialist Robert Eustace, BVSc, Cert EO, Cert. EP, MRCVS, director of The Laminitis Clinic in Wiltshire, England, wants horse obesity to be declared a welfare concern. In a campaign launched at the annual meeting of the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) at the end of 2002, Eustace directed sharp words at the horse ... Read full story
 5/7/2003
How Does Your Horse Score?  *
Keeping a close eye on your horse's body condition and weight is perhaps the best way to gauge the effectiveness of a feeding program. We all want our horses to be in tip-top shape, well-muscled, and neither too fat nor too thin. The problem? Just what is the ideal body condition (and weight) for a horse, and how can body condition be reliably assessed? ... Read full story
 11/1/2001
Shaping Up Your Overweight Horse  *
When preparing a horse for athletic events and sporting activities, whatever the discipline or level of difficulty, an important consideration is finding the horse's "ideal" body weight. This concept is well recognized in human athletics. For weight-bearing competitive sports like racewalking, running, and cross-country skiing, the amount of energy ... Read full story
 2/1/2001
The Fat Farm: Nutrition for the Overweight Horse  *
Is your mare looking a bit rotund lately? Does her gait have a waddling roll to it? Has her spine disappeared in a dimpled groove along her back? Has she outgrown her girth, her winter blanket, and the stall door? If she’s not due to foal, then she’s definitely suffering from an expanding waistline. Now, we all like to see our horses in good flesh, ... Read full story
 5/1/1998




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