Additional Applications
RE•LEVE has also been found to be beneficial to horses with:
- Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM)
- Laminitis secondary to excess grain feeding
- Cushing's syndrome
Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM): PSSM is a muscular disorder that primarily affects Quarter Horses and members of related breeds as well as some draft horses. Horses affected by this disorder store an excess amount of glycogen in muscle. As the starch in grain provides the glucose needed for production of muscle glycogen, horses with PSSM should receive a diet that provides little or no starch. Recommendations (in pdf format)
Laminitis (founder): High-grain diets can predispose horses to development of founder when undigested grain moves from the small intestine and is fermented in the large intestine. Feeding a low-grain diet (and thus low starch) minimizes the risk of laminitis secondary to this mechanism.
Cushing’s syndrome: Cushing’s syndrome is an endocrine disorder that primarily affects older horses and ponies. Clinical signs include a long, shaggy hair coat, increased thirst and urination, increased blood sugar levels, and high susceptibility to infections and laminitis. A low-starch diet helps in the control of blood sugar levels.