A.   Magnesium

At times, you will see ads for products with lots of Magnesium to help with cresty necks/fat deposits.  Know that the new Insulin Resistance diet your horse along with the Heiro™ already has increased your levels of Magnesium to the right level. Do not waste money on supplementing more Magnesium.

1. Heiro has the highest concentration of magnesium of any equine supplement on the market. We are also lab tested safe.
2. Of the many types of magnesium, Heiro uses the natural form yielding the highest amount of the mineral. National Research Council 2007.
3. Heiro uses only the natural form of magnesium. Other products use forms that have been artificially produced in a lab. We use the form seen in human multivitamins like products from GNC, Twin Labs and Sunshine vitamins seen in your grocery store or pharmacy.
4. The Heiro Insulin Resistant program also aids in providing magnesium to the diet like no other plan can:
   1. High protein of the grain mixes we list help increase magnesium absorption from the intestine. Oregon State University Pauling Institute.
   2. Peanuts as a snack is one of the top 10 sources of magnesium, providing 48mg in just one ounce.
   3. Alfalfa increases magnesium digestibility in the diet to increase absorption. National Research Council 2007.
   4. Beet pulp has twice the level of magnesium needed for maintenance, which is an added bonus.
   5. *** Heiro is the only supplement with a goal to get your horse on pasture and maintain it there. Magnesium is part of chlorophyll, the green pigment of plants, so the fresh grass is a high magnesium source. Solid evidence why horses can still get laminitis on dirt paddocks. They need green leafy material.
5. Magnesium can help increase the blood flow, improve insulin levels and assist in gastric ulcer repair. With this in mind you want the tested safe, highest concentration of magnesium you can get, which is Heiro.
6. Heiro's concentration of magnesium means you only feed 1/2 an ounce once a day. This small amount is 2,3 or 4 times less volume then other supplements, and does not require feeding twice a day.

As you can see, you are covered on Magnesium with the new Insulin Resistance diet and Heiro™ supplement.

Heiro™ is unique because it is the only product using the top-rated form of Magnesium and is using a pharmaceutical grade of Magnesium and NOT a feed grade. Your horse deserves the best.

 

C.   Pergolide

Studies have shown it will not help in Insulin Resistance cases.  If your overweight horse is being given Pergolide and does not have Cushings Disease, you are getting the wrong medicine.  Pergolide is not cheap and has side effects.  It is excellent in treating Cushings Disease but has no place in the treatment of a horse with Insulin Resistance alone. Many horses have Cushings and Insulin Resistance together. These horses that are on Pergolide but continue to get laminitis need Heiro™ to help support the body and maintain insulin control. If you are on Pergolide and are lame or on a dirt lot, you need to add Heiro™ to get back on pasture and avoid lameness

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Note: Pergolide in cookies is not the best option.  The cookies are made of oats and molasses which are Insulin Resistance triggers. Many Pergolide syrups have high sugar. Ask for methylcellulose or carboxymethylcellulose in the syrup instead of sugar based compounding syrup. Many Pergolide powders have pure sugar bases. Ask for 100% Pergolide with no sugar or instead, have them substitute alfalfa powder flavoring. Do not get Pergolide made with any oil such as almond or peanut oil. These oil-based products are a problem in two different ways. 1. They are high fat and can trigger Laminitic episodes. 2. They are very difficult in keeping a consistent amount of medication throughout the bottle. The medicine settles to the bottom, so you are under and over dosing without knowing it. Again, the University of Kentucky study clearly proved high fat causes Insulin surges in horses.  If your horse has both Cushings and Insulin Resistance, and you do not know yet about the Insulin Resistance, it is a problem.  Many Cushings horses will go on to Insulin Resistance and that is why you need to test yearly for Insulin Resistance if you have a Cushing Horse.

D.      Thyroid Powder

1. Studies show that if you remove the entire Thyroid Gland, this did not lead to Insulin Resistance.  Low thyroid levels are not the cause.
2. If thyroid levels are low or at the low end of normal range (.6, .8, 1.0) you need to supplement with thyroid powder and retest in 10-14 days. Thyroid powder does help with increasing sensitivity to Insulin. (N. Franks, AJVR 66 (6) 2005, U. of  TN) - brilliant study.

a. What should be the level? 2-3 uG/dl. The normal range on blood tests is between .5 and 4.0. We want a mid to high normal level between 2 and 3.
b. How much powder to feed? Start with 1 level scoop (is in Thyro-L container) once a day in the morning feed. Retest after 10-14 days. If still not there, go to 2 scoops once a day in the morning.
c. Do I stay on it? Yes. We want quality thyroid levels at all times. 1 container lasts 2 months so it is not expensive to stay on.

3.   Some advocate causing purposeful thyroid hormone overdoses in order to lose weight.  I do not agree with this, even if it is temporary.   HEIRO™ and the Insulin Resistance diet will do this for you in a healthy way without creating a hormone imbalance to try to cure a hormone imbalance.
4.   Just so you know what happens in overdosing thyroid hormone (Guyton's Medical Physiology):

a.   Increases appetite – how is this going to help?  It will lead to stress since you are controlling intake.
b.   Decreased bodyweight due to break down of protein in muscle— can lead to muscle weakness.
c.   Protein break down in bone is increased – can lead to bone weakness.
d.   Vitamin needs increased— can lead to vitamin deficiency.
e.   Increased body temperature — intolerant of heat can lead to heat exhaustion.
f.   Clients find the horse over excited and "edgy".

E.     Metformin (Glucophage) in Equine Insulin Resistance

   You should AVOID this drug in horses for several reasons:

1. Severe side effects seen in people on this drug that you need to be aware of according to the Mayo Clinic – 2008:
   1.  Lactic Acidosis (known as “Tie-up” in a horse).  “Severe muscle pain and cramping.”
   2. Gastrointestinal Upset (known as “Colic” in a horse) “Need to take with food to reduce stomach and intestinal side effects.”  “Vomit, stomach ache, passing gas, heart burn.”
   3. Thyroid Condition- Drug can interfere with Thyroid medicines.  Some horses need Thyroid supplement.
2. Can suddenly not work any more.  “At some point this medicine may stop working and your blood glucose will increase.” Mayo Clinic, 2008.
3. Emergency Kit recommended.  “Carry an Emergency ID Card and Glucagon Emergency Kit for emergencies” due to hypoglycemic reactions.  Mosby’s Drug Guide.  Not practical with horses.
4. $2,300.00 a year to give to horses.  One study in England dosed it in horses at 15 mg/kg – a 1,000 pound horse (454 kg) at $470.00 a bottle costs a lot to even try this drug(pricing: CVS Pharmacy 11/17/08).  The study also said some horses “May need to be on it for life.”  Not an economic reality. Need to dose twice a day every single day.
5. Requires constant/multiple blood testing to monitor.  More expense.
6. No FDA approval for use in horses – creates liability issues.
7. No study of long-term effects on horses.  Your horse is not a guinea pig.
8. This drug is used for Type 2 Diabetes in people.  Most horses don’t have this.  They have Insulin Resistance.
   
9. “Metformin is not an effective long-term mono therapy for increasing Insulin sensitivity in horses.”  M. Vick, University of Kentucky Dept. of Vet. Sci, Reprod. 2006.
10. On package insert inside box of Metformin."If lactic acidosis does occur, it can be fatal in up to half the people who develop it."
11. Can cause severe respiratory problems. "Respiratory alkalosis may be an early adverse event induced by Metformin prior to development of lactic acidosis." Am J. of Therapeutics, 2004 .
12. Dr. Pratt, Professor at North Carolina State University, College of Vet. Med., stated, "Human drugs like Metformin have not proven to be effective in horses." Morris Animal Foundation.
13. Oregon State Veterinary Research Team in May, 2009 - In horses, only 4-7% of Metformin given orally is absorbed. Concluded that Metformin is "insufficient to achieve plasma concentration of drug comparable to the therapeutic range achieved in humans." AJVR, 2009. Horses even at megadoses do not absorb enough of the drug.
    

1. 
   • What is Insulin and Insulin Resistance?
   • Exercise
   • Chromium, Magnesium, Pergolide, Thyroid powder and Metformin
   • Diet: Best Hay, Grain, and Amounts
   • Pasture Turnout and the Best Muzzle
   • Good and bad snacks, Horse Treats
   • Avoiding Glucosamine
   • Feeding Flax Seed
   • Lyme Disease
   • How to correctly test for Insulin Resistance
   • Glucose-Insulin Ratio (why not the best test)
   • Diagnostic Results for Insulin Resistance
   • Farrier Schedule/Foot Trimming/Best Glue On Shoe
   • Vaccines
   • Pasture Management for Insulin Resistant Horses
   • Winter Foot Pain
   • Results

   Full Length Article