Question
We recently acquired a six-year-old gelding diagnosed with type 2 polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM). He is in moderately thin body condition (a score of 4), so he needs to gain weight. Right now, he’s fed a ration balancer and a fat supplement. He is also fed timothy/alfalfa mixed hay 24/7. We understand that diet can completely turn around some PSSM horses. What’s your opinion of his diet, and is there more we can do for him?
Answer
For horses showing clinical signs of PSSM, changes in both diet and exercise are usually warranted.
In regard to diet, general feeding recommendations include providing a diet with reduced starch and sugar, and offering dietary fat as the alternative energy source. Therefore, the combination of ration balancer and fat supplement may be a suitable option for horses that need weight and condition but may not need the calories afforded by a fortified concentrate fed at the manufacturer’s recommended feeding rate.
Additionally, a diet higher in protein or supplementation with branched-chain amino acids can help when muscle-wasting is present in horses with type 2 PSSM. Feeding a grass/alfalfa mixed hay is recommended to help boost the protein quality and quantity of the diet. A forage analysis can be helpful in assessing the forage suitability if improvements in clinical signs are not observed.
In many important ways, the current diet is appropriate for your gelding, if he is gaining weight. If not, to increase body condition, you could add an appropriate low-starch, high-fat concentrate to the diet. If the concentrate is fed according to the manufacturer’s instructions, you can remove the balancer pellet completely from the diet. If you must feed below the recommended amount once weight gain is achieved, you should continue to feed a measure of balancer pellet (consult the manufacturer of the balancer to determine an appropriate amount).
Antioxidant support can be beneficial to help reduce oxidative stress and damage. Low vitamin E status or vitamin E deficiency is being increasingly diagnosed in horses kept on drylots or in cases where access to grazing good-quality pasture (fresh, growing forage) is limited. Having blood vitamin E tested is recommended to ensure normal vitamin E status is maintained. Supplementation with a liquid, natural-source vitamin E, like Nano-E , is recommended to correct any deficiencies.
Additional antioxidant support with coenzyme Q10, such as Nano-Q10, is something to consider to support muscle health and recovery. Coenzyme Q10 works at the cellular level to improve aerobic energy generation while helping to reduce oxidative damage. Both Nano-E and Nano-Q10 feature proprietary delivery technology, offering superior bioavailability and increasing the antioxidant status of the horse.
As a final note, frequent exercise coupled with appropriate diet changes (reduced carbohydrates, increased fat) are usually essential components in managing PSSM. As long as muscle health allows, horses with PSSM should participate in a regular exercise program and often do best when allowed all-day turnout in a drylot or appropriate pasture.
