My horse has metabolic problems

Metabolism & Endocrine

Excess weight, a tendency to laminitis, Cushing's, a burdened metabolism — endocrine topics affect the whole organism.

Liver, Kidney & Detox

Raised liver values, metabolic strain, detoxification capacity — rarely to be viewed in isolation.

Inflammation of the bile ducts and adjacent liver tissue, often through an ascending bacterial infection from the intestine. Sometimes gallstones (cholelithiasis) are involved, hindering bile flow and triggering flare-ups.

The coat change is a metabolically intensive phase; a sluggish, delayed or incomplete change can indicate increased nutrient demand, metabolic strain or an underlying disease. In older horses, a delayed coat change is a classic warning sign of PPID (Cushing).

KPU is a term widely discussed in practice for a presumed metabolic/detoxification disorder, but it is NOT recognised in established veterinary medicine as a distinct, scientifically proven disease. Robust studies are lacking; the attributed symptoms are non-specific and can have many other causes.

Inflammation of the bladder lining, in the horse usually secondary — e.g. as a consequence of urinary stones, a urination disorder, bladder paralysis or after foaling/catheterisation. A primary, purely bacterial cystitis is comparatively rare in the horse.

Neurological dysfunction as a result of liver failure: the damaged liver can no longer sufficiently detoxify ammonia and other metabolic products, which reach the brain. It is an acute crisis on the basis of severe liver disease.

In hyperlipemia, mobilised fatty acids flood the blood and are deposited as fat in the liver — triggered by a negative energy balance (feed refusal, stress, pregnancy/lactation). Ponies, donkeys and miniature horses are especially affected; the course can be life-threatening.

Insulin dysregulation is a disturbed sugar/insulin metabolism with an excessive or sustained insulin response, often the core of EMS. It is considered a central risk factor for endocrinopathic laminitis and is objectified via blood diagnostics.

Insulin dysregulation with a tendency to obesity and a high risk of endocrinopathic laminitis. Common in easy-keeper breeds/ponies.

Umbrella term for liver dysfunction of various causes (toxins, infection, metabolism). The liver has a high regenerative capacity.

Not only deficiency but also an imbalance of major and trace elements (e.g. the ratio of copper to zinc or calcium to phosphorus) can affect skin, horn, muscle and metabolism. Since hay varies strongly by region, imbalances are best assessed via ration and blood analysis.

Overweight is widespread in leisure horses and not a cosmetic issue: excess body fat is metabolically active and raises the risk of insulin dysregulation and laminitis. The Body Condition Score (BCS) helps to assess condition objectively.

Dysfunction of the pituitary gland (pars intermedia) with hormone dysregulation, mainly in older horses. Raises the laminitis risk, among others.

Chronic liver damage from pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) in poisonous plants such as ragwort/groundsel (Senecio), hemp agrimony or comfrey. Intake often goes unnoticed via hay/silage, in which dried plants lose their bitter taste; the damage is insidious and cumulative.

Impaired kidney function in which urinary metabolic products rise in the blood (azotaemia). It occurs acutely — e.g. after severe dehydration, shock, toxins or an overdose of painkillers — or develops chronically and insidiously; overall it is rarer in the horse than in small animals.

Formation of concretions in the urinary tract, in the horse most often bladder stones of calcium carbonate. This is favoured by the naturally alkaline, mineral-rich equine urine; geldings and older horses are over-represented. An obstruction of urine flow can become close to an emergency.