PPID is the result of modern horse-keeping and is entirely caused by the lifestyle that humans have created for the domesticated horse. And so it is that the responsibility lies directly on us horse parents to take action.
Can PPID be reversed? Let’s ask Bernice who was the beloved owner of Kazak.
Zak was a 22 year old Arab gelding living in Calgary, Alberta. His story came to me when he was 16 years old and he was already showing the visible signs of EMS and Cushing’s disease. Bernice had tried a couple of health products for him but did not have much success.
Zak was at least 100 pounds overweight with fat pads around his tail head and his shoulders, a pot belly, a long coat that got curly when he was wet (he looked like a buffalo), easy sweating, runny and dull-looking eyes, depression and a low energy level. Needless to say Zak loved food. His diet consisted of grass pasture, crushed oats, four to five carrots per day and a molasses based vitamin and mineral mix.
The first thing we addressed of course was Zak’s diet. We switched him from grass pasture to grass hay and eliminated his oats, his carrots and his vitamin mix. Zak’s first supplement program consisted of Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and Blood Sugar Formula support liver function and digestion, and to normalize blood sugar levels. We also used the Riva’s Pro-Dygest and Pro-Colon pre and probiotics to detoxify the colon, slow down sugar absorption and increase the absorption of nutrients. Many years of high carbohydrate diets can create quite a problem with toxicity as well as leaky gut.
Zak’s initial response to his new lifestyle was weight loss, an increase in energy and improved shedding. A few weeks later we focused his program on pituitary and thyroid function, as he was still sweating and his energy levels and depression were somewhat erratic; the long years of excess weight and high dietary sugars had taken its toll on his hormones. So Zak was put on the Hormone Boost and Performance Plus herbal blends to improve the overall endocrine hormone function and strengthen his vitality and immune system.
Throughout Zak’s recovery, Bernice always continued to ride him regularly - at least four to five times per week even if his exercise was kept to a walk. She often stated that she would feel terribly guilty especially on days when he was so tired and depressed.But she knew that his exercise program was a significant part of his healing journey.
Zak made a steady and gradual recovery and continued to improve feeling happier and healthier with every step. Bernice and I were both over the moon. And not only did he regain his health but within a couple of years Zak even grew a normal coat and no longer looked like a buffalo. In fact, he didn’t even look like the same horse! And many kudos to Bernice who was a very committed horse owner, a necessary ingredient if our horses are to truly recover from metabolic conditions and feel spectacular again.
