PSSM - Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy

After taking a few blood tests and talking it over with my vets, my AQHA gelding Flynn has been diagnosed with PSSM - Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy.

Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy - University of Minnesota Equine Center

We should be able to control the disease with careful management. Low carbohydrate, high fat diet and lots of activity. We've come up with a diet and an exercise regime that sound get him in top shape.

We'll introduce rice bran into his diet to provide him with the energy to keep up with the exercise plan we have for him. Along with consuming lots of quality grass hay, we'll introduce rice bran into his diet slowly until he consumes 2.5kg of it per day topped with a trace mineral.

As we do this we will slowly re-introduce exercise. The first week will consist of only 5min of walk/trot per day. The following two weeks will consist of 10min per day and so on....

We'll play it by ear and see how he progresses. My goal is to have him working for one hour six days a week by April.

Is this realistic?
Has anyone reconditioned a horse with PSSM?

It is possible really watch teh diet it seems to be the key in controlling PSSM...

What diet did your vet recommend?? Does your vet have any equine nutrition knowledge beyond what the feed companies push??

Generally getting on an appropriate diet makes a world of difference for these horses. So, working an hour a day for 6 days by April isn't a huge stretch.

I came back to add I have ridden in SHawnee National forest with horses with this ... a friend of mine has SEVERAL of them and he has no problems with them at all...

Thanks, it's reassuring to know that there's a good chance that he'll be able to be ridden regularily again.

PeggySue: One of my vets gave me some sample diets from her resources, that's what I'm going on for now, but I'm open to suggestions.
Do you know of anything I could add to the rice bran to make him eat it? I hear it doesn't taste very good and he can be a tad picky.

What are you trying out first?? Rice Bran and what??

Strictly rice bran and a trace mineral.
The vet recommended about 2.5 kg of rice bran and some sort of trace mineral.
My barn supplies Equinoprim or Equinoform mineral that I have used with my other horses and have had good luck with them. Or I can supply another type but from what I've read I was planning on going with the equinoprim?
I've read that adding some sort of vegetable oil to his feed would supply some of the fat so he wouldn't have to eat as much rice bran but it sounds like I have to feed a lot of oil to supply the energy that the rice bran contains.

What about vitamins?? So many vets over look that... grrrrrr

Here are some other recommended diets
Beth Valentine's Recommended EPSM Diets

The Horse: Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Discussion Planned at SmartPak Store