(I have no affiliation with CoolStance. In fact, I had to send Hubby on a mission to find it while he was in Paso Robles… that is the closest place to get it around here – 6 hours away!)
INSULIN RESISTANT AND CUSHINGS? What to feed…? WHAT IS LOW NSC?: HAVE YOU TRIED COOLSTANCE?
Mama Tess has been fighting long-term founder (and the consequences) for almost a year now.
One of the constant battles is managing her IR (Insulin Resistance) as well as her Cushings.
She has both. Not good. But, manageable.
How?
Diet Diet Diet.
I think of her condition as being Diabetic and Cortisol overloaded.
Diet helps with all of that.
I know because I have an auto-immune disease that is complicated by sugars and cortisol.
Just like Mama Tess. I am on Anti-inflammatories and a strict (ugh) diet.
CoolStance from Australia. The only ingredient is coconut.
Makes total sense for my mare…
WHAT THE DRS TOLD ME… COCONUTS… HMMMMM
Interestingly, I am on a diet created to help my body readjust from my auto-immune disease.
Basically, I’m not allowed to eat anything that a diabetic cannot eat. I also cannot ingest foods that exacerbate my condition – the same kinds of foods that are not good for Cushings (sugars, starch, root vegetables, tomatoes, eggs… certain other proteins and acidic fruits) are not good for me.
I’m on the same diet as Tess, except for humans. No Sugars, Low NSC.
And.. do you know what my DRs are telling me to use to replace so much of what I’ve lost?
Coconuts. Coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut creamer, coconut butter, coconut flour… everything that they make out of coconuts, I can and should eat.
And do you know what is in CoolStance?
Coconuts!
Seems about the same as what my Doctors told me…
BUT HORSES AND HUMANS DON’T EAT THE SAME FOODS!
Yes, this is true.
But, the breakdown of sugars and cortisol do function similarly in both equines and humans.
IR Horses who eat too much sugar/carbs will get laminitis or founder.
Humans who are insulin resistant and eat too much sugar/carbs will get gout (and other things…).
Horses who have Cushings will develop fat pads. dull coats and bad feet – just like Cushings in humans.
Doctors of both species always recommend diet changes as well as medication.
You are what you eat…
Horses and humans have been eating too much sugar and starch for a long time… (IMHO).
- How it came to be… Too many horses are fed high starch/high sugar feeds…
COCONUT COOLSTANCE VS. RENEW GOLD
OK, now many of you are going to say that Renew Gold (by Manna Pro) has CoolStance in it – so why not just use that?
Well, because Tess is so sensitive and we’ve been through so many issues, I’d rather keep it simple. Renew Gold (which I do feed to my ponies) has rice bran and I feel that is too much starch/carbs for Tess.
CoolStance has one ingredient. Coconuts.
Renew Gold is a great product – it contains CoolStance, but also has other ingredients like rice bran, which has too much starch/carb for my girl.
COOLSTANCE – LOW NSC, LOW SUGAR, NO ALFALFA!
Another issue I have with Tess is that she cannot have alfalfa. It just doesn’t work with her system.
Most Senior low carb/low sugar feeds are made with or from alfalfa.
Yikes.
While searching the internet for any feed that is guaranteed to be below 12% NSC and also not made with alfalfa, I came up with only one.
CoolStance.
(Yes, timothy and orchard hay comes in pelleted feeds. However, just like bales of timothy and orchard, one cannot determine the NSC content without testing… it varies. And, most manufacturers of these pellets say “low NSC” but they have no guarantees.)
CoolStance guarantees NSC below 12% and has no other ingredient than coconuts.
- I took this from the CoolStance website.
ARE COCONUTS ENOUGH FOR MY HORSE?
Well, I am still going to give MT soaked beet pulp pellets and her soaked low NSC hay… but looking at this chart, I feel totally fine feeding this to her.
It is certainly worth a try. Besides, she needs changes to keep her interested. ;)
Nutritional chart for CoolStance.
Sounds good.
Makes sense.
DO ANY OF YOU ALREADY FEED COOLSTANCE? IF SO, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
MAMA TESS this morning… love that girl!
HAND-BLOWN GLASS NECKLACE FOR MAMA TESS’ SURGERY FUND!
I did it again. I fell in love with a piece because of its structure and vibrant color – instead of what would look good on me.
I love this! So delicate. Hand blown glass orb with an antique setting.
Yup. The same wonderful peridot green that I love… This one is a hand-blown glass orb. 16″. The orb is a bit smaller than a dime – very delicate and lovely.
It was so sweet and unusual, I had to have it. But, the color is wrong for me and I never wear it… So, it is time to gift someone else and help Mama Tess.
I paid $265 for this necklace. I will happily sell it for MT @ $75.
*If the link doesn’t work, that means the necklace has sold. THANK YOU!!
THE STORY
This was another find created by a local artist at Planet Blue in Malibu… I purchased this on a vacation trip during the most wonderful Springtime weather. I was looking at the ocean when I bought this. I still remember.
Detail… see the little peridot stones.
It is blown glass, with an antiqued sterling ornate bezel, an antiqued sterling chain and 5 little peridot rounds – two next to the ball, two near the clip and one at the tail.
Clasp detail
Delicate and yummy. I just loved it.
The dime is a tad bigger…
Teff hay can be very high in protein, so if that triggers laminitis your horse, beware. I had my teff hay tested: 6 percent ESC +starch, 18 percent protein. My mare foundered– again, while on it. There’s something about high protein (think alfalfa– low in sugar and starch but high in protein) that concerns me. So it’s back to soaking my Timothy hay (8 percent ESC+starch, 10 percent protein). My mare is 4 on Henneke’s scale, so is thinner than I’d like. Always looking for safe calories.
Good luck!
I have used coolstance for a couple of years, the only horse I do not feed it to is my IR andalusian. I think it has too much fat for her and dr. kellon likes the NSC to be under 10%, so that being said the Coolstance might just be to high for some IR horses, especially those with Cushings on top. The protein is great, I use it at about 2 Cups a day for my rescued andalusian and she is doing great, the others only get a tiny bit for flavor, again, except my IR horse, she gets none at all. Now there are people using it for their IR horses and they do ok on it, my mare is just sensitive I guess. So plain is what she gets, dehydrated timothy cubes, with her custom blended vitamins. After 4 years of IR issues including abscesses and founder, she is sound and happy. But she cannot tolerate alfalfa either so none of that in my barn, except for my under weight young andy rescue.
I’ve been feeding CoolStance for about 2 yrs to both my Arab mares. Started primarily for the IR mare, as
she’d lost her topline – and her “sparkle” – getting primarily medium to low grade grass hay when the
supply of tested low sugar hay ran out. Coat looks good, energy level is up. Her feet are improving, most of which I attribute to a dedicated farrier. Feed store orders it for me from their distributor- there are currently only a few of us in the area using it so they don’t stock it- YET! I would imagine you should be able to do the same – perhaps thru Echo Valley Feed in Auburn??
I mix it with soaked beet pulp and Elk Grove Milling Sunshine Forage pellets. If I recall correctly, EGM SportHorse pellets have the CoolStance in them, so perhaps try a feed store that sells their products as well. The horses love it, and the bonus is how wonderful it smells!
Best of luck with Mama Tess…they’re so fragile…
We have increasing numbers of teff growers here in Oregon although it is half again as much cost as field hay. I understand the reason is that teff is not perennial even in mild climates and teff fields must be reseeded hopefully in a rotation system. While many IR/Cushings/EMS horses cannot eat alfalfa esp. if they are prone to excessive weight gain -and common misconception is that they are all too fat, some struggle to maintain a Henneke 4 – alfalfa is low nsc. Depending on where grown and how harvested one of the usual two or three cuttings will have a lower protein content more suited to EMS horses. There is one other solution but not sure it’s in your area, Dawn, and that is bent grass hay. Bent grass is a late season hay and usually, at least in my area of Oregon which I think is where you’re originally from (Willamette Valley), fairly low NSC level – 8 to 10 are the usual numbers in tests I have asked hay farmers for. If you are lucky enough to be able to buy and store your hay for the year from one farmer, and that farmer is willing to test, then buy all you can because it doesn’t “expire” in one year. You can test hay that you buy even if your supplier can’t (or won’t) and if the nsc levels exceed 10 you can soak and drain the hay – optimum is one hour, though you’ll need to feed a good supplement along with as some nutrients leach out along with the fructans.
Nancy: Thank you for your reply! I love Teff hay! I’ve written about it… but we cannot get it anymore around here. The growers don’t make enough profit. I’d love to be able to get it. You are lucky!
My IR mare was diagnosed a year ago. It has been a very difficult year! The best feed I have found is Teff hay – low sugar, NSC – NO soaking. Once a day she gets low sugar beet pulp (Speedibeet), Arizona Copper Complete, salt and HA – basicly multi vits and joint support. I feel that the Teff hay is the most important part. With Cushing and now surgery you have so much more to deal with. I hope this helps, bless you!
Hi Dawn-Thanks for this interesting information. We are struggling with a cushingoid mini-shetland mix and have followed your struggles with Tess with interest. Thank you for bringing attention to this subject.
As far as human issues with carbs go, personally I’ve found the plan outlined in Potatoes Not Prozac or The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program to be a life saver. I had such bad cravings my whole life- this explains the brain chemistry behind that and guides you to healing (gently-not a quick fix). I hope it might be helpful to you- I know my health has improved in ways that I never expected. radiantrecovery.com will get you the info, too.
It intrigues me how us mammals are affected by carbs- a big issue of our times. And Kathleen DesMaisons, the author, has developed a support program that you can access without buying anything! I respect that she wants to help people without making a fortune.
Mary Taylor (the one from Napa)