On Oct. 4, 2005, Dr. Best was able to spend several hours with Karen Barie-Keough of Nutrena Feeds and Amy Gill, Ph. D., an equine nutrition expert from Lexington, KY.

The topic of the day was insulin resistance, equine metabolic syndrome and Cushing's disease. Lots of information was exchanged and several recommendations came forth that should be of benefit to horses with these complex metabolic disorders.

The benefits of bloodwork, hay analysis and mineral supplementation were discussed in great detail and this will give the owners of these horses more scientifically based treatment options.

If you have a horse that is or may be suffering from one of these syndromes, please contact Dr. Best to discuss possible treatment options for you.