Question
My horse was recently diagnosed with vitamin E-responsive myopathy. His current diet is 124% of a normal horse’s crude protein requirements. Is MFM Pellet appropriate for a horse with this disease? Is amino acid supplementation necessary?
Answer
Vitamin E-responsive myopathy (VEM) is a muscle disorder that can initially present as decreased performance and gradual muscle loss or as a sudden onset of muscle weakness and trembling. The most important part of recovery for horses with VEM is vitamin E supplementation. Most, if not all, horses can fully recover with proper vitamin E supplementation. The recommendation would be water-soluble vitamin E such as Nano-E at significant levels as directed by your veterinarian, usually 5,000-10,000 IU/day.
However, through the course of the disorder, horses have likely suffered from muscle weakness and atrophy, and they need to rebound from that. As such, it is important to supply them with high-quality protein to support muscle recovery and repair. Consider the quality of protein available, not just the quantity, to properly rebuild muscle mass. Do you know the sources and quality of protein in his current diet?
Yes, MFM Pellet is appropriate and may be helpful to support your horse while he recovers from VEM. While our MFM Pellet was originally developed to support another muscle disease called myofibrillar myopathy, it supports all myopathies and healthy horses under similar principles. It supplies key amino acids and antioxidant precursors to support muscle recovery and repair.
With all myopathies, excessive muscle breakdown and atrophy occur from abnormal muscle metabolism. Kentucky Equine Research developed MFM Pellet to prioritize muscle recovery and repair with high-quality protein and some specific amino acids that may help by providing substrates for muscle development and protein synthesis. MFM Pellet contains an amino acid analog containing cysteine (n-acetyl cysteine) that is a stable precursor to the major antioxidant glutathione (GSH). Additional key essential amino acids include branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine), lysine, methionine, and threonine. The amino acids used are considered either limiting amino acids or believed to contribute to the stimulation of muscle protein synthesis.
Dr. Stephanie Valberg, a leading expert in equine myopathies, has had incredible success in treating MFM and other myopathies with MFM Pellet.
More reading:
How Much Protein Does My Horse Need? Amino Acid Considerations for Horses
