FeedXL

Red listed feeds in the FeedXL diet builder

There are a number of feeds on the market that sound like they should be OK, and sometimes even make the claim that they are OK for a horse with Cushing's Disease. Unfortunately, when you have a look at what's actually in them and test for the level of non-structural carbohydrates you soon realise that many of them are totally unsuitable.

As a horse nutritionist, Cushing's Disease is one of the problems that I run into frequently enough for me to want a better way of trying to navigate the feed minefield when formulating diets. This is why we've tackled the problem head-on in FeedXL. When formulating diets in FeedXL, you can specify which diseases your horse has from a list of diseases that are sensitive to different kinds of feeds—including Cushing's Disease. FeedXL then "red lists" any feed that we consider to be unsuitable for your horse. Once all the unsuitable feeds on the market are taken out of the picture, only a handful of suitable ones are left, meaning developing a diet becomes a far simpler task.

One of our FeedXL Alpha Testers reported a few days ago that the red listing really does make feeding a Cushing's horse so much easier. Shell has a pony that has just been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease and she posted this on our user forums:

Well, I have had my daughter's pony officially diagnosed with Cushing's last week. He is now on the prescribed medication and some herbs. Hoping to see an improvement soon. Without this program I probably would still be fumbling my way through the minefields of suitable feeds. He is now on an appropriate diet and loves it. Fingers crossed that by xmas we still have a pony plodding round the paddock.

In addition to Cushing's Disease, you can also tell FeedXL if your horse has any of the following:

• Colic
• Developmental Orthopaedic Disease
• Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP)
• Insulin Resistance
• Laminitis
• Tying Up (RER or PSSM)

And the software then takes it into account. Depending on which diseases you tell it your horse has, FeedXL will:

• Apply red listing to the feeds available to your horse
• Modify the recommended daily intake of various nutrients important to that disease
• Provide warnings when the diet you formulate may be harmful to your horse
• Give you additional management information for dealing with your horse

Disease management notes in FeedXL analysis results

And, as a horse nutritionist, it's my job to stay on top of the science in this area. We will always be looking at ways to integrate the results of new research into FeedXL to simplify life for horse owners and keep horses safe, happy and healthy.