17/04/2026
๐๐ ๐ฆ "๐ฆ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ" ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐
โ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ
If youโre managing a horse with chronic IR/laminitis, you may have heard of the new class of medication making waves - and it's worth having on your radar. These are the ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ inhibitor drugs - a bit of a mouthful, but behind the acronym lies a potential breakthrough for horses with stubborn insulin resistance.
Two names to know - ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ญ๐ฐ๐ป๐ช๐ฏ (aka ๐๐ป๐๐ผ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎยฎ) and ๐๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐จ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ญ๐ฐ๐ป๐ช๐ฏ (๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ผยฎ). Originally developed for human diabetes, these drugs are now being explored in equine cases where insulin levels are out of control and laminitis is knocking at the door.
They work by blocking glucose reabsorption in the kidneys - in plain English, they help the body wee out excess sugar, easing the burden on insulin production and bringing blood sugar levels down.
Results? Promising. Weโre talking "normalised" insulin levels, visible loss of fat pads, and in many cases, dramatic improvement in laminitis pain. For some horses, they've been a game-changer โ especially in crisis situations.
But, as with all breakthroughs, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐'๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
These meds can come with ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐, especially if weโre not watching carefully. While UTI's and dehydration are rarely seen in horses so far, one surprise complication has emerged: ๐ฉ๐บ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ญ๐บ๐ค๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ช๐ข - elevated fat levels in the blood, which if left unchecked can lead to fatty liver. The good news? We can manage this with a smart feeding plan and close monitoring.
If youโre considering these meds for your horse, hereโs whatโs advised:
โ
๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฏ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ โ check kidney function and triglyceride levels.
โ
๐๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ด, ๐บ๐๐น๐๐ถ-๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐, ๐ท๐๐ป๐ธ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐, ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐, and other concentrated calorie sources.
โ
Stick to ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐น๐ถ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฎ๐, ideally mid-maturity with consistent nutrition.
โ
Ensure ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ to support liver function.
โ
๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ - too fast can be a red flag.
โ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฏ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ after four weeks to track how things are going.
Used thoughtfully and with a good nutritional foundation, SGLT2 inhibitors could offer a lifeline to horses at high risk. But - ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ - they work best as part of a whole-horse strategy.
For deeper dives and vet-led insight, we always recommend checking out the brilliant work by Dr. Eleanor Kellon VMD, whoโs been closely following the use of these meds in equine practice.
Meanwhile, explore our EMS support pages for tools and nutritional strategies that work alongside your vetโs plan โ Info Centre / A-Z Equine Condition / https://www.equinatural.co.uk/ems-ir-the-metabolic-horse
As always, the more we understand whatโs going on inside, the better we can support our horses outside.
Carol & The EquiNatural Team
ยฉ EquiNatural 2026
Support your metabolic horse's EMS/IR with EquiNatural. Shop online for our quality-assured organic EMS/IR supplements, mineral balancers and nutrients.