Prevention and Control of HYPP Attacks During a severe attack of HYPP, emergency treatment from a veterinarian is necessary. For long term therapy, many horses can be managed by exercise and diet control alone. Regular exercise and access to a large paddock or pasture is preferred over stall confinement. Maintain a regular feeding schedule, preferably equally spaced, two to three times per day. Avoid rapid changes in feed, such as bringing a horse off pasture grass and immediately switching to alfalfa hay.
Most horses improve when the potassium content in the diet is decreased.
An analysis of feed can be very helpful in problem situations. The HYPP horses at the Equine Research Laboratory do well on a diet of half alfalfa and half oat hay. Consult your local veterinarian for proper diagnosis and further recommendations on treatment. The major focus of this study has been to develop the use of a genetic marker associated with HYPP to identify affected horses to assist veterinarians and breeders in controlling the disease. In collaboration with Dr. Eric Hoffman, a molecular geneticist from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, a horse-specific HYPP gene probe was created using DNA from the affected Quarter Horse stallion.