Thank You Mandy..I will proceed..Yes, his insulin was
THAT high on NO grain, NO grazing...he was not grazing
for over 1 year....strickly on hay always, and he does
not need to loose any more weight. He had no treats..I
tried the baked treats, recommeded for IR, but he spit
them out.) He is on shavings in a big stall.

I understand about the ACHT test. Thank You. Will the
results from that particular test be the main blood
test that indicates whether he is cushings or not?

No digital pulse...no puffiness above the eyes, yes,
some what of a cresty neck, very loose cresty neck and
fatty pockets in all the places except over the
eyes...but not overally fatty pockets.....if that make
any sense. Feet are normal..he is walking up a storm
these days and trotting...he is put in the indorr
arena for several hours a day and he has created a
little track all the way around the arena. He rolls
and jumps around these days....this is the best he has
moved since April 07. I try to look at him
positively..not , oh my goodness how can you be OK
with that high of an Insulin level!

One more thing.....why do I need to weigh the hay
flake down? I put the hay in a hay net and weigh if
directly on the scale...then I put the mesured hay for
the day in a manure type bucket.

Roxanna
--- Mandy Woods <bittersweetfarm@...> wrote:

Roxanna,
I believe you said your hay was under 10% ESC+starch
but some horses/ponies
cant handle it (mine) so soaking will reduce the
sugars even more. Feed 2%
Blitzen's body weight, 1.5% if he needs to lose a
couple of pounds and 2.5%
if he needs to gain or its going to be freezing
cold! You have the scales,
use polynets and snaphooks, an 18 gallon storage
container and a cinder
block to weight the hay flake down. Or some people
use a Coleman cooler.
His insulin was that high on soaked hay? Was he
grazing also? No grains,
treats, red salt blocks, treats etc. Bed him on
shavings - not straw. You
should be able to feel his pulses subside from this.
Can you detect a
digital pulse? Are his feet hot? or warm? or cool?
Does he have puffs
above his eyes? Cresty neck? PD/PU?

Re; soaking the hay...how should I make the

decision

to soak or not soak...should I decide to do it

based

only upon his insulin level....since we know it is
soooo high, whether he looks better (physically)

or

not??? Just do it anyway and is there a do it

until???

with a sky high insulin level like his????? I did

soak

his hay in September and November...anything to

aid in

the laminitis attacks..but I was not consistent. I

did

not feel Blitzen got any better until I cut his

hay

portions down to 7.5lbs/day, and moved him to a

warmer

place.

**************************************
I am not a foot/hoof guru but heartbars are not
indicated for laminitis or
founder now. He will be more comfortable in pads
and boots. You can cut
pads out of almost anything. Some use neoprene, or
Walmart exercise snap
together play mats for kids, Lowes has the adult
version in gray, I use
antifatigue mats from Lowes...3 foot long roll, buy
one foot and you can cut
lots of pads! Is his trim correct? Have a look at
www.hoofrehab.com for
pictures and details. You want good circulation.
You do NOT want to
restrict blood flow! Hand walking him is good if
he's willing and able.
Exercise, controlled exercise is a good way to get
the healing process
started.

OK, interested in the hoof information..before I

moved

Blitzen to an inside barn, I bought easy boots and
pads...prior to that, I did use the blue

construction

foam and duct tape..religiously...but he still

walked

like Frankenstein. Help me with the heartbar

thing..it

may have just been a timing issue for me..maybe I

was

in the right direction with the boots...What are

you

suggesting at this point..decrease
circulation/restrict blood flow..ummmmm..talk to

me,

give me your thoughts.

***********************************
Since he's 14, I would test him for Cushings. This
is an age when it starts
to show....subtly. The ACTH test is a simple blood
pull into a chilled
purple top tube. Please read the Cornell files to
learn the special
handling. It must be chilled, spun and seperated
within 1-3 hours of the
draw. Insulin can be tested from the plasma drawn.
You'll need 2mls of
plasma for this test. You need to fill a red top
for glucose, thyroid and
any other tests you might want. Wed. is not good
unless the lab you're
using is close to you. Many of us use Cornell. We
recommend pulling blood
on Mon or Tue. We ship samples overnight air so
when they receive them
they process them immediately. The plasma must be
frozen and shipped on
ice. The others (serum) can be cold. You don't need
cortisol. A thyroid
panel is about $35 at Cornell. Their prices are
listed. Since Blitzen is
sore, do NOT do a Dex Suppression test. It could
push him over the edge
into founder. The ACTH tells you more anyway and
its safe.

Blitzen is 14. When I pull blood..why early in the
weeK? It is scheduled for this Wednesday at 1:00.

OK

on the quiet barn,,got that covered..OK on the

food

and the timing of it. Here are my blood

questions..

When I pull the blood, how many of the tests

listed on

the case study can I test for...I know this is

going

to sound temporarily insaine..but can 1 blood draw
test for the all the items on the case study

list..can

you help me organize this thing better? You know I
have information on T4, I have Cortisol and

glucose

and insulin..should I start all over again? I am a

tad

bit confused...Can you break it down for me? Give

me a

plan of attack for these blood tests? I can pull

the

blood and give it to the vet.......I want to tell

the

vet what I want to do...not leave it up to him to

tell

me. I was not planing to do the DEX test on
Blitzen..not until I feel more comfortable about

it

and whether I am risking him for another laminitis
attack???
**************************************
Oh boy, thanks for being there!!!!!!!

Glad to help!
Mandy and Asher in VA

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