Answers in between the questions--or I was going to get sooooo lost!!

1. Should I split the bp and supplements into two feeding? Right now I
give her hay in the morning then all the bp and emergency diet

supplements

in the evening.

Split both into two feeding at minimum. Three would be even better,
but that is usually more than most of us can manage.

2. She foundered 2 ½ months ago, vet suggested she may be IR. I would
like to get her tested. Should I also get her tested for ACTH? Or

just for

IR. What tests do I ask the vet for?

Both would be excellent. At minimum, glucose and insulin plus thyroid
tests. Ask the vet about possible Cushings testing and go from there.

3. Since she has lost weight, would that make her test results normal
or will they always be "wrong" even though she is thinner and on a

better

diet?

Weight, per se, doesn't have much to do with the test results. The
test results "may" explain the weight loss. There are no "right" or
"wrong" test results--they just are what they are. So you can relax on
that score.

4. She's 1000 lbs (if my tape is correct) and needs to lose more
weight, so should I feed her 10lbs hay and 2 ½ lbs bp?

Weight tapes are "guess-timates" at best. They are really terrible
measures of how much a horse weighs. Sorry to tell you that. The
only really good way to know what your horse weighs is to take them to
a scale (such as at a vet school) and actually weigh them. There is a
calculation that can be done that is better, but it is still an
estimate. I'm not saying don't use the tape--I use one to worm the
critters because I at least have a general idea of weight fluctuations
with it. Just do not take what it says as truth--because it is NOT
even close.

As to what to feed--start with what you are doing--then add or
subtract as you watch YOUR horse's weight yourself. You might want to
keep written records from week to week of amounts fed vs how much the
weight tape says she weighs.

5. Do I have to have blood test results to be able to balance the hay
with minerals? ( I feel like that is a totally stupid question, but

it is a

question I have nonetheless)

No, just getting the hay analyzed is fine. It will take your horse
about 6 months to acclimate the body to the new mineral levels.

6. I also have a 27 year old Arab gelding that I would like to see on a
much better diet. Is it ok to feed him this emergency diet also? He

can't

eat hay very well anymore so I knew he needed to be started on bp

anyway.

Sure. Won't hurt a thing. Just watch his fiber levels.

7. Can I get the 27 year old Arab's diet tightened up and balanced in
the same way that we are doing Cheyenne?

You might want to do a nutritional consult with Dr. Kellon on both.

8. What tests should I ask for for him? I can do a case history on him
as well, He's always been an easy keeper, he's gotten into the feed

bin a

few times and never foundered or had any problems, he's a tough old

bird,

carries his fat on the lower part of his body, no crests or fat pockets
anywhere. He eats Equine Senior.

IMHO, I'd ask for the same, plus a dental exam.

9. I could only find the bp with molasses, so it's ok to feed if it's
been washed in the washing machine twice with hot water and rinsed

in cold

water?

Sounds like you've got the plan!! (plus be sure to clean the filter in
your machine every time you do this--or you could clog the machine and
have a REAL mess!! YIKES!!)

Ellen