Hi George! Simple answer is I don't! I am unable to test ACTH down here easily so with some great advice from Joan (& Dazzle) the dose is based on outward signs. As far as the hair goes, Kingi has always been a hairy yak in winter since I first got him off the track. His trainer told me he always looked "disgusting" in winter when he was racing and shed later than all the other horses in the yard. He got hairier and hairer each winter and then stopped shedding properly about 6 years ago at age 15. This summer, the second summer that he's been on pergolide, he did at least shed his yak coat at a normal time but his new summer coat was still much thicker than a "normal" horse. I dose based on how he looks in his eye and up it whenever I see any physical signs. My "canaries in the mine" are excessive sweating and excess smegma production of all things as those two things came before any other outward signs three years ago when he became really sick. Touch wood we made it through autumn 2010 relatively unscathed and I am poised ready to up his pergolide dose soon.

Cheers
Jenni
New Zealand
June 2008