Hi Gayel,

Not being dense. It can be a bit confusing when you first start all this stuff so asking questions is good. Here is the link to Spirit's case history file. We ask that you include it whenever you have questions so that the volunteers can find all the pertinent information to answer you thoroughly.

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Sounds like your vet did the glucose tolerance test the last time. This is a valid test but is dangerous in an IR horse as it can push the insulin/glucose levels to a point where they cause laminitis. Do you have actual copies of those results? From your history Spirit is both IR and Cushings (PPID). Is he still not on pergolide, only chastetree berry? What was the date of the last blood work?

The tests you want are Insulin/Glucose/Leptin and ACTH and have them sent to Cornell. The samples should be drawn from a  NON-Fasting horse. Just feed hay the night before and right up until the time of the blood draw. There is no administration of anything and these are a single blood pull, not multiple. Time of day isn't as important - just note when it was done and try to be consistent over time. I don't see the leptin value in your last set of results - was it maybe insulin that was tested? Agree now would be a good time to retest so you can get things organized before the seasonal rise goes into full effect.

Is the case history current in terms of what Spirit is being fed, amounts, supplements, etc? If not, could you please update it so we can give you answers based on what is actually being done. Makes it much more valuable for you that way.

Lavinia, Dante, George Too and Peanut

Jan 05, RI

EC Support Team