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RE: [RC] Feeding "moderately overweight" pony - Susan E. Garlinghouse, DVMI talked to the vet about doing blood work, and he didn't seem to think it was necessary. I agree with him, unless you're *clearly* seeing symptoms of cushings or some other issue. Remember that a standard CBC/chem panel tells you virtually nothing about their nutrition status except for maybe a few electrolytes---which in her case, will not be out of line given her current diet. Once she's lost weight, if she still has a cresty neck, then fine, check her for Cushings. For now, i'm going to go with what he said and assume she's just suffering a little from too much food and not enough work. Sounds like it to me. The Barn Ladies I talked to said not to decrease her feed until the winter was over You're in California. There won't be any winter unless someone back east ships you some in a box. Start the diet now. But I wanted to run her diet past you folks. Cut the supplements entirely, give her a plain white salt block, and cut her hay so that she's getting a pound and a half for each 100 pounds of bodyweight, split into two meals. At lunch, if you feel strongly about it, give her a handful of grass hay, and by "handful", I mean what you can get all your fingers around with one hand, so that your fingers and thumb touch, not what you can hold together with both arms wrapped around it. Ride her at a walk with a little trotting three or more times a week. She will not die. She will lose weight and start getting fit, and then you can give her a little more. She's a BLM mustang and anything better than sagebrush counts as a feast. JMO. Susan Garlinghouse, DVM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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