Hmmm....interesting....interesting. Would it be like diabetes in a human? How do they test for it? Blood?
Thought you all might find this useful. it was just posted on the Natrc web site.
Some tricks I've learned over the years about cooling horses:
> 1) Ride the horse within his capabilities based on genetics,
level of
> conditioning, and ride conditions. In other words, prevention is
much
> more effective than efforts to cool the horse after he is
overheated.
> 2) According to Courtney Hart, 80% of the horse's heat
dissipation
> occurs from the shoulder forward. Clip this area if ride temps will
be
> 70 degrees or above, and focus cooling efforts here.
> 3) A full body tepid water bath at the longer vet checks can
work
> wonders and will rarely cause any cramping or negative reaction.
Blanket
> him afterward to avoid over cooling.
> 4) A soaked sponge placed between the tail and the anus will
drop
> respiration and heart rate fairly quickly without risk of cramping.
> Sometimes the horse will clamp down with his tail and hold it there
> himself, otherwise you can pull the tail forward between his legs
and
> hold the sponge there yourself.
> 5) Have the horse move around a bit every few minutes, as
circulation
> from muscular activity helps keep blood moving, and avoids
stagnation of
> metabolic by-products in the muscle tissues.
> 6) Cooling the poll can also have dramatic effects on the
horse's
> heat dissipation. You can lodge a sponge under his halter (if he'll
> tolerate it) and keep adding water as the sponges dries.
> 7) Remove any leg protection gear--splint boots, wraps, etc.
They
> hold a lot of heat in.
> 8) Wet your saddle blanket and girth (if they are made of a
fabric
> that will hold water, like wool or mohair) before you leave the vet
> check so the horse can continue cooling himself on the trail.
Especially
> if there is a breeze.
> 9) Under certain conditions I may cool the horse in the
sunlight.
> You want the water to evaporate, not stay on the horse. Cool water
and
> shade combined, may have an exaggerated effect. You want cooling,
not
> vascular shut-down. On really hot days, though, go for the shade.
> 10) Don't drink beer while you're cooling the horse. You might
> spill your beer.
>
Becky
This was posted today too, I'm so glad I took down that plastic.
> Dear List:
>
> I have sad news to report: Please keep Carla & Charles Bass
> in your
> thoughts & prayers; they lost their colt Thunder in a tragic
accident
> yesterday. He was not quite 2 yrs old & the last get of Carla's old
> stallion Rebel (whom she lost as well, last summer).
> Apparently he became entangled in a piece of plastic
sheeting,
> panicked
> & ran headlong into the fence, fracturing his skull & causing
> (thankfully)
> instantaneous death. A tragic accident, and a sad waste of
> potential.
>
> Val Jaffe, DVM
>
Becky
It's exactly like that. Type 2 diabetes. I'm not sure how they test for it exactly but I read something about a fasting blood glucose test, so they may do similar tests to what they do to people.