Suz i hate that you are stuck betwen a rock and a hard place.
You must have the patience of a Saint.
In your barnmasters defense, she may see obecity with your horse that you do not see, and with new grass growth on the rise, she could actually be trying to help prevent spring grass founder. But the way she went about it was wrong.
First: people have a lot of trouble understanding Ration Balancers. It is a concept for many that is hard to grasp at first. I have caught my husband going around feeding it to mine also like it was food. He just doesn't get it. He still considered it to be food just because it is something that the horses eat. So I labled the can VITAMINS. Try using that word instead of Ration Balancer and maybe she will finally get it. Tell her she wouldn't give her child a whole bottle of Flintstone vitamins in one day. Put it in terms she can understand.
Also, if she knew so darn much, she would have not cut his feed in half that abruptly. That could have caused him to have hypermeledia and killed him. Print this off for her to read: (This article is located on LB Mini Info pages submitted by our own Dona at Kickapoo)
"HYPERLIPEMIA"...QUICK & DEADLY
Recent events have prompted me to write this article as an "alert" to all Miniature Horse owners about a very serious condition called "Hyperlipemia". I had never heard of this particular malady until just a few months ago when a couple of my friends had Minis come down with this, and came very close to losing them! I have since read of many, many others on the internet who have had experiences with the same condition...and in most cases, the Minis died! In this day & age of e-mail, world-wide web, surfing the net, etc, etc...we are all much more "connected" to people all over the country (not to mention the world!) One lady who was experiencing Hyperlipemia with her Mini mare wanted to learn more...and requested, on line, that others who had similar experiences to please contact her. She was shocked at the number of responses she received. 36 Minis were affected (27 mares & 9 colts/stallions). 13 lived....23 DIED!
Rare condition? I don't think so! Just think of all the people out there that she didn't hear from!
I am not a veterinarian, and this article by no means should be taken as a substitute for your own vet's expertise. This article is just to give everyone a basic understanding of this serious problem, and alert Miniature owners to the symptoms. Call your vet immediately upon suspicion of this condition! Hopefully, other Miniatures will be saved in the future by educating owners how to recognize Hyperlipemia.
"HYPERLIPEMIA"
Hyperlipemia is generally considered a rare occurrence in full-sized horses, but is proving to be otherwise in Miniatures & ponies! This malady usually comes on very suddenly and can be fatal if not diagnosed rapidly and treated very aggressively...
within just a day or so!
The word Hyperlipemia itself means "over-active or excessive fat". For some reason the body calls on its fat reserves and doesn't "turn off" like it normally should. The fat quickly begins entering the bloodstream and overloads the liver, which results in damage to the liver or complete liver failure & death if not treated promptly. Triglyceride levels are high, kidney function poor, low blood sugar & so on.
This seems to be a "stress" induced condition. For any number of reasons, such as foaling or being in late stage pregnancy, excessive weight (although, thin horses can get this also!), colic, transportation, internal parasites, change of diet, etc., etc....the horse gets "depressed" and stops eating. (They are usually not interested in grain, hay, pasture....nothing!) Depression, weakness, staggering or reluctance to move, glassy eyes, edema (lump in front of belly button) are all potential signs to watch for. Mares who have recently foaled or who are lactating appear to be the highest risk group!
When the horse stops eating, it triggers the fat reserves into action & then won't stop unless you get proper treatment & can get the horse eating again. Some horses with this condition may first be diagnosed (in error) with just low blood sugar...but with Hyperlipemia, complete & proper diagnosis followed by IMMEDIATE treatment is imperative if the horse is to live! So, anyone who has a horse who is acting depressed & has stopped eating for more than a day or so, should immediately suspect Hyperlipemia & have their vet run a series of blood tests.
Diagnosis of this condition is through a variety of blood tests. Treatment is to break down the excess fat in the bloodstream and to stop the release of fat from the body tissues. And, it's imperative to get the horse eating again and/or provide nutrition to the horse via I-V feeding. Insulin and glucose are used to keep the body from releasing more fat into the blood stream. Heparin (an angi-coagulant) is used to break down the fat that is already in the bloodstream. Treatments can get exotic depending on how advanced the condition has become and your particular vet's methods. Make no bones about it...Hyperlipemia is most definitely a scary, life-threatening condition that comes on quickly & demands immediate attention to save the horse!
But, as grim as this all sounds...remember that Miniatures are a particularly hardy breed...even when it looks hopeless, don't ever give up! One lady whose pregnant Mini mare "Mundy" came down with this and was tested to have a triglyceride level of 3100, was told that NO horse had ever lived with a triglyceride level over 1200! Well, miracle of miracles...this tough little mare DID make it by the grace of God & several weeks of expert, intensive treatment at the vet's clinic...and of course, the loving dedication of her owner! And to top it off, "Mundy" went on to foal a beautiful, healthy little filly just a couple of weeks after returning home from the clinic! The "toughness" of these little horses never cease to amaze me!
In closing...I believe Hyperlipemia is turning out to be much more common in the Miniature breed than originally thought. I also think that a condition as serious as this warrants further investigation & research to see just how big of a problem this is, and possibly finding ways to reduce the number of horses affected. Losing even one Miniature "friend" is tragic...especially when that friend is yours!
(dedicated to "Mundy" and her "Miracle Filly")
submitted by: Dona Neargarder - Kickapoo Acres Miniature Horses
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