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(continued from part 1)
Ralston emphasizes that her findings don't prove
that insulin resistance causes orthopedic disease,
merely that there is a correlation between the two
conditions. Her efforts, however, may soon yield
an easy way to identify at-risk foals.
"Right now we are working on developing a blood
test that determine if a foal is insulin-resistant and,
therefore, more likely to develop OCD," she says
"from there, it's just a short leap to developing rations
that provide all the nutrition foals need without
overstimulating insulin production."
Until such a test is available, Ralston suggests
carefully managing the diets of youngsters with
a genetic predisposition for OCD. "If you have a foal
whose siblings have developed OCD, look for a feed
that is formulated for growth but isn't loaded with
glucose like sweet feed is.
