> My Rocky Mt. pony is diagnosed as Cushings AND IR and Soley is "just" IR. Both of them tend to be the proverbial easy- keepers. Rocky, however, has noticeably slimmed down in the last few years. I think the Cushings is overtaking the IR in his symptoms. Good doer/easy keeper means genetically predisposed to IR. (Just like Asians who come to live in the land of plenty, they get IR too) Maybe he's diabetic. Diabetes used to be called the melting disease because of the weight loss. Cushings causes insulin resistance which leads to diabetes eventually. It does that by causing obesity and muscle weakness (so the muscles don't take up the glucose=IR). Lack of exercise would do the same thing after all the muscles have to have a reason to take up the sugar. When I look at my ponies I realise they are not getting the exercise they would get in nature and they have much more conveniently situated and nutritious food source. They've got it too good but all that will change soon. There is a good article explaining the role of insulin and the link between IR and diabetes;
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance/ We find it hard to eat right and do enough exercise in our highly compartmentalised lives. Then we go and put animals in the same situation. People with big herds and plenty of acres have got it right (especially for ponies) but we 'little paddock' people have to compensate in our own way. At least exercising the ponies will keep me fit. I can't wait to get my riding arena built (otherwise known as the playground). I am really hampered by the weather. Sue UK
