"needs his jaw wired shut" is a colloquialism for someone or something that can't stop eating - lollol I didn't mean that literally.
It's taken me two years but I've managed to get about 150 pounds off Joker. He is only 15.3H and does not need to stretch the weight tape to nearly 1,300 lbs. He's down to around 1,150 and the vet is happy because he can now feel Joker's ribs; if I can just keep him there.
Joker is also on a prescription herbal compound that has helped take some weight off but the real test of the success of the herbs will be spring grass. Joker has to wear a grazing muzzle 9 months out of the year, where I live, but slowing down his grass intake doesn't do anything to lower his insulin.
If these herbs don't help lower Joke's insulin, I will be reaching for the oxygen at the next blood draw. Joker's had enough blood drawn on him since 2010, to transfuse a Mini - lol lol
Given half the chance, Joker would eat the barn walls down, because his insulin issues make him think he's starving all the time. The other horse isn't like that, and his insulin issues have caused him to lose weight.
While they would both be considered Type II diabetics, if they were human, the guy that can't lose weight has true insulin resistance, and the hard keeper has something just a tad different called Equine Metabolic Syndrome, a/k/a peripheral cushings. His pituitary gland supposedly is not involved in the disease, yet it is still called peripheral cushings; probably because some of his disease signs mimic cushings but I don't know for sure.
I think it is absolutely fantastic you are taking an Equine Health Course. Especially since your horse is a QH/Draft cross. Drafts are prone to insulin issues, so diet is very critical for these horses. You can't get any more muscular/stocky built than a cross like yours, so it would be very easy to miss early warning signals of possible insulin issues. Your equine health course will really be a great benefit to you
Seabreeze, I agree with TICA, having a section for pets might be a good idea, if there is enough interest. It could be called "Pet Place" in the "HOBBIES & INTERESTS" group. It could be open to everybody's pets; pet snakes and spiders too, I guess - lol lol lol
Do you suppose the forum Owner might be open to that??