The bloodwork results are back and...

Gus's levels (at the moment) are well within normal limits. Yeah! Of course there are many factors that play into this - his stress level, what has he eaten recently, injury/pain, etc. But... given all things considered, he's doing well and we've got things in check at the moment.

This means that (a) the diet change was a good thing - going from ADM Patriot's Feed Easy at nearly 20% NSC to Triple Crown Lite at 9.8% (I think) NSC was a good choice (b) the hay must be half way decent, cause he was chowing down on some hay (non-soaked) before the vet came (c) the pasture must not be too shabby either, as he's now out 24/7 on grass.

So, in addition to bumping up his TC Lite to 2.5 lbs daily, he will continue on with at least 1c (give or take a little, haven't actually measured the scoop) of alfalfa pellets daily for now. I may try to find some grass hay (or a timothy/alfalfa blend) pellets to feed, instead of just pure alfalfa, and give more of that.

Also, my fMIL did increase they boys' hay too. They are now getting 1 bale a day, up from 2/3 bale a day. Gringo definitely needs to lose some weight so hopefully that'll happen eventually.

I am interested in running this by my fMIL... making a hay net of sorts from a hockey net. The thought is that it'll slow down the eating of hay by the boys. Gringo scarfs everything down so incredibly fast... it can't be good for him to eat like that, plus Gus in turn isn't getting his fair share then either. So, we'll see what she thinks. Now I just need to find some plans. I'm thinking you could take a hay net and "sew" up the sides by folding it in half and threading a rope up/down each side, to make a "pouch" of sorts. Then, using carabiner clips, just clip the top together. To hang, just clip the corners (top corners and another clip in the center) to the inside of the run-in. I think it'd work... I think. I'm just worried if they'd begin to paw, what would happen.

Anyways, that's it for now. Hoping to get a good ride in this weekend once I'm home from my cousin's wedding in Iowa. Still not sure how cooperative the weather's going to be, but we can hope for the best, right?