Advice please - Cushings in a young horse?!

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Tayto

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So recently my 8 year old clydie x cob mare has been really sluggish and depressed looking. She isn't the most forward going horse anyway but she just seems so lethargic and sleepy all the time and is totally dis interested in everything. She has also been drinking lots of water and sweating a lot after light exercise so the vet suggested a test for Cushings.....

The results came back today and the vet said although you would expect the results at this time of year to be higher (around 48), hers came back at 88.

The vet wants me to start on tablets ASAP (can't remember what they are called), but I am concerned as everyone I have spoken to so far is dubious of the vets rush to put her on medication as levels at this time of year are naturally high, they suggested I wait a month or so to have her re-tested....

I don't know what it do, I don't want my girl to be ill but I also don't want to stuff her body full of drugs if she doesn't need them.

There could other explanations for all her symptoms i.e. The weather in Aberdeen is still very warm and she has a fluffy coat already so that could be why she is so sweaty and the tiredness could be something else...... A lack of some sort of vitamin or mineral?

Arghhhh don't know what to do.... Any advice or has anyone experienced something similar?
 
Tayto said:
can I ask what qualifications these other people actually have? You have symptoms, it is easy to try and deny them and put them down to other things but unfortunately sometimes they just have to be faced. A vet who seems to have been on the ball and spotted a potential cushings horse, plus a test result that is clearly positive. The levels at this time of the year are naturally high and 47 is the normal cut point. At other times of the year it is 29 so the test result has already been adjusted to take the high level into account.

As for your explanation about it being warm and a fluffy coat that would immediately alert me to cushings.
The reason is that my horse had that. He had that every year from aged 6 to 14. I made loads of excuses.
He is 15 and this is his first year without the fluffy coat and tiredness and sweating in the Autumn.

I was very unlucky in that mine was clearly cushings by aged 6 and no one, vet or otherwise, ever suggested cushings. It was only when he got to be 14 and I nearly had him put down due to the effect that the cushings symptoms were having on him that I had any idea it could be his problem. You have the chance to get early treatment for your horse. Knowing what I know now in your position I would already be at the vets getting the tablets (which are called prascend) You can buy them from an online pharmacy with a prescription from your vet which is a fair bit cheaper.

No doubt you will find your mare's problems improve on prascend if she has cushings. If you are still dubious about giving her pills there is nothing to stop you trialling prascend say for 4 months and seeing if you have improvements. That would provide more conclusive proof for you.
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Agree with above as well.

The best thing is to trial the Prascend and see if the symptoms improve. Prascend doesnt treat other conditions so a positive reaction to the drug would confirm a Cushings diagnosis.

It is much cheaper online with a prescription if she ends up staying on it.

My horse has Cushings and is only 7 years old so you are not alone.
 
Agree with Paddy 555, good luck and keep getting levels tested. Have first hand experience of Cushings in young horses - my horse was put to sleep 3 months after complications involving Cushings induced laminitis was diagnosed (January to March). Vets were shocked at levels a)young horse and b) as no obvious previous symptoms seen.
 
cobwithattitude said:
Agree with Paddy 555, good luck and keep getting levels tested. Have first hand experience of Cushings in young horses - my horse was put to sleep 3 months after complications involving Cushings induced laminitis was diagnosed (January to March). Vets were shocked at levels a)young horse and b) as no obvious previous symptoms seen.
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so sorry, so sad. One of mine was exactly the same but at least he was 27 so that is more acceptable I suppose.

My other lad got laminitis at 6. He appeared to have no other symptoms. I left him perfectly happy, 2 hours later I returned to find him in the typical laminitis stance. It happened that quickly. Looking back I realise how lucky I was not to lose him.
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anyone with a young horse please don't ignore the problem. You may be the lucky ones that you have the chance to do something before it is too late.
I don't know why this is happening, something must be going terribly wrong and hopefully the research will progress and give us some answers.
 
paddy555 said:
so sorry, so sad. One of mine was exactly the same but at least he was 27 so that is more acceptable I suppose.

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anyone with a young horse please don't ignore the problem. You may be the lucky ones that you have the chance to do something before it is too late.
I don't know why this is happening, something must be going terribly wrong and hopefully the research will progress and give us some answers.
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Can only echo this - my mare was the same, as in laminitis seemed to manifest out of nowhere - thank you Paddy555 and good luck to you.
 
Gloi said:
What's the best price anyone is paying on-line for Prascend?
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Ref best price for Prascend, I shopped around on-line, and then approached the vets practice that I use and told them what price I'd found on-line - 40% cheaper than their price.

They gave me a special deal as long as I bought 160 at a time. It was the same as if I'd bought the tablets online plus pay for a prescription (£21). I'd much rather give the business to the vets.
 
Northern Hare said:
Ref best price for Prascend, I shopped around on-line, and then approached the vets practice that I use and told them what price I'd found on-line - 40% cheaper than their price.

They gave me a special deal as long as I bought 160 at a time. It was the same as if I'd bought the tablets online plus pay for a prescription (£21). I'd much rather give the business to the vets.
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I did exactly the same.
 
I thought the same thing when my sluggish, lethargic, furry, 14 yo mare had the same result as yours (87), reluctantly started her on half a tablet 6 weeks ago, no change, so had a blood test last week- level had gone up to 117, upped the dose to 1 tablet three days ago and I cannot believe the change in her, she is much more alert and aware of whats going on, she is bouncing around the yard and cantering in the field, it has like she has been replaced by the horse she was two or three years ago! I cannot wait to ride her this weekend, as to keep laminitis at bay (although she is skinny, she has fat pads-another symptom of cushings) I have been riding her daily but it has been so difficult as she has had none of her former 'go' (we used to call her storming norman as she would race home but she just turned into sammy slug and would not even trot on to the layby for cars to pass!). I gave her a couple of days off when we upped the prascend, and already I can see that she is looking forward to hacking out too! So don't listen to others, the vet does know what he is talking about and her level is double what it should be at this time of year. Go for it, you will be suprised at the result! (be aware it just takes a little while to get the dose right though!)
 
serenityjane, try giving her mag oxide,(progressive earth on ebay) it will help get rid of those fat pads, and recheck her diet for a low sugar chop/chaff plus supplement, salt and if she is restricted grazing, vit e tablets :)
 
Ah... Can't believe that you are being advised to overule what the vets have said... Prascend is now expensive so really worth working with your vet to shop around for a better price. Once your mare is stable, it "might" be worth talking to your vet to try something like cushineaze. My old mare came home with supposed cushings. My vet questioned the dose as it was so high and basically started again. He actually suggested looking at an alternative as the dose was being reduced and reduced and the blood results were staying the same. However, very glad I listened to my vet as in the end he was right, mare does not have cushings.. Her symptoms were sorted with physio, shoeing and light work. Bloods tested annually as she is now 26 but she is still fine.
 
Thank you all for your comments, I have discussed my concerns in great detail with my vet (who has been fab) and we have started her on 1 prascend a day and will re-test in a month.

I have been doing lots of research and the people on my yard seem to be stuck in the "old" way of thinking i.e. Cushings = curly coat and laminitis. Apparently she doesn't have cushings cos she looks perfectly healthy..... But I am the one that sees her every day and I knew that something wasn't right.... Grrrrr!

What they don't realise (and won't let me explain) is that the research that has been done recently has found out so much more and there are many other symptoms and as she is young and we seem to have caught it early she is not showing the typical signs....... Yet!

It really frustrates me when people are so stuck in their ways that they aren't even willing to listen to a qualified vet who has an excellent reputation in our area!

Never mind - I am trialling the meds and will see how she does :)
 
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Tayto said:
Thank you all for your comments, I have discussed my concerns in great detail with my vet (who has been fab) and we have started her on 1 prascend a day and will re-test in a month.

I have been doing lots of research and the people on my yard seem to be stuck in the "old" way of thinking i.e. Cushings = curly coat and laminitis. Apparently she doesn't have cushings cos she looks perfectly healthy..... But I am the one that sees her every day and I knew that something wasn't right.... Grrrrr!

What they don't realise (and won't let me explain) is that the research that has been done recently has found out so much more and there are many other symptoms and as she is young and we seem to have caught it early she is not showing the typical signs....... Yet!

It really frustrates me when people are so stuck in their ways that they aren't even willing to listen to a qualified vet who has an excellent reputation in our area!

Never mind - I am trialling the meds and will see how she does :)
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brilliant post and good luck with her.
As for the ones on your yard then they are probably quite correct.
cushings = curly coat + laminitis.

unfortunately the end of that equation if left too long is = bullet.
 
Yes but the curly coat is when it is pretty advanced, in fact, when treated, cushings is rarely what will kill the horse.

There are other signs, excessive sudden thirst being one of them as well.
 
Micky said:
serenityjane, try giving her mag oxide,(progressive earth on ebay) it will help get rid of those fat pads, and recheck her diet for a low sugar chop/chaff plus supplement, salt and if she is restricted grazing, vit e tablets :)
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Thanks Micky, she is and has been on all of the above supplements for three or more years.
 
No, we just can't seem to shift them- particularly her crest and above the tail-they reduce-more so in winter as she is off grass then (she gets 12 hrs on a very very short paddock in the summer), but never completely disappear, and all we have to do is put her out on slightly longer grass for a day or two and they instantly reappear, in the summer she went quite ribby on her fatty paddock so we strip grazed a different paddock-it only took three days for the pads to return-still ribby, but with fat pads! She is on quite a high dose of Mag Ox.
Maybe now with the prascend this may change. I certainly hope so....
 
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