Anyone else's Cushings horse not shedding much yet?

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fatpiggy

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My 29 year old was diagnosed with Cushings at Christmas (ACTH was low 80s, no obvious symptoms whatsoever) and after 5 weeks of Prascend it was down to 31. However she is barely shedding her winter coat at all, just a few hairs and the long guard hairs between her back legs. Her coat is like a yak and it has been 20 degrees every day this week. To be fair she spends most of her day dozing so isn't making herself hotter, and isn't sweating or anything, but I still worry about her. I'm reluctant to clip her in case the weather goes back to normal next week or so and she hates being rugged. The other Cushings case on the yard is shedding steadily although he has a much shorter finer winter coat than mine to start with. Is she being abnormal (again!)?
 
My girl isn't losing her coat either. Had the vet down on Saturday and he took a blood tadt as I want to see if her tablets are working. Last year when she started them her coat started coming out but he said to me the tablets do not affect this. Will be clipping her but am waiting a nit as the weather is meant to be turning cold again soon.
 
Fatpiggy I could have written this exact same post today! I am worried about my cushings pony too, she is hardly shedding any hair either! Maybe it's because it is still only march although I do feel she is worse this year as others are shedding quite normally. Mine is also having lami issues at present and also isn't rugged so again clipping is not really what I want to do either.
 
I've got the same problem! I can't clip her because her coat is lying flat and slightly damp so you can't get the clippers through. She doesn't seem stressed but I'm praying for a cool day so I can get her coat off. This is the first year in four years she hasn't started shedding. She's also on Prascend.
 
My 25 year old gelding is hanging on to his coat too. However, I did notice earlier this week that some hair is coming out on his torso but only a tiny bit. I was beginnig to wonder if his prascend dosage needed to be increased but feel a bit reassured having read everyone else's comments.
 
Yup same here, 21 year old NF who would normally be shedding in handfuls with this weather but it's barely coming out at all - was getting a bit worried as all other horses at yard are really moulting now, to be fair to her she hasn't got a very thick winter coat as due to sweetitch & wearing a Boet she is rugged all year round but is getting very hot at the moment and I was wondering if clipping was the best thing to do.
 
my cushings horse is slowly casting her coat. She was diagnosed this time last year and last year i had to clip her. In the autum she shed her summer coat though so i am sure she is just being slow with her winter coat.
 
Just posted about this. My Cushings mare is not shedding at all and is sweating cobs, so I clipped her - just a low chaser. It was difficult as her coat was damp, so a very slow job but hopefully she will feel better for it.
 
My 24 y.o. TB still not shedding and were at end of March!
I've heard some good reports on getting coat to shed using Agnus Castus or Chaste Tree Berry herbs.
 
My 28yr old veteran was diagnosed last July with ACTH count of 200! Erk! Been on 2mg Pergolide ever since but only tiniest of signs that he's gonna shed his coat. Not too worried at the moment as it's relatively early yet, still March even though July temperatures! Be aware that they need increased dose of Pergolide in spring/summer, lower again autumn/ winter. My lad is due the vets out to take bloods for a 2nd ACTH test to make sure he's still on a high enough dose for the season. I suspect he isn't!
 
I have an oldie who isn't shedding yet - he is always late to shed. Don't think he has cushings though. Should I be worried?
 
Merlin most normal ponies are shedding now, if yours isn't he may have cushings, I would get him tested to be sure and put your mind at rest.
 
Milanesa said:
Merlin most normal ponies are shedding now, if yours isn't he may have cushings, I would get him tested to be sure and put your mind at rest.
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I second this. You don't want the reason for a Cushings diagnosis to be laminitis. I was lucky and caught it early, but one vet didn't spot it and wanted to do lameness work up with nerve blocks etc and had said to keep turning her out. Got another vet as I thouught it was lami and it was!
 
Well thanks everyone. I feel a bit happier now I know I'm not the only one noticing this. She has got a bit laxter shedding over the last few years and would take up to July to finish the job (she grows a massive coat though so I'm not surprised) but apart from the fluffy hairs behind her udder which you can pull out easily she isn't really losing any more than normal levels of hair loss. Its forecast for 20 degrees today again but 14 or so by the weekend so as she doesn't seem to be in any distress I think I'll wait and see. Might add some chaste berry though.
 
My cushings oldie is just starting to shed a little, i bathed him yesterday to try to help him as clipping isnt an option without sedation.

I had him retested 2 weeks ago so im quite confident where not heading for disaster atm as his levels had come down from previous test.
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
Be aware that they need increased dose of Pergolide in spring/summer, lower again autumn/ winter. My lad is due the vets out to take bloods for a 2nd ACTH test to make sure he's still on a high enough dose for the season. I suspect he isn't!
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That's strange - My vets told me that they need the increased dosage during the winter as the reduction in hormone activity due to shorter days can trigger the lami. attacks which is one of the reasons why Cushings sufferers are more likely to get lami. in the winter. My mare has had it for 4 years and it's always at the onset of winter that she needs to increase her dosage.
 
Same here Tammy too. Dosage needs to be increased in autumn/winter. My pony is only losing the odd hair here and there. I have just clipped her chest out and it has helped. It wasn't easy though.
 
just noticed that my oldie has started to shed today. he has quite a fine coat which isn't curly - his owner says he is always late to shed - i have him on loan as a companion. when he does shed he tends to end up with bald patches. think i will speak to the vet next time he is out though. there is no sign of laminitis but he does have navicular. doesn't seem the sort to get lami as he struggles to keep weight on. he is a connemara crossed with a tb i think - on the finer side compared to my other hardy types.
 
Mine is shedding his monster coat but I give him tincture of chasteberry/Vitex. You can get from herbalists or Metabolic Horse. When I started using it for the first time the hair began falling out within a day or so. Mine is also on Prascend, this is complimentary. A litre bottle bottle last a month.
 
My 30yr old cushingoid doesn't cast her coat like a normal horse. She waits until about May, and then one day her coat looks duller. On that day, it takes 2 people with shedding blades, one each side, an hour or so's work and hey presto, a summer coat is revealed!
 
Tammy & Lelly you took the words right out of my mouth. Spring and autumn pergolide doses should be increased then summer and winter just back down to the minimum maintenance dose. Our cushings pony is shedding like mad, it looks like something has decomposed in the yard after he's been brushed each day, its coming out by the handful!!! ;)
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
Be aware that they need increased dose of Pergolide in spring/summer, lower again autumn/ winter. My lad is due the vets out to take bloods for a 2nd ACTH test to make sure he's still on a high enough dose for the season. I suspect he isn't!
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AArrrggh - :eek::eek::eek: I'm sorry BoF but I must contradict that bit of advice as it is totally the opposite way round.
The ACTH rises from June until late November and then begins to decrease through spring so you might need to INCREASE in autumn/winter.
Quite a lot of PPID are diagnosed during the latter part of the year because of the rise which usually precipitates an acute laminitis attack which takes owners by surprise, sometimes even when there is no grass to be seen!
Check out the Liphook Horsepital website here
http://www.liphookequinehosp.co.uk/documents/PituitaryParsIntermediaDysfunction.pdf
where they do ACTH testing and they show a graph of the rise and fall of the ACTH levels and show how they seasonally adjust readings to take into account the exagerated readings of a PPID equine.
 
Thanks TT, Lelly, Muff747 and others! You've just saved me a vet and lab bill! My vets said higher dose in the spring, lower in the autumn but they weren't really sure which way round it was, just that it was opposite to sheep! They advised that the manufacturers send a circular to vets about now to give the new ACTH levels and drug dosages so they weren't that worried. But now I've got it clear I'm a happy bunny. Sunny was only diagnosed last autumn so this is the first change of season I've experienced. Think I'll drop his Pergolide by half a tab x
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
Thanks TT, Lelly, Muff747 and others! You've just saved me a vet and lab bill!
Think I'll drop his Pergolide by half a tab x
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Whoa there BoF, if you've only just had a diagnosis this season II would have him tested before you self regulate because you need to check you horses pattern of rise and fall first. It can take up to twelve months for their system to fully be controlled by the Pergolide. I tried dropping my boy too soon and it affected hhis feet almost straight away so I quicckly upped it again.
IMHO, I would have him tested for the first 12 mo before making any changes
 
My girl was diagnosed in late Aug/early Sept last year and now has had two ACTH results at 18-20 so remains on half a prascend tablet at present.

She was clipped in October - whole neck and belly off as she had been sweating just stood in the previous winter (possibly the start of it all), she didnt have a particularly thick coat. 2nd of April and she looks like she was clipped last week, slight sign of moulting across the top of her back end but thats about it.
 
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