Can a pony have Cushings and EMS?

[Doormouse]

I have an 11.2hh 15 year old Welsh Section who we bought recently for my daughter. He came with Metformin as we were told he had been tested for EMS 3 years ago and prescribed Metformin which helped.
We had had him a week when I decided to test for cushings as he was drinking excessively, was struggling with exercise, was footy and had a very thick coat. To my horror the result was 144 (38 and below normal).

He has been on 1 pill a day for a week but he is really struggling With his feet despite being kept in apart from 1 hour out per day on very little grass, soaked hay and just a balancer with his pill in. He is not overweight.

I honestly feel like he has made no improvement and I'm wondering if he should go back in his Metformin as well. My vet is sceptical about the use of Metformin as she says it only really helps with very overweight horses and ponies who can't be exercised.

 

[Leo Walker]

They can have both. The problem with Metformin is that they dont know how or even if it works in horses. Its cheap and has minimal side effects so there is no harm in trying to see if it helps. It sounds like it has worked for the pony previously. It does usually take a lot longer than a week for cushings medication to start to be really effective though and I know the laminitis app has been off the chart every day this week, so it might be worth trying him grass free for a week or two and see if that has any impact.

 

[splashgirl45]

yes we have a pony at our yard who has both, she is on metformin and prascend and is ok...

 

[OldNag]

Yes. An oldie we had on loan tested positively for Cushings. She showed symptoms for EMS as well. Vet advised no point in testing as it was fairly obvious, and to treat as if she had EMS. She was on Prascend and managed very, very carefully. Did not get put on Metformin.

 

[Tiddlypom]

When you say that he is still struggling with his feet, does that mean he is actively suffering from laminitis? If so, he should be stabled on a deep bed and not turned out at all for a while. Pracend can be a godsend, his ACTH reading is not that high, but it takes time to kick in. Once the condition is stabilised, many Cushing's horses can go for many years in good health, so don't despair at this stage.

ETA There's lots of info on here:-

https://www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk/ppid

 

[Zuzzie]

I currently have a gelding (23 years old) confirmed EMS and also being prescribed Prascend for Cushings - although he has never tested positive for Cushings. Both these conditions are indicative of being predisposed to Laminitis. I have also had two other horses previously who had Cushings and from experience I can assure you that it takes at least a month but more like six weeks for the Prascend to show any signs of improvement e.g. energy levels up, coat looking better etc. If your pony is suffering with his feet then I would strongly recommend the advice given by Tiddlypom: that he is immediately stabled on a deep bed and rested. Moving him about on feet that are sore is not kind and is very risky. You may find he improves within a week but you need to take this action now. Look at The Laminitis Site - loads of info on there on both conditions. Good luck.

 

[Pinkvboots]

my mare had both she never had metformin but she was on 1 prascend tablet a day, I would speak to your vet and get the pony on prascend as metformin is not proven to work as already mentioned.