Cushings and Laminitis, is there a link? . . Help Please!

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Spotsrock

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Lottie was diagnosed with low grade cushings a couple of years ago. The vet was of the opinion that it wasn't bad enough to do anything just provide loads of water and watch her temp due to the fluff in the winter.

Last year she was really ill all winter with pymetra, she still has it and apparently it is still a terminal illness which kills within months or even weeks??? (had it a year now and a very happy active horse in occassional light work at age 31!)

My vet never mentioned laminitis to me in conjunction with the cushings but a lot of people on here have mentioned recently that the 2 are linked. Because of the state (ie skeletal) that she got into last winter I have fed Lottie quite a bit. My sharer usually does her rugs and I haven't ridden her for a few weeks, but I changed them yesterday and dear god it's an elephant!! She is good weight on her rump, I'd like a bit more neck but she isn't doing much, but her belly!! She looks like a thelwell! Had a feel like the vet showed and no discomfort means it's not a womb full of goo (the pymetra) it is purely fat!!

I'm quite surprised she's still alive after last year and hoping to get her out and about showing to give her something to do come summer. She still has all her teeth but the dentist expects them to start coming out soon. The spring grass is due.

Sooo do I keep her fat for when her teeth fall out and the wieght comes off, or do I try to reduce her now before all the spring grass (she will come in at night all year round) comes through properly?

Is there a medical link or is it just that ponies with cushings are the type who get laminitis easily? Lottie is a 15hh ID x TB with mild artheritis in pretty much all joints but still mobile and mental!!

Sorry so long, irish coffee and cream cakes if you stuck with me this far!
 
Yes Cushings does unfortunately make horses and ponies more susceptible to laminitis. I would aim to have her in a condition where you can feel her ribs easily - remember that belly size isn't a reliable indicator of condition. Make sure that any bucket feed you give her is low in starch and sugar - so avoid high cereal feeds, molassed sugar beet etc. If she develops dental problems you can help keep weight on using hay replacer chaffs or soaked cubes - again choosing ones with a low sugar/starch level.
 
There is a link. Cushings often results in laminitis and there is a medical reason for why this is. I think (from how I have had it explained to me) its because cushings is a pituitary disorder which causes all sorts of hormones to be released and that can include insulin and other related hormones going haywire. Insulin levels are what causes laminitis - thats why sugars and grass trigger laminitis as they trigger insulin production.
 
A pot bellied appearance is typical of cushings too, so careful you don't diet her too much! There are herbal remedies that are useful for cushings that you can buy from ebay (chaste berry, also called vitex, agnus castus or monks pepper.) The laminitis clinic found an improvement when horses were fed this, so might be worth a try.
 
My cushings mare never got laminitis, but did have pyometra, which is an infected womb. Sadly she was put down at 23 as there is nothing that can be done for the condition in horses, ie hysterectomy etc.

A pot bellied appearance is also a symptom of cushings, but it may be the pyometra. My vet gave my mare an internal examination to diagnose this, although she sometimes had a discharge from the vulva.
 
legaldancer said:
My cushings mare never got laminitis, but did have pyometra, which is an infected womb. Sadly she was put down at 23 as there is nothing that can be done for the condition in horses, ie hysterectomy etc.

A pot bellied appearance is also a symptom of cushings, but it may be the pyometra. My vet gave my mare an internal examination to diagnose this, although she sometimes had a discharge from the vulva.
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My vet emptyied Lottie's womb last May (unpleasant process involving rubber tubing, warm water and a funnel) and gave some anti biotics, she has not had discharge since a few days after. He came out end Nov I thought to repeat the scan, internal exam and empty routine but after prodding her tummy and a quick look at her lady bits he announced she didn't need emptying and he'll look at her next time he comes unless I get concerned in the meantime. Still no discharge or discomfort. He'll have another look when he comes to vaccinate late spring unless she emits the vile smelling discharge when she comes in season. I was actually quite gutted because I wanted the peace of mind from seeing her insides on a scan!

He brought a student with him as apparently it's quite rare and he seemed pleased for Lottie but at a loss to explain why the pyometra symptoms have slowed down so drastically/disappeared! I'm not holding my breath long term but she is a tough old baggage!!
 
That's fantastic news. Maybe more could have been done for my girl then, but vet advised euthanasia. She seemed uncomfortable & hormonal & there was a vile smelling discharge at times.

She had always been a good doer, but in the end had muscle wastage on her topline, but a big belly.

I hope your mare continues to do so well & hope she avoids the dreaded laminitis.:)
 
Yes. A massive and very complex link. Cushing's reduces immunity to diseases and compromises the body's ability to fight infection, hence something like pyometra can be very dangerous, if not deadly.

A ribby but pot-bellied appearance is classic, so don't use that as a guidline for feeding.

Search Cushing's on here. The information available and advice contained in the threads is almost unlimited.
 
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