cushings in horses

[Kellie#Ann]

my horse was recently diagnosed with cushings she has been on 1 prescend tablet a day for two months now vet just done another blood test and hascome down a bit from 750 but not enough gor her to be allowed out has told me i can ride her as everything else is fine she wants to do another test in january as may be more reliable reading she does not want to increase prescend till have got reading back from jan test she had slight lami attack thats what prompted the blood test was ok with the lami after two weekdid not need special shoes she is 25 looks really good however have read on aline that ahorse that had a reading of 540 would need 5 prescend i want to keep my horse good for as long as possible but do not want her on mega amounts ofprescend have is she likely to have her levels brought down from this will it take time have read it can take 3 month at least to show results

 

[meleeka]

Is she on 1 tablet a day? I’ve read some people have success with splitting the dose morning and evening. Your vets advice is a bit odd imo. If she’s still got uncontrolled Cushings she’s likely to have another laminitis attack whether she’s turned out or not, since it’s not grass that’s caused it but the hormone. Personally I’d want to increase the dose by 1/2 a tablet and then retest. I don’t think the numbers depend on the dose as such. Some come down from 700 on one tablet, there doesn’t seem to be any rule.

So join the Equine Cushings group on FB. You’ll find lots of experience on there.

 

[JillA]

It's all here http://www.thelaminitissite.org/ppid.html - it's always worth educating yourself, vets aren't perfect. In particular it points out the unreliability of the ACTH test, and that, along with the fact that the seasonal rise is over for this year, would suggest 1mg is okay for now. Just ensure he has as little sugars and starches as possible in his diet, that will help (is that the reason she isn't allowed out?). Hay soaked for 20 minutes and then well rinsed will fulfill her main dietary needs, and should be safe for the PPID/Laminitis issue, especially now the grass has stopped growing. Have you got a starvation paddock she can go in, movement really helps

 

[Gloi]

The value returned from the test and the dose of Prascend don't always correlate. They have almost come down now from the autumn rise in ACTH so January seems a long time off for increasing the dose if the levels still aren't being controlled. I would speak to the vet again about increasing the dose and then do the January test to see if the new dose has worked.

 

[MumsGloriousOrca]

Think it's too specific and variable to each horse but as long as you're keeping an eye and he's having regular checks and tests and vet making sure he's where he should be, I wouldn't worry excessively but understand the frustration and worry it brings.

One of mine is 25yrs old and on the lowest dose but managing perfectly fine and is healthy and happy and fighting fit so unless and until, I keep things as they are.

Doesn't have any regular hard feed, lives outside most of the year, still hovering around the same weight he's always been and was in his prime but tends to dip a little sometimes in winter. When he does seem to be more lethargic and looking a bit off, I'll bring him inside and bed him down for a few days with an hour or two turned out for fresh air weather permitting and for some reason, the few days resting up and getting some good kip and whatnot does him the world of good.

A previous attempt by another vet to double his dose after he'd dipped one winter sent him doo-lally pop he was nuts so that was knocked back down again and has been managed fine ever since.

Been barefoot the last few years too because he's only lightly ridden / hacked out mostly on soft surface.

I generally aim to try and keep his meds and overall health on an even keel and stick to regular visits, checks and tests from vet and have his feet seen and sorted by the farrier every 8-12 weeks.

Again it's difficult because what works for one horse isn't necessarily so for another. It's often a case of monitoring and managing it yourself - you know your horse better than anyone. I'd go with whatever advice you're given by the vet and keep an eye for whatever you don't feel is right and any changes in behaviour