cushings, laminitus and now colic!!!!!!!!!!!!

maccy boy

maccy boy

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hello,

Ok please be honest but i am very upset by all of this so please be nice!!! my 9 year old has cushings matabolic syndrome and last night went down with mild colic!!! :-( its just a big decision he is soo young and its really tough as the two fight against each other. His pedal bone is still bad but apparently going the right way. But my insurance wont cover me after a year for vet bills for this condition and i dont know if i am going to be able to afford the bills if he gets a bad case of laminitus which is highley likely, i also have a toddler which also costs alot :-)

Im just so confused and cant stop thinking about it all, sorry to go on but i just feel you guys will understand.

I dont know what to do for the best, he is not happy and half the horse he used to be!!!

aarrrgggg!!! its not fair, he is the best horse ever but really does not like being stabled and jumped a 5 bar gate to escape starvation paddock!!!!!! luckily he wasnt hurt but taken him down to one sachet of danillon now!! he will not be helped and being told by my very knowledgable gran in law who thinks i should pts!!!

please give me your thoughts


kayleigh xx
 
Im a big believer in quality of life not quantity, your horse is still young he has at least 15 years left, which is far to long if he is going to be miserable, i real feel for you as my horse has cushings.
 
How heartbreaking.

Having known a horse lost to cushings/laminitis and seen another horse with severe abdominal pain (turned out to be hernia rather than colic), I would be seriously considering a peaceful end in the short term.

If you and your vet really feel that your horse is not going to be content with the necessary management, then a balance of quality versus quantity must be considered.

Its probably completely wrong, but I would want my vet to let my horse have a day in the field strongly medicated,knowing that the vet would be back at the end of the day to pts.

Good luck however you decide to proceed.
 
My boy was diagnosed with Cushings at 21 after a very bad attack of Lami! He was in the box from November to March and had severe pedal bone rotation, but was bright as a button and never wanted to give up, so we didn't! Once the vets got his meds right (pergolide and metpirone combi) he went from strength to strength and touch wood has been out in the field and Lami free for over 2 years!

He started to have mild impactions (colic) and even though the vets said it coudn't be due to being in a starvation paddock, we knew that it was as it was just too much hard work to try and find food, so he didn't bother and just stood there!

We moved him to another yard with well grazed old meadow grass and haven't looked back since!

Obviously it depends on each horse, but what i'm trying to say is that there is 'life after Cushings' and it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom
 
Thank you for your replies.... really dont know!!

He isnt happy but i think he could maybe have some good years but good chance he could suffer so im torn!!!!

He isnt the type to happy plod he loves to jump and hunt and i dont know if he will ever get back to that, i could never sell him as a companion as he is my baby and my responsability and wouldnt want him getting into wrong hands but also he loves being ridden!!

aarrrggg!! i feel that pts is the best thing as preventing the inevitable is not nice either but i just cant think about it!!

kxx
 
In total sympathy for you; my beloved mare was PTS less than a month ago aged 8, with Cushings and related laminitis. her pedal bone had rotated to about a millmetre above her sole, she had large gas pockets in both front hooves too. She was not happy being stabled but was always a delight to deal with. My vets' were fantastic and we talked over all of the possible options and decided in HER case that it was best for her to leave us. (xxx my lovely horse) Even if she had recovered, what would her life have been like? I still wonder. She loved her jumping as well but I know I did the correct thing for her. It is a hard decision but a responsibility that comes with loving and caring for animals. Good luck - PM me if you want.
 
Pasha said:
My boy was diagnosed with Cushings at 21 after a very bad attack of Lami! He was in the box from November to March and had severe pedal bone rotation, but was bright as a button and never wanted to give up, so we didn't! Once the vets got his meds right (pergolide and metpirone combi) he went from strength to strength and touch wood has been out in the field and Lami free for over 2 years!

He started to have mild impactions (colic) and even though the vets said it coudn't be due to being in a starvation paddock, we knew that it was as it was just too much hard work to try and find food, so he didn't bother and just stood there!

We moved him to another yard with well grazed old meadow grass and haven't looked back since!

Obviously it depends on each horse, but what i'm trying to say is that there is 'life after Cushings' and it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom
Click to expand...

Pasha thank you for posting this - it's very similar to my own current situation - diagnosed with Cushings last autumn at 21 after mild lami. Then got a huge abscess in January and then developed more lami as a result. Been more or less on box rest since then and I've several times wondered whether to let him go but he's ALWAYS also been bright as a button too and I just think the same as you - if he's not given up then neither should I
 
I agree that meds can help. We have an old boy on our yard (he's about 33) who honestly looked like he was on deaths door a couple of years ago. He too suffers from laminitis and cushings and was very difficult to manage. His vet put him onto pergolide and the difference in him was amazing! He's picked up so much, it's like a new lease of life for him.

Having said that, he didn't get to the stage of rotating pedal bone so I don't know what the situation would have been then. If it looks like it's going the right way, is it possible to keep him comfortable with bute etc until it's improved as much as it can? then see how he is??

If not, I (personally) would hate to see my horse uncomfortable, so I know what I'd do...
 
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Thank you so much for your replies, i have to go to work now but will reply proplerly later but didnt want you all to think i wasnt going to bother to reply just dont have time now.

k xx
 
Hello guys, i found out yesterday from max's health bloods taken that he has slight liver damage now from the cuhsings tablet, though vet still seems to keep going! part of me wishes they said there was nothing more they could do and the other part not but with his pedal bone rotations, cushings and the matabolic syndrome i know there is no cure and with him only being 9 that is a long time with him to be in pain or stabled!!! he loves being out, hates the stable unless its snowing badly! bless him!!

kxx
 
I think you have answered your question, best of luck. My cushing horse can have only 1 hour turn out at grass at the moment as its early days for him, but if he can not have much more than that, with out becoming lame, i will make the decision for him.
 
How long has he been on Pergolide (I assume that's what you mean by Cushings tablet)?

I have never heard of a horse getting liver damage from Pergolide and especially not in a very short space of time. I am no vet, but raised liver enzymes does not mean they have liver damage, yet is very common with horses with Laminitis/Cushings as they have raised toxicity levels.

Are you sure your horse has liver damage? and if so, what is the vet doing about it?
 
My boy who is 21yrs was diagnosed with cushings after a bad bout of laminitis in Dec 2010, he is now on Peroglide 1 mg per day.


He has 19% of rotation in one foot and 12% in the other and a gas pockets in the worse foot, the farrier has although worked wonders with him! He has trimmed his heels and toes back and the gas pockets have come out through an abcess.

He seems to be making a very slow recovery but small steps in the right direction now.

One key point is managing the laminitis correctly, turn out when the sugar is low in the grass, if you out him out in a bare field give him soaked hay ( after 12 hrs of soaking hay the sugar levels are lowered ) - this is the advice I researched and was given by my vet once he has made a full recovery.


My horse was always very happy and did not want to give up, so I made the decsion to try every possible route, 2 months after he was originally diagnosed the vet told me to PTS, I did alot of research and felt there were more opitions for me to consider and test before I choose to PTS. 5 months down the line I feel I made the right choice.

I have read that Peroglide can cause depression in horses ( Peroglide Veil ) they do although get over it, there is lots of information about this on the internet, my horse was also given ACP to calm him down in the stable, now 5 months later is is as good as gold on box rest.

I guess different horses experience different emotions and only you know how your horse is feeling, Im sure if you think about it and do lots of research then you will make the right decsion for what is best for your horse.

Good luck!
 
ameeyal said:
Im a big believer in quality of life not quantity, your horse is still young he has at least 15 years left, which is far to long if he is going to be miserable, i real feel for you as my horse has cushings.
Click to expand...

I have to agree, I'm afraid.
 
Sadly it does not sound like your lad is coping too well with his situation, and on that basis, I would be seriously considering the PTS route.
 
hey, how sad for you. i am so sorry to hear this, i also have a a pony that has as above, and she ha just gone down with lami after not having it for 4 years! she is mid 20's and is out all summer in a paddock with my other 2 horses. She is coralled off into a bare patch, and she also hates being in, would hate to be taken away from the other horse as they are inseperable. It is so hard and after having her 15yrs, if she got to the stage she was suffering and not responding to treatment i would have her pts as i would not want her to suffer. I would have a serious talk with the vet and go from there, but by the sounds of your post it seems you have sort of already made the decision in your mind xx good luck and let us know how you go x
 
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