Cushings test - or something else?

[emfen1305]

He doesn't look at all metabolic to me.

However there is absolutely no way I would be feeding a horse of that type equitop myoplast, I would see if they would eat spirulina on it's own (the active ingredient).

This is why the vet wasn't keen on doing the test, he said he would rather try some other things before going down that route, as i think i mentioned previously, the symptoms linked together could have been early signs but could also be looked at as totally separate cause and effect (lethargy and bloated belly from grass, fat pads from being fed too much, lack of muscle from not having the conformation to do so easily etc etc)

To be honest I am going to sell the tub of myoplast or try and get a refund, I've managed to sneak quarter of scoop in his feed but he really doesn't want to eat it as it absolutely stinks even if it is coated in sugar! He's supposed to be on a scoop a day so the current amount is pointless and i'll never get him to eat a scoop without him tossing it everywhere! I think SEL suggested on this post or another to just buy whey protein straight, I am still a member of the PSSM group so will ask on there for good protein supplements that are more fussy feeder friendly (i think its the spirulina that makes it smell!)

 

[splashgirl45]

This is a photo from last night! It's the most square I could get him to stand!

And an iffy one from the front!

Not sure how useful these are in showing his belly and lack of neck muscle but the vet's concern is with the lack of muscle across his back and his neck.

thanks for posting, he doesnt look like a cushings horse but he is quite overweight...if he was mine i would get the test done .i knew my mare wasnt right so asked for thetest....my vet didnt think my mare had cushings as she didnt looklike a typical cushings horse, she tested at a level of 172. as the years went on her back dipped and she lost all of her top line...she never got laminitis but at the end her levels continued to rise even on 4 tablets daily and she was very listless and started to feel her feet. as she was 25 i called it a day before she got full blown laminitis ..

 

[Micky]

Whey protein isn't like spirulina..my horse ate it well with s chop etc...just make sure it's whey protein isolate...I'd still get tested, he doesn't appear to have a pot belly but photos are deceiving! Thelaminitis site is a font of info...

 

[emfen1305]

I'll still get him tested, it's worth it even just for a baseline so that I can retest in the future if he doesn't improve. The belly has gone down slightly as he has now been dieting for just over a week (luckily the tantrums have stopped now!) The vet was more concerned at how he doesn't look like a horse that is in work 6 days a week, he should have more muscle and shouldn't be packing on the weight like he is..

Interestingly his blood test results came back today, apparently he is anaemic which i was very shocked about as he was on three different well known iron supplements (not at the same time!) to see if that would provide a bit of a pick me up before I got his blood tested. I read up more on this and apparently it is quite unlikely that a horse can be iron deficient due to the levels in forage and feeds and actually most of the time we are over supplementing which can actually bring on some of the similar symptoms of cushings, a few of which he has.. this over supplement further worsens the copper and zinc deficiency! Vet wants me to start on propell/red cell but I am reluctant to, I am going to start another thread on this tomorrow I think to get other people's views!

I will update this thread if anything changes or when I get the results back from the test. It's been really informative and any further information/insights would be great! I will keep referring to the laminitissite as well, it is very good at explaining in layman's terms!

 

[ester]

I'd defnitely think I'd be talking to my vet about what might be causing the anemia, iron seems the easy route but it seems pretty likely there is something underlying generating itin the first place. Def worth another thread for some more ideas I would think.

 

[Micky]

He's not on garlic is he?

 

[emfen1305]

He's not on garlic is he?

No, i heard it can irritate the gut so steered clear as i didn't see the benefits of feeding it!