cushings!!!!

maccy boy

maccy boy

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:( ok my sec d x tb aged 8 has been diagnosed with the start of cushings and matabolic sydrome!!! the vet has said there are drugs he can take for both to control them but am i just preventing the inevitable??? i am heartbroken my horse apart from my son means everything to me he is the perfect horse could never be replaced and he was in big field over winter and now think its my fault!!!!!

please comment good and bad advice :-(
 
My horse has just been diagnosed with cushings (she is 17 though) she is currently on prascend which is very effective in controlling cushings. The vets believe she should still live for a few years more yet! If you catch it early and the main diagnostic symptom was not developing laminitis then I believe that with the correct treatment they can lead full and active lives, but it may not be as long as the average horse. For metabolic syndrome I have heard and read that metaformin can be very good at controlling this but I do not have experience in that area.

Obviously you have to manage and alter their diet accordingly as you would for any other laminitic but I don't think the future is too bleak! Don't give up hope!
 
Hello

Thank you for your reply, very helpfull. he is currently gettng over lamintus now altough its been 3 weeks so think he is good to have heartbar shoes on next week, he has soaked haynet twice a day and 2 units of sedalin twice a day and two sachets of danillon a day. i Just can help thinking if i had stopped him from getting laminitus that this would not have happened, as i wondered if it starts from getting laminitus. feel so guilty he is the best horse in the world to me and it breaks my heart to think there is something wrong with him now!!! i just cant get through my head why him, he means the world and its just not fair for him to be given a sentence he was mant to live his 40+ years with me he is only 8 still a baby!

Also worried about cost and whether my insurance with NFU ill cover the constant drugs needed!

thanks again for your reply :)
 
The cushingd diesease alters their metabolism and increases the likelihood of developing laminitis. My horse was stabled 24/7 due to wet fields had no grass and still developed it! The only thing is from now on he will need restricted grazing, and feed such as safe and sound like any other laminitic. The insurance should cover for the treatment for up to a year but then may not be covered. but don't quote me on that would be better to ring and ask the insurance company!

I know how you feel, I was devestated when I was told I felt that she shouldn't go this way but with careful research and advice it seems they can do alot more and live longer then the vets seem to say! I feel that vets can be very pessimistic about the condition but then there is still not a lot known on it! Hope that helps xx
 
My horse whos 21 was diagnosed with cushings 3 months ago, he is currently on Prascend, which seems to be working OK.

I was the same as you very worried about him, but the more I read in to it the more I learnt - alot of horses/ponies seem to suffer from it these days. Most can lead very long normal lifes and contiune full time work.

My horse has got very bad laminitis at the moment and the vet told me to PTS 2 months ago ( due to the laminitis ), I decided I was going to persist as he was part of the family and believe I should give him the best shot, and he is currently improving very slowly but surely.

I think the main worry about cushings is trying to control the laminitis more than anything, I have read that quite a few horses first signs of cushings is laminitis therefore I dont think you would be at fault in anyway.

There is alot of advice on the internet and on the laminitis organisation website.

I pay about £1 per day for Prascend but there are also herbal treatments available which have had good reviews but I have not tried yet.

Good luck!
 
Just to say, I have had two horses with Cushings who went on to live long, happy and active lives. Prascend (or Pergolide) really does help them and you would never know that they had this condition as the symptoms just disappear. Cushings can develop very slowly over a long period of time so its possible that your horse had it before he went down with laminitis and, as you may know, Cushings seems to be a precursor for laminitis. I wouldn't worry about the Cushings except that you will have to manage him carefully now with regards to laminitis.
 
I know what you are going through, my 16 year old came down with laminitis before christmas, blood tests proved positive for cushings, he is now still stabled with laminitis, the more i read about the management of it the more it scares me, im going to do the best to control his cushings/laminitis my boy lived out all year round which he will not be able to do now, if it means he has no quality of life and gets laminitis at the drop of a hat, im going to have him pts, as his happyness is more important, than being kept alive for my sake.
 
I am with NFU and have just put in a claim for my mare. She was diagnosed with cushings 2 months ago. They will pay for any one condition for up to a year. So basically they will pay for any vets visits, blood tests etc, farrier treatment if the vet has requested it and any medication. Once the year is up then she will no longer be covered for cushings. I am having as much testing done as possible on my insurance now to find the right balance of medication she needs and making plans to cover the cost of her medication (about £1/day) for next year.
There is loads of info on cushings both on here and on the internet, read as much as you can about it. Ditto the metabolic horse forum site it provides excellent advice and support.
It is very worrying at the start but it is controllable with careful management and there is nothing you have done to bring it on.
 
My mare has had Cushings since she was around 26 & she's now 38. She is on Pergolide & is doing really well. She moulted almost properly last year. I also tried her on the soaked oats diet (not sure if appropriate for a lami horse as she's never had lami) as it's supposed to help balance something Cushings-ey, & she's come out of winter in fantastic shape.

There is def hope after Cushings.
 
my horse was 8 when she was diagnosed with Cushings - and laminitis - tested for EMS but normal. I and the vets' were surprised and devastated. So young, as you say - good luck and as everyone said, there is so much research and stuff to read for you to get a handle on all the stuff happening to you and your horse to make an informed choice. Good luck.
 
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