Cushings?

[Jericho]

I have a Welsh A 19 yr old who is out on about 1.5 acres 24/7 of poor grazing and from behind and on his crest he looks fat but his ribs are starting to be more and more visible. We had him over last summer and didn't have this problem at all, although he had a very slight touch of lami in the spring (farrier noticed some minimal blood in his laminae when he trimmed him) and he was off the grass for a month eating soaked hay and straw and then out at night. It's only since I thought I was starting to see his ribs more that he has been out 24/7 (about a month). I have tried keeping him in or separate from my other horse to get some hay in him but he frets too much even if there is just a fence between so frets any weight off. When we were being ultra careful on his lami routine i had to keep my mare confined as well. She was in the stable and he in yard as he would go mental if other way round and that just isntfair on her as she gets stiff if kept in. She is on far less hard food than him with no speedibeet and is ridden and she is fat so can't understand why he seems to be losing weight.

He has a morning feed of anti lam, top spec top chop lite, oil and speedibeet. His coat is fairly long, not a typical summer coat. This sounds like cushings, doesn't it?

He has been wormed for tapeworm in spring and autumn, worm counted (none detected) and field is poo picked daily. His teeth was checked and lightly rasped earlier this year and there are no irregularities.

Before I call the vet to go down the cushings test and drugs is there anything else I can do?

 

[Tammytoo]

It does sound like some of the Cushings symptoms. Other signs to look for are - the hollows above his eyes will look filled or even as though they have two little ping pong balls in them, more wee-ing and drinking than usual, depression.

Our mare showed the first signs in winter (lami attack), but in retrospect she had been a bit depressed as well which we just put down to her slowing up as she got older. A friend mentioned the filled hollows above the eyes so she was put straight onto a month of Pergolide, cheaper than doing the test, which turned her round in about 2 weeks.

I would definitely get veterinary advice so that treatment can start before he gets any worse. We carried on riding our mare once she was back to her old self.

 

[millimoo]

My 25yr old shettie was diagnosed with cushings earlier this year. He was not showing obvious signs, just footy even though muzzled and managed - something we didnt need to do in years gone by.
Ask for a liver test too.... You should have the liver checked if starting Prascend for Cushings. but liver problems can also cause weight loss - although they tend to go off their food apparently.

 

[muff747]

Sounds like Insulin Resistance and Cushings and to me. Go find info here
http://www.ecirhorse.com/
Cushings symptom is the long hair but the crest and fat pads with skinny ribs is IR, they can be both.
They recommend very low sugar/starch diet and exercise if there's no lami, similar treatment to a human with diabetes. Apparently it is similar but opposite
Anyway read the info, there's plenty on the EC/IR group also and you can post for advice from the experts too.
Good luck