Cushings

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Coranning

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Hi all
New to the forum & looking for some advice.
I am a nervous rider after having a bad accident 4 years ago, recently decided to get back into it all and after searching around I have found a pony. I have her on trial, originally the trial was for 1 month. (2 weeks left)
When I got her back to our yard the yard owner had a good look at her coat and suggested she could possibly have cushings. Long story short I've had her tested and the result has come back at 87, normal result been under 29. Vet has said meds are needed. She is 15 years old.
Her hooves are also very upright & she wears front shoes, she has been out of work so not sure why she has shoes. Owner is very strict and says her feet MUST be done every 8 weeks to the day as that's what he's always done with her.
Original price is for £800, after speaking to the owner who claims had no idea that she has cushings he said he will negotiate on price. I suggested £400, he out right said no.
I am waiting to hear back from him now as he's talking to his wife.
My question is what would you do? Would you just let her go back and keep looking? Buy her at no less than £500?
How many problems am I likely to get with her?
I don't know what to do. Does anyone think I am been unreasonable asking for the price to be lowered so much when I will be taking on the meds for
The rest of her life?
Any info / advice would be MUCH appreciated x
 
Honestly - i wouldn't take her on.

I have just lost a pony to lami triggered by Cushings (and probably EMS).

She will need careful management and the meds are not cheap.
I would also wonder why a horse out of work is kept shod.

I know it is hard, but I would walk away.
 
Keep looking.
We have 2 with Cushings though they are older than yours. They are kept well so far by the meds but it is expensive. The minimum it will cost is 60p a day for 0.5 mg and as it progresses and the dose goes up so will the cost. 1 tablet a day and the £400 you are asking to be knocked off will be spent within a year.
I would also suspect that the front shoes are due to a problem, maybe she has already had laminitis caused by the Cushings.
If the pony is particularly quiet that also may be a result of the Cushings and when treated she may be a lot more lively.
 
I would walk away sorry, I have just lost my mare to laminitis she had cushings and ems she was on 1 prascend tablet a day, it was her first time having the laminitis she was getting over it was almost sound then the laminitis came back she was only 15 years old, the whole thing has broken my heart hope I never have to go through it again don't do it.
 
Gloi said:
Keep looking.
We have 2 with Cushings though they are older than yours. They are kept well so far by the meds but it is expensive. The minimum it will cost is 60p a day for 0.5 mg and as it progresses and the dose goes up so will the cost. 1 tablet a day and the £400 you are asking to be knocked off will be spent within a year.
I would also suspect that the front shoes are due to a problem, maybe she has already had laminitis caused by the Cushings.
If the pony is particularly quiet that also may be a result of the Cushings and when treated she may be a lot more lively.
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this. I suspect the pony will be on 1 tablet a day at around a pound day. This could very easily increase to a higher dose. You will have the cost of the vet visit and lab fees etc to retest regularly.

The front feet sound like trouble. It may well not just be the cost of shoeing but of vet x rays if she gets laminitis and remedial farrier shoeing costs. Cushings horses often have poor immune systems. Ours does a lot better on a good supplement plus vit E oil plus very restricted grass which adds a lot to the hay costs.

I think that Gloi's final para is however the most important. My cushings horse was dead as a doornail. He would have been a real confidence giver, he never moved faster than a slow walk. Two weeks on medication and he was tearing around like an idiot. We called him the "duracell bunny on speed". He trashed the field and I wouldn't have dared to ride him. It too several weeks for him to calm down but even then he was no longer a confidence giving slug.

I would look around for something a fair bit younger or alternatively either loan or borrow a slower horse until you build your confidence again. You could find the lovely confidence giver that you need now is a bit slow in a few month's time when you are back up to speed with your riding.
 
Thank you all so much for your advice.
I have told the owner that unfortunately she will be going back to him, he doesn't seem best pleased but after reading the above replies and googling some more I am confident I have made the right choice.
Thank you
 
Coranning said:
Thank you all so much for your advice.
I have told the owner that unfortunately she will be going back to him, he doesn't seem best pleased but after reading the above replies and googling some more I am confident I have made the right choice.
Thank you
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Well done. Absolutely the right choice. If she was only 15 and already had Cushings, I would doubt she was going to make old bones. The drug only delays the inevitable, it doesn't cure it.
 
I was miss-sold a horse with Cushings - the owner clearly knew about it but kept it from me. I had him 5 star vetted but obviously they don't check for things like this.

I love him to bits but I often think life would be easier if he didn't have it. It makes his mood fluctuate a lot and he is unpredictably spooky when ridden - this could be due to the medication or the tumour itself.

The meds are also expensive - I've just ordered 2 months' worth from the vet and it cost £95 quid.
 
Yes I'm glad I made the right decision. The owner did in fact message me today asking if I would be interested in taking her on full permanent loan, I've said no.
I will continue in my search for a pony, I'll be sad to see her go but hopefully she will find a lovely home or he will stick to his word and keep her, either that or he will get her clipped and sell her on without telling!
 
Nice to see some good advice and a positive outcome for the OP on a thread! A shame about the horse, but that's life :(
I knowingly took on a horse with cushings 18 months ago. I would NEVER have bought him, but I'm very lucky in that his owner is willing to pay for medicines (he gets Danilon every day for an old back injury). I adore and worship him, he is such fun to be around and to ride, and I hope we have many happy years together... but I know that he's only nine, and is unlikely to get to be properly old. I worry about him every day. I know the day he goes I will wish I had never fallen for him, to save myself the heartache. OP you are braver and more sensible than I am!
 
lewis2015 said:
I was miss-sold a horse with Cushings - the owner clearly knew about it but kept it from me. I had him 5 star vetted but obviously they don't check for things like this.

I love him to bits but I often think life would be easier if he didn't have it. It makes his mood fluctuate a lot and he is unpredictably spooky when ridden - this could be due to the medication or the tumour itself.

The meds are also expensive - I've just ordered 2 months' worth from the vet and it cost £95 quid.
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have you considered getting a prescription and buying online. There is a lot of mark up by vet's on prascend. If you are on it permanently then getting a box of 160 online even with the prescription costs may be cheaper.
 
paddy555 said:
have you considered getting a prescription and buying online. There is a lot of mark up by vet's on prascend. If you are on it permanently then getting a box of 160 online even with the prescription costs may be cheaper.
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Hi Paddy - this sounds interesting! I've heard people mention things like this in passing but I'm not sure how to go about getting a prescription?
 
Ruftysdad said:
I use Animed. They charge 94p a tablet with free delivery. I send them my prescription which lasts for 6 months. Much cheaper than the vet
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Brilliant, thank you! Will contact my vet about prescription. Do you just tell them you are buying the tablets elsewhere?
 
Prascend is 0.99p from Animed now. My horse is on 2.5 a day. Vets don't have to give you a 6 month prescription, I have one for 160 tablets with no repeats and that lasts 64 days, the prescription costs £21 but it still works out cheaper than what the vet charges for Prascend.
I would never buy a horse with cushings, wise choice to walk away OP.
 
I think you've made the right decision OP. We loan a little pony with Cushing's,and I knew about it when we took her on. She is 25 and had had lami in the pastbut not since she has been on medication. She has two speeds,stop and fast,but my daughter loves her and has had so much fun with her that I consider it worth the cost of the drugs. I would never buy a pony with Cushing's though,but then I've never seen one for sale,it seems to be an unwritten rule that Cushings = loan. Good luck in your hunt for a new horse.
 
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