Elderly Cushing's Pony....

[Becks01]

Hello Everyone,

I've never posted on a forum like this before, but have always found H & H conversations really useful to read when I have been researching stuff on the internet...

We have an elderly shetland pony who is somewhere between his mid-twenties and mid-thirties (his official age is around 24, but the vet and I agree that his teeth could easily put him much older than that).

He has barely any front teeth and 'wavey mouth' at the back, so needs regular dentistry (which he unfortunately has to be sedated for) otherwise he cannot eat very easily at all, impaired vision, and cushing's....We got his diagnosis of the cushing's last autumn (I suspect he might have had it for a while poor boy) and is on 1/2 tablet of Prascend daily...His first and only bout of laminitis with me was over 15 years ago so I think we are lucky in that respect...

It seems like the Cushing's (or medication, or old age who knows) has started taking it's toll in terms of odd behaviour, particularly a couple of months ago when he suddenly over attached to my other horse and went absolutely bonkers if I tried to take him out, I had to abandon a ride at one point as he was flinging himself about the field. He also started to react excessively to flies, no horse likes them, but one evening over dinner when it got a bit midgey out there we saw him suddenly start galloping around and throwing himself to the floor (bearing in mind he has a full cover fly rug and mask) (cue us abandoning dinner and rushing out to try and calm him down). He seems to have settled now the fields have been cut and we have separated him from my other horse, although if he didn't have the full belly flap on his fly rug he would just kick his tummy until it was raw (sweet itch type thing), and if there are any flies on his face at all he can't stand it... He also seems some days to walk (and walk, and walk and walk!) around the field, with a strange vacant expression on his face...and then other days not move from one spot for hours... both equally distressing to witness as I don't think he seems to behave a like a 'normal' pony sometimes. He is also getting strange scratches and loss of hair on his legs which are taking an age to heal; and now what I was dreading, he's started to drink a lot again.

I have the vet coming Thursday to discuss all of these issues....when I have spoken to them before they have said that it is likely that he is starting to experience the neurological effects of the Cushing's...

I'm just hoping to connect with other people with who have elderly equines with various health issues and how on earth you can properly gauge quality of life... It sounds silly but it's taking up most of my thinking space up at the moment, wondering what to do for the best for him. With my previous elderly pony who was PTS five years ago I know I should have made the call before I did, and not let him go into his last winter. I was just desperate not to lose him, which is selfish... I don't want to make that mistake again with my shettie but equally I don't want to rob him of any good quality life that I can give him. My worry with Cushing's is that he could be in pain and we didn't know, I would be so upset if he was....Sometimes though he seems really happy and content and like his normal self...he can still definitely move as he likes to canter in small circles around me when I put his fly repellant on!

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can give, sorry for long post!!

 

[paddy555]

my cushings lost his sight. It was a bit distressing at first but he learnt to adapt. You say he has impaired vision. Can some of the behaviours be put down to worsening eyesight? We leave ours with another pony who acts as his guide pony. Perhaps he needs another horse to show him around, perhaps he is trying to adapt and some days can see better than others.

Do you have several things going on? Possibly the sight, the flies which for some horses with or without cushings are impossible.
Have you considered asking the vet to increase the dose to 1 tablet. It may be that the disease needs a higher dose of medication to control it. This would be the first thing that I would do before considering how long to let him go on. The flies will be well on their way in the next month. You reevaluate him after a month on a higher dose, no flies and taking into account potential blindness and how he can cope with it. Then you would have a good idea if taking him through the winter was a good idea or not. How does he cope with the cold and wet?

 

[Becks01]

Thank you for your reply.... His sight has definitely worsened over the last 6 months, but I do think that some days are better than others as you say. Sometimes he seems pretty ok, and others I literally have to wave his feed bucket around in front of him and stick his nose in it so that he can see it...He is unfortunately very unpleasant to any field companion...I finally gave up putting him in with other horses a couple of years ago, and now have to keep a distance of field between my other horse and his fencing otherwise he kicks out at my other horse and has got caught in the fencing!

He is overall ok with the winters, I think it's actually the better time of year for him in some respects because of the flies and heat, but this last one it was a real struggle to keep weight on him. He doesn't manage hay at all well with his teeth so he had large soaked bucket feeds...he gets a high spec food balancer, garlic and oil too, which I hope help a little! He had quite a dramatic loss of appetite when he first went on the Prascend which didn't help with the weight issue... I am going to discuss with the vet the merits of increasing the dose, I must admit I have concerns about potential side effects as his actual levels when they were last checked a couple of months ago were perfect, but perhaps a lot can change in a short amount of time...

 

[southerncomfort]

I'm sorry you are having issues with your old boy. I fully sympathise as I have a 26 year old pony with cushings. I've never had to make 'that' decision for a horse before and I really struggle with the concept.

I think it's good that you are having you vet out for a chat. I had my vet out recently as we have had some issues, not neurological, but all pointing towards her immune system not functioning.

In our case, my pony became very, very sick last Winter and I came close to letting her go. She showed no symptoms of a virus or infection. Her only symptoms were severe, rapid weight loss, depression, anaemia and high level of inflammatory proteins in her blood. She had 3 weeks of high dose antibiotics before she started to pick up and I agonised about how long to keep going with her.

In Spring, she didn't shed her coat. At all. We fully clipped her out in May. She developed a nasty skin infection across one shoulder and down her leg, which again required another course of antibiotics.

Last week I asked the vet to come out to check her over and discuss how we are doing. I was honest with the vet and told him that I'm really scared about this coming Winter and how she will cope. As well as her cushings issues and a malfunctioning immune system she is dentally challenged and can't eat hay any more. She is a very poor doer in Winter so I find it hard to get enough feed/hay replacer in to her to keep her at a reasonable weight. I'm also concerned about her skin becoming infected again when her coat grows back.

Our plan is to re-test ACTH levels in Sept/Oct and make a decision about whether to put her through Winter based on the result. If her level is high, the vet is not confident about her ability to make it though Winter without becoming poorly at some point so I will sadly have to consider having her PTS as in her case she is already on as high a dose of Prascend as possible for her size. Reading my post, I guess the decision looks pretty easy however, right now she is pinging around the field with a shine to her coat (albeit a fully clipped coat) and bright eyes.

Sorry for the essay and for banging on about my own pony but I wanted you to know that you are not alone in agonising over the rights & wrongs of keeping them going. It is SO hard. It may be worth having your boys ACTH test done again soon just so you have a bit more information about what might be going on.

Hope your vet can shed some light on what me happening. I guess one of the issues we have is how much is down to cushings and how much is down to age-related conditions.

 

[fatpiggy]

I suspect your are correct in thinking the pony is showing neurological conditions as a result of the Cushings. The walking in a vacant state could easily be a type of seizure, as could the the throwing himself on the floor. My mare was losing her sight (and hearing I think) towards the end and it was one of the reasons I chose to PTS before the winter set in - her field companions had twigged that they could come at her from her left and she wouldn't realise they were attacking until it was too late, plus she was too arthritic to get away quickly. Your little chap's aggression could simply be a fear reaction - he knows he is potentially being threatened so kicks first and asks questions later. He is an old man and his body is wearing out so please put yourself in his position. Vets these days are always more than happy to keep treating, and trying something when 30 years ago they would have just told you to call it a day. I'm not critisising them for this, medical advances have been made of course, and many owners will do just about anything to hang on to the pet for a bit longer, and I understand that but with an old horse you aren't going to cure them, just delay the inevitable. I chose to jump before I was pushed, and I don't regret it.

 

[Becks01]

Hello Southern Comfort....thank you for your reply, it is nice to know I'm not alone in the agonising! You are right about the age verses cushing's thing, I wish I knew! Sounds like your pony had a really rough time last winter, I found last winter extremely difficult to keep weight on him too, though thankfully without the infections poor thing... Mine did not properly lose his coat until late June, despite grooming daily with a specialist dog brush! Clipping was an option, but again he'd need sedating and I am hesitant to keep sedating a pony of his age for that sort of thing...

My last pony was PTS in more of an emergency situation, he sadly came down in the mud in his field and even a team of strong men could not get him back up...the vet said we could call the fire brigade to try but I needed to think was that fair as it would probably happen again... I really regret letting him go into that last winter, at the end he was warm and comfortable and he fell asleep, but even 5 years later I get really upset about it. I don't want it to ever happen like that again. Better a day too soon than a day too late my husband says, which I think is completely right....it's just ever so hard!! People keep telling me sagely "oh you'll know when it's time" but I don't think I really will, not if I want to do it when he's not going rapidly downhill, which will be when I've left it too late... It really is horrible!! :-(

 

[Becks01]

Hi Fatpiggy, yes I have wondered if the walking / vacant thing is a type of seizure...a bit like when you see animals at the zoo... I agree with what you've said and appreciate the advice, vets will keep trying (and taking my money!) and I know I am only delaying the inevitable...just wish I could shake the guilt feeling about it all, that I'm taking time away from him, but I suppose I'll feel guilty whatever happens! It's such a shame as in other ways like arthritis etc...he is brilliant for his age, still supple etc... I felt for sure he'd be a fab little lead rein pony for my son, he is such a snuffly, kissy friendly boy...but obviously not meant to be. I don't want him to be miserable because I am putting it off.. :-/

 

[fatpiggy]

Hi Fatpiggy, yes I have wondered if the walking / vacant thing is a type of seizure...a bit like when you see animals at the zoo... I agree with what you've said and appreciate the advice, vets will keep trying (and taking my money!) and I know I am only delaying the inevitable...just wish I could shake the guilt feeling about it all, that I'm taking time away from him, but I suppose I'll feel guilty whatever happens! It's such a shame as in other ways like arthritis etc...he is brilliant for his age, still supple etc... I felt for sure he'd be a fab little lead rein pony for my son, he is such a snuffly, kissy friendly boy...but obviously not meant to be. I don't want him to be miserable because I am putting it off.. :-/

Don't feel guilty whichever way you choose to go. You are clearly thinking hard about it, not making a rash decision based on one emotion or another. If you do decide to PTS, then think of it as a vets visit which will cure all his problems for good. My original vet (sadly my horse outlived him) always reminded me that animals have almost no sense of tomorrow, not much of yesterday and they therefore exist almost entirely in the present. They don't know that this is the end for them. My mare had epilepsy for almost the entire time I had her so every time she had a fit, it could have been fatal (although she was successfully drug-controlled, but you just never know) so I learned to live in the present too. If your animal is good today, then that is all that matters. My sisters cat was diagnosed with cancer nearly 18 months ago and she was convinced he was going to die quickly. I taught her the today mantra and it helped her to relax and not worry about tomorrow. The cat is happy, eating well, lively and enjoying his life. He is just a bit skinny that's all, and had a few up and down days early after diagnosis. But today he is FINE. You will know when it is the right time with your pony. I did with my old girl. I took a big step back and viewed her from a distance. Then I could see just how thin and tired and stiff she was getting. Sending her into a lovely eternal sleep was absolutely the right thing for her.

 

[southerncomfort]

Becks - was thinking about you today and wondering how you got on with the vet?

 

[Becks01]

Thanks FatPiggy, I do try and remind myself that they live in the present, and have no concept of time...hard not to put our humans emotions into the situation! I like the day to day thing, i.e. today he IS fine... Amazing that you coped with a horse with epilespy, that must have been really distressing at times.

 

[Becks01]

Becks - was thinking about you today and wondering how you got on with the vet?

Hello Southern Comfort, sorry I didn't see your post, I must need to play with my notifications!

Vet visit was interesting...I knew there wouldn't be an awful lot to be said, I just felt like I needed to have the conversation and for him to have a thorough going over...

Something I wasn't prepared for, was that some of the neurological stuff that I have described in my original post could possibly be linked to liver failure (the toxins in the blood causing them), as much as it could the cushing's...even the increased drinking and blindness could also point to that... She said that I could order more blood tests for that, but there is no treatment and it would be a lot of money to spend for not a lot of benefit. She has suggested that I start treating him like he has liver failure anyway (e.g a low protein diet etc..). She also suggested taking calmers (the pony, not me!) to help with some of the compulsive behaviour that he is starting to display (I saw how he's scratching and cutting his legs the other day, he is biting himself :-( ). His eye cloudiness has definitely worsened since she last came out and again she is not sure what is causing that...

She said if I really think that he will struggle through the winter then it might be fairer to PTS before the weather turns...so I just have to sit with it and think about what on earth to do. I sort of feel like I want to see how he copes with the winter because I'll be beating myself up if I don't, always thinking 'but he might have been fine' - but also I don't want him to drop off again and be feeling rubbish! It is tough!

How is your pony, still well?

 

[fatpiggy]

Hello Southern Comfort, sorry I didn't see your post, I must need to play with my notifications!

Vet visit was interesting...I knew there wouldn't be an awful lot to be said, I just felt like I needed to have the conversation and for him to have a thorough going over...

Something I wasn't prepared for, was that some of the neurological stuff that I have described in my original post could possibly be linked to liver failure (the toxins in the blood causing them), as much as it could the cushing's...even the increased drinking and blindness could also point to that... She said that I could order more blood tests for that, but there is no treatment and it would be a lot of money to spend for not a lot of benefit. She has suggested that I start treating him like he has liver failure anyway (e.g a low protein diet etc..). She also suggested taking calmers (the pony, not me!) to help with some of the compulsive behaviour that he is starting to display (I saw how he's scratching and cutting his legs the other day, he is biting himself :-( ). His eye cloudiness has definitely worsened since she last came out and again she is not sure what is causing that...

She said if I really think that he will struggle through the winter then it might be fairer to PTS before the weather turns...so I just have to sit with it and think about what on earth to do. I sort of feel like I want to see how he copes with the winter because I'll be beating myself up if I don't, always thinking 'but he might have been fine' - but also I don't want him to drop off again and be feeling rubbish! It is tough!

How is your pony, still well?

A great many neurological symptoms stem from the liver, not the brain. We had a Shetland on my yard, he was fine in the morning and fitting and biting himself by early afternoon. Then the jaundice became obvious.

I thoroughly recommend Restore by Global Herbs as a liver booster. My mare had epilepsy and was lucky enough to be treated for it. All the vets said it would knacker her liver within a year or two. 15 years later she was PTS at rising 30 for bad arthritis - her liver was routinely tested a few months before and it was as healthy and more so for any normal horse of her age. She had been on Restore throughout.

 

[Becks01]

Ah thank you for that suggestion, I will have a google.... I have heard Milk Thistle can be a good liver tonic too so was going to look into that...

 

[southerncomfort]

A great many neurological symptoms stem from the liver, not the brain. We had a Shetland on my yard, he was fine in the morning and fitting and biting himself by early afternoon. Then the jaundice became obvious.

I thoroughly recommend Restore by Global Herbs as a liver booster. My mare had epilepsy and was lucky enough to be treated for it. All the vets said it would knacker her liver within a year or two. 15 years later she was PTS at rising 30 for bad arthritis - her liver was routinely tested a few months before and it was as healthy and more so for any normal horse of her age. She had been on Restore throughout.

Absolutely agree. Restore is really, really good stuff. I give it to my little mare whenever she starts to lose her sparkle and it always picks her up.

If you do decide to try him through Winter it might also be worth giving him something to boost his immune system..?

 

[brighteyes]

The enlarging pituitary is responsible, I believe for a range of symptoms and seriously, who are you 'keeping him going' for? It's a really tough call and I have mad it three times now, and been sick to my boots on each occasion.

Make it while he has quality of life, you have a clear conscience that he didn't suffer. A vet will try to do whatever you ask as it is income for them. Think of him.
PS You can't boost an immune system. Think about it for a minute

 

[OldNag]

It's a really hard one.

I took the decision with our elderly Cushings & EMS pony a few weeks ago. I felt her quality of life was becoming more and more compromised. She then came down with a bout of lami and hates box rest. Vet said he would support me either way.

I did make the decision, and spent a few days wondering if I'd done the right thing. But the vet who came out to PTS said absolutely the right decision.

The last two winters had not been easy for her and I was already wondering whether to put her through another.

I have often read on here about "better a month too early than a day too late" and having been through this now, I firmly agree. I dosed her up on Danilon and she spent her last day stuffing her face on grass (first time in months without a muzzle), with carrots and apples and all sorts of forbidden stuff.

I do feel for you, OP. It's horrible to see a much-loved friend going downhill.

 

[Becks01]

The enlarging pituitary is responsible, I believe for a range of symptoms and seriously, who are you 'keeping him going' for? It's a really tough call and I have mad it three times now, and been sick to my boots on each occasion.

Make it while he has quality of life, you have a clear conscience that he didn't suffer. A vet will try to do whatever you ask as it is income for them. Think of him.
PS You can't boost an immune system. Think about it for a minute

Hello, thanks for your comment....I must admit, 'who are you keeping him going for' is such a good question, I've been thinking about it all the time! And I still don't have an adequate answer....

 

[Becks01]

It's a really hard one.

I took the decision with our elderly Cushings & EMS pony a few weeks ago. I felt her quality of life was becoming more and more compromised. She then came down with a bout of lami and hates box rest. Vet said he would support me either way.

I did make the decision, and spent a few days wondering if I'd done the right thing. But the vet who came out to PTS said absolutely the right decision.

The last two winters had not been easy for her and I was already wondering whether to put her through another.

I have often read on here about "better a month too early than a day too late" and having been through this now, I firmly agree. I dosed her up on Danilon and she spent her last day stuffing her face on grass (first time in months without a muzzle), with carrots and apples and all sorts of forbidden stuff.

I do feel for you, OP. It's horrible to see a much-loved friend going downhill.

Thank you old Nag. I'm sorry for your loss....

Out of interest what were the symptoms that lead you to feel her quality of life was becoming more compromised? ...My shettie seems in a reasonably good place right now, the weather has cooled down, the flies have decreased and he has a fair coverage from the long grass, and a lot of the more extreme behaviours that he was displaying (particularly in the spring) have decreased, although saying that I have had to rug him for the first time ever as he has started shivering uncontrollably every time it rains.... Now I must admit the actual logistics of the winter ahead, keeping weight on him and keeping him warm are all dawning on me, and as awful as it may sound I have lots of other mouths to feed (animal and human!) so I'm quite concerned about affording the whole hay replacement route, possibly more rugs, more hard feed...and I can't imagine feeding him much more than I did last winter in terms of hard feed and he was on tonnes as it was... Bless him, he's always been such a hardy little soul, and now he seems so vulnerable :-(

 

[jrp204]

Personally I would turn him into a big lush field of grass in the morning and arrange for a visit from the hunt or the vet in the afternoon. Putting him through the winter may be unfair on him. You seem to be a responsible thoughtful owner and have done all you can and this would be the ultimate responsibility. I appreciate its tough though.

 

[southerncomfort]

It's a really hard one.

I took the decision with our elderly Cushings & EMS pony a few weeks ago. I felt her quality of life was becoming more and more compromised. She then came down with a bout of lami and hates box rest. Vet said he would support me either way.

I did make the decision, and spent a few days wondering if I'd done the right thing. But the vet who came out to PTS said absolutely the right decision.

The last two winters had not been easy for her and I was already wondering whether to put her through another.

I have often read on here about "better a month too early than a day too late" and having been through this now, I firmly agree. I dosed her up on Danilon and she spent her last day stuffing her face on grass (first time in months without a muzzle), with carrots and apples and all sorts of forbidden stuff.

I do feel for you, OP. It's horrible to see a much-loved friend going downhill.

I'm exactly where you were OldNag.

My little oldie had a funny turn the other morning. Yesterday she came down with laminitis despite being very lean (been struggling with her weight for a long time) and minimal grass. I've been struggling to keep her well for 2 years now and her outlook for this Winter is poor.

I hate to feel I'm giving up on her but I'm at the point of thinking I'd rather let her go now than wait until the middle of Winter when she's cold, skinny and miserable and fed up of box rest. I don't know whether she'll ever be able to eat grass again and she can't eat hay due to missing half her teeth.

I'll see how she is over the weekend but I think it's going to be a phone call to the vet first thing Monday.

 

[southerncomfort]

Thank you old Nag. I'm sorry for your loss....

Out of interest what were the symptoms that lead you to feel her quality of life was becoming more compromised? ...My shettie seems in a reasonably good place right now, the weather has cooled down, the flies have decreased and he has a fair coverage from the long grass, and a lot of the more extreme behaviours that he was displaying (particularly in the spring) have decreased, although saying that I have had to rug him for the first time ever as he has started shivering uncontrollably every time it rains.... Now I must admit the actual logistics of the winter ahead, keeping weight on him and keeping him warm are all dawning on me, and as awful as it may sound I have lots of other mouths to feed (animal and human!) so I'm quite concerned about affording the whole hay replacement route, possibly more rugs, more hard feed...and I can't imagine feeding him much more than I did last winter in terms of hard feed and he was on tonnes as it was... Bless him, he's always been such a hardy little soul, and now he seems so vulnerable :-(

It's so hard isn't it?

No-one would blame you if you decided to let him go now, you've done so well to keep him going to his ripe old age. However, I also know the temptation of trying one more feed or one more management regime change.

I've had a lot of advice from lots of different people but in the end I know I have to make this decision on my own and the weight of responsibility is huge. xx

 

[Puddleduck]

There's a really good Facebook group, I joined a few months ago and wish I'd known about it sooner as there's always someone on hand with support whether advice or emotional.
My own mare has been suffering for a few years now and I've seen her change so much. She come over as soon as she sees me and always acknowledges me with a whinny but the past few weeks she's become very twitchy about being touched. The tumour has caused her to have seizures which have been getting more frequent. Like Fatpiggy, I've looked at her and I know it's her time, I can see she isn't the girl she was and is no longer thriving so in the next week or two I will be making the call we all dread having to make. It's the hardest but best thing I can do for her.
She's been with me 21yrs and I will miss her terribly

 

[southerncomfort]

Puddleduck - would you mind describing what happens when yours has a seizure? Only my girl had a 'funny turn' earlier this week. At the time, I put it down to maybe being a bit colicky but after 15 minutes or so she was fine again.

I'm so very sorry that you are making the hardest decision. Sounds like a few of us are losing our precious golden oldies this year. xx

 

[Puddleduck]

Southern Comfort, they vary from shorter, milder turns to full on seizures that need the vet and a concoction of drugs.
In a milder one she goes a bit vacant and stands stock still, sometimes starts to list behind but manages to arrange her legs to prop herself up, sways a bit like a drunk but doesn't go down. We've notice her ears twitch and sometimes she'll slightly shake her head like she's got a fly on it.
The bigger ones are more dramatic to watch. She loses all sight as her brain spasms and she drips with sweat and staggers around, sometimes goes down but gets back up. She always heads for the stable wall and once she's found it props herself up against it. She can hear me talk but can't see me but we have a good relationship so she responds to my voice.
from what I've learned through the FB group, seizures are common but vary horse to horse in how they behave or show. Before we knew my mare was having seizure we did think she was having mild colic as she had colic surgery 12yrs ago so it seemed the logical explanation when we found her bed disturbed, water bucket spilt and cuts and grazes wher she'd obviously been down.
My learnings from her experience are that they are seasonal - this is the bad time of year with the beginning of October being the worst so I think they are linked to the seasonal increase in ACTH levels and tumour activity.
I would definitely recommend the FB group, its global so there's a huge range of experience and advice there

 

[Barnacle]

Cushing's can cause blindness and excessive drinking in its latter stages, as well as neurological symptoms. It also causes anxiety which could explain some of the behaviours, including how aggressive he is towards other horses. I would take those blood tests to find out if the horse has liver failure personally. If he doesn't I would be more inclined to keep him going. If he does, I'd call it a day sooner rather than later - maybe give him until December and then have him put down because that's simply going to get worse from now on. If it's all Cushing's I'd ask about a higher dose of pergolide (Prascend) as someone has already suggested and see if they'll also treat with cyproheptadine (ask if these are options BEFORE you get the blood tests done - would be silly to have the tests done if you can't actually treat the Cushing's further anyway).

It's difficult when they get to this point but it sounds like you've done a lot already and no one could fault you if you decided this was it. My view would be to find out if there is any chance of improving things from here (if it's only Cushing's, treating that more) or not (if they won't/can't treat the Cushing's more or he also has liver failure). If things can't be improved at this point, he's probably better off living a few more pleasant months and then quietly being put down when the weather really turns.

 

[OldNag]

Thank you old Nag. I'm sorry for your loss....

Out of interest what were the symptoms that lead you to feel her quality of life was becoming more compromised? ...My shettie seems in a reasonably good place right now, the weather has cooled down, the flies have decreased and he has a fair coverage from the long grass, and a lot of the more extreme behaviours that he was displaying (particularly in the spring) have decreased, although saying that I have had to rug him for the first time ever as he has started shivering uncontrollably every time it rains.... Now I must admit the actual logistics of the winter ahead, keeping weight on him and keeping him warm are all dawning on me, and as awful as it may sound I have lots of other mouths to feed (animal and human!) so I'm quite concerned about affording the whole hay replacement route, possibly more rugs, more hard feed...and I can't imagine feeding him much more than I did last winter in terms of hard feed and he was on tonnes as it was... Bless him, he's always been such a hardy little soul, and now he seems so vulnerable :-(

I had already booked the vet to come out (before the lami struck) as I just felt she wasn't right... couldn't put my finger on it but she just seemed "off". No definite symptoms, more just a nagging feeling I couldn't shake. The lami struck a few days later.

She put up with muzzling but absolutely hated box rest - it really stressed her out and after the box rest earlier this year I said I would not put her through it again. Over the course of this year she looked older and older. She was a grey and I did wonder if something else (melanomas?) was going on inside.

The vet said she only needed half the lethal dose that she should have, so it definitely was time.

Sending positive vibes to you and your boy x

 

[Becks01]

I'm exactly where you were OldNag.

My little oldie had a funny turn the other morning. Yesterday she came down with laminitis despite being very lean (been struggling with her weight for a long time) and minimal grass. I've been struggling to keep her well for 2 years now and her outlook for this Winter is poor.

I hate to feel I'm giving up on her but I'm at the point of thinking I'd rather let her go now than wait until the middle of Winter when she's cold, skinny and miserable and fed up of box rest. I don't know whether she'll ever be able to eat grass again and she can't eat hay due to missing half her teeth.

I'll see how she is over the weekend but I think it's going to be a phone call to the vet first thing Monday.

I'll be thinking of you tomorrow, I can only imagine how sick you must be feeling :-(

 

[Becks01]

I had already booked the vet to come out (before the lami struck) as I just felt she wasn't right... couldn't put my finger on it but she just seemed "off". No definite symptoms, more just a nagging feeling I couldn't shake. The lami struck a few days later.

She put up with muzzling but absolutely hated box rest - it really stressed her out and after the box rest earlier this year I said I would not put her through it again. Over the course of this year she looked older and older. She was a grey and I did wonder if something else (melanomas?) was going on inside.

The vet said she only needed half the lethal dose that she should have, so it definitely was time.

Sending positive vibes to you and your boy x

Thank you x

I know exactly what you mean about that nagging feeling, that's where I am. There's a bit of me that knows I'm going to feel a sense of relief after he's gone, and that makes me feel terribly guilty!

 

[OldNag]

I'm exactly where you were OldNag.

My little oldie had a funny turn the other morning. Yesterday she came down with laminitis despite being very lean (been struggling with her weight for a long time) and minimal grass. I've been struggling to keep her well for 2 years now and her outlook for this Winter is poor.

I hate to feel I'm giving up on her but I'm at the point of thinking I'd rather let her go now than wait until the middle of Winter when she's cold, skinny and miserable and fed up of box rest. I don't know whether she'll ever be able to eat grass again and she can't eat hay due to missing half her teeth.

I'll see how she is over the weekend but I think it's going to be a phone call to the vet first thing Monday.

I hope she has been better over the weekend. Just know that whatever you decide, you are not giving up on her, you are doing whatever you think is best for her xx

 

[OldNag]

Thank you x

I know exactly what you mean about that nagging feeling, that's where I am. There's a bit of me that knows I'm going to feel a sense of relief after he's gone, and that makes me feel terribly guilty!

The nagging feeling.. I think that sometimes you just "know".
Don't feel guilty. xx