High ACTH levels - please share yours

[Nanolol]

Last test was April 2nd and after 6-7 months on pergolide, Simon's ACTH is 13 pmol/L. Still not quite "normal" but as he isn't showing any more symptoms, going to stick with his current dose of 50 mg once daily. He's also shedded out his winter coat quite well, and with the strange Canadian winter/spring that we've been experiencing, he was quite smart to hold onto his fluff. The vet was in about about 2-3 weeks ago and there was HAIL. Some of the clipped horses had to have their winter rugs put on

 

[Spector]

My 27 year old Shetland didn't really have a proper summer coat last year and seemed a bit quiet and not nearly as naughty as usual so I had him tested in October 2012.He tested positive with a reading of 312.He was prescribed 1/2 tablet of Prascend daily and within a month was cheerful(and naughty) again.He's moulting quite well,but I expect that he will need clipping.

 

[The Lone Piper]

Interesting that you say stress can play a major part in a high result. My pony's reading has come back at 1112. He hasn't had laminitis for a lot of years and couldn't understand why his reading could be so high and he not have permanent lami. He had just had his teeth done and had had to be sedated to get them done before his bloods were taken. Could this have affected his reading?

 

[Micky]

Stress can play a big role in giving a false reading as can sedation, ....
Seasonal rise from august onwards testing labs do take into account this fact, it is the better time to have bloods taken for a more accurate reading.
More info if anyone wants to know on the laminitis site ( info on PPID (cushings) and EMS/IR)

My lads reading wasnt anything like you guys but it has increased over the year hes had PPID, he's at 42.5 now so will probably have to upp pills by half a tablet come september

 

[Gloi]

Interesting that you say stress can play a major part in a high result. My pony's reading has come back at 1112. He hasn't had laminitis for a lot of years and couldn't understand why his reading could be so high and he not have permanent lami. He had just had his teeth done and had had to be sedated to get them done before his bloods were taken. Could this have affected his reading?

Yes. The vet should have taken the blood sample for the test before he did his teeth. I'd get another test done.

 

[The Lone Piper]

Thanks for your advice. Will definitely get back to them for another test to get a more accurate reading. Many thanks again.

 

[southerncomfort]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread! Was just wondering how everyone's horses are doing now? Have you been able to keep ACTH levels down?

My mare's level was 135 in December last year. She was very, very poorly and it was touch and go for a while. She has been on Prascend ever since but their are some signs that the meds aren't helping as much as we'd hoped and she is on as high a dose as my vet is happy to go with her.

We are re-testing in September and I'm pretty nervous about it!

 

[splashgirl45]

mine was diagnosed in 2011 with level of 172. we had to keep increasing the prascend as the levels kept rising and she is now on 4 daily (my vet says 5 is the limit)...however she has been very well for the last 4 years but the lowest her level has been was 35 when it should have been under 29 so im not sure how long I will have with her.....as long as she stays well and happy I will keep her going even though financially its crippling me!!!!!!

 

[Nudibranch]

We let our mare go when the last test was 525 even on Prascend. But she was starting to decline very slowly so it was a case of her going while things were still comfortable, rather than just basing it on the numbers alone.

 

[spamrestricted]

My Morgan mare at 28 years of age was recently tested by Cornell university, my vet said they were doing testing for free for research. Her ACTH level was 734 pg/ml !! I avoid prescription meds for me and would like to do the same for my animals. I was so happy and thankful to learn from this thread that there is a natural supplement Cush x gold (now called vitex plus on amazon in U.S.). I will definitely be trying this, but should I bite the bullet and put her on these meds. I'm so afraid of the side effects and the long term damage that these meds may do.
Has anyone have their mare on pergolide/precedent for a long period of time and what improvements did you see in your horse?
What exactly are the symptoms? My mare is very healthy and everyone says how great she looks for her age. She has been getting sick with things for the past couple of months. She got hives/bad case and she has never had this before. Then only 1 month later she got a very severe case of cellulitis. Her pastern area is still a bit swollen after 2 weeks on antibiotic, but her leg is not sensitive.
I love her tremendously and only want her comfortable and happy for however long possible. So I am at a loss what is the best thing to do for her.
Very glad I found this thread.

 

[OLDGREYMARE]

I would suggest you join the ECIR horse group or look at the Laminitis Site which has a great facebook support group.Prascend really does work,vitex just suppresses the symptoms.

 

[OldNag]

Just been tested at 266 ..
No other symptoms but came down with bad lami out of the blue. Going straight onto Prascend. 2 tabs a day.

 

[TwyfordM]

91 when diagnosed. Put on half a tablet a day and retested at 29.5.
She's 11, symptoms weren't immediately obvious but something wasn't quite right. Been grand since then, back to her nutty ways!

 

[spamrestricted]

I purchased vitex and will also join the ECIR horse group.

What is the longest a horse has lived while on prascend? Does anyone have a horse that has been on these meds more than 5 years? and if so, how are they doing, are they still good or any side effects happened? Thanks.

 

[Coblover63]

Just tested positive late afternoon at 84. Was told anything over 47 at this time of year is a positive so there is no doubt for him. Collecting Prascend tomorrow to start 1mg daily. He's not "right" and a bit footy so dietary management changes from tomorrow too.

 

[southerncomfort]

For those with recently diagnosed horses, and anyone wondering how effective Prascend is-

Last December, without medication, my mare's ACTH level was 135. Retested last month at 47! Shocked us all and the lab commented how well controlled her cushings disease is at the moment, so very happy!

 

[mightymammoth]

when would be the best time of year to get a "true" reading? I've heard the seasons can give false highs. I want to get my horse retested.

 

[RoyalSapphire]

mines was 1250+ she had no symptoms of cushings whatsoever but then suddenly got laminitis apart from that there was nothing. it was only when she got the lami that she got fat deposits above her eyes but that was it nowhere else. we got the vet out to do a cushings test as it was free with the voucher. when he saw her he said that she had lami (we already knew) and gave her some painkillers/anti-inflamitories as he said she was in ALOT of pain. he then took the blood for the cushings test but said he was 99.9% sure that it was cushings. as she was in alot of pain when he tested her could that have made a difference as when we got the results back they said that they'd never seen a case this high.

 

[Gloi]

mines was 1250+ she had no symptoms of cushings whatsoever but then suddenly got laminitis apart from that there was nothing. it was only when she got the lami that she got fat deposits above her eyes but that was it nowhere else. we got the vet out to do a cushings test as it was free with the voucher. when he saw her he said that she had lami (we already knew) and gave her some painkillers/anti-inflamitories as he said she was in ALOT of pain. he then took the blood for the cushings test but said he was 99.9% sure that it was cushings. as she was in alot of pain when he tested her could that have made a difference as when we got the results back they said that they'd never seen a case this high.

Sometimes it's only once they are being treated and the levels have been back to normal for a while that you realise that a lot of things about the pony were actually symptoms of Cushings that had been put down to aging or other causes.

 

[RoyalSapphire]

Yeah. She was healthy. Then all of a sudden she got laminitis, that turned out to be cushings, and now she's got a sore stomach! She won't let me touch it and puts her ears back and swings her head at me if I go near it. Is this uclers? What are uclers? Asked vet but he just said that maybe it's an insect bite! What! If I give her uclers medication and its not uclers will it do anything? Vet said just to watch it but I don't want her dropping dead on me. She's got enough problems cushings, laminitis, thrush, really scabby/flacky everywhere, and now sore stomach! Thoughts? Also what products do u recommend for sore stomach/gut/uclers and the general immune system (open to herbs, etc)

 

[Kristensusa]

This is a very old thread, but my 28 yr. mare's case is extreme, so wanted to share for anyone reading to give encouragement to those whose horse tests very high. It is not necessarily a death sentence. I had my girl tested because she didn't shed out her winter coat, had lost considerable weight over a short period and was somewhat lethargic, but not overly so. I wanted to catch it and begin treatment quickly, if my suspicion of Cushing's was correct. I've lost 2 previously to complications from PPID in their 30s, so I know the signs.

Her first test for PPID was in May before we have green grass, and her ACTH level was over 1200. My vet said it was far and away the highest he'd ever seen in nearly 50 years of practice. He was not encouraging about her prognosis, but we started Prascend immediately - a normal dose of 1-pill/day. It took a more than a month to see any change. We floated her teeth, gave her a partial clip for summer, and fed her a ridiculous amount of low sugar pelleted feed. She was very thin, and because of drought our pastures were also thin. So she was allowed to graze naturally up to 4 hours/day all summer & fall. She didn't have trouble with her feet, but she developed a weird snap in her hind fetlocks (best way I can describe this), so of course, we watch her hooves obsessively. Six months in, so far, so good. She has gained to proper weight and is now back on a "normal" amount of feed. Her coat is lovely, shiny and soft, eyes bright and she frolics and gallops in pasture like a much younger version of herself. I'm quite amazed by how well this mare has responded to the meds, and hopeful that winter will not be too hard on her. The only sign left of Cushing's is a little early dementia...she sometimes gets "lost" in her pasture when her herd mates are out of sight.