Lethargic. Diet or Cushings?

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DonskiWA

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My 15yo eventer was tested Dec 15 for Cushings due to decreased muscle and a slight drop in performance. His ATCH was 40. Vet didn't recommend medicating at this stage, but said we would retest in June.
In the last few weeks, my horse has become noticeably more lethargic. I'm wondering whether I should get him retested now and not wait til June? We've got a busy season ahead of us and if he needs medicating I guess I'd rather start sooner rather than later.
Or, I'm wondering it is his new, reduced sugar diet? Or is it just him?
Hmm....
 
Test. It isn't fair to work your horse hard if he is unwell. Most people are complaining right now that their horses have too much energy. He could have a virus, it could be the Cushings but I'd rather have a smaller vets bill now than wait and get a bigger one.
 
I had a similar thing with mine, a borderline test first in October, and then a negative one in May. My horse had no symptoms except lethargy and was also on a low sugar diet as suspected to be insulin resistant. We did a prascend trial despite the -ive result as the lethargy hadn't resolved, but it made no difference and was stopped after 3 to 4 months. The lethargy eventually slowly resolved, took about 6 months after stopping the drug trial, never found a cause, and horse is now 19 and still fine. Sorry not really much help, wouldn't have thought testing now rather than June would make much difference, seasonal high doesn't start till July/August.
 
If you compete under FEI rules, Prascend is prohibited unfortunately, so best check with the rules you compete under if you need to medicate.
 
As a rule of thumb, you treat the symptoms more than the acth result, I would go for the prascend personally, half a tablet to begin with then increase to dosage your vet recommends....mine was lethargic and increasingly got worse, then had lgl, he was borderline acth but gave him prascend, different horse! 3years on and he is still great...exercise is key as is altering diet. I'm pretty sure it's not allowed in affiliated comps, so you must decided which is important, comps or your horse..
 
DonskiWA said:
My 15yo eventer was tested Dec 15 for Cushings due to decreased muscle and a slight drop in performance. His ATCH was 40. Vet didn't recommend medicating at this stage, but said we would retest in June.
In the last few weeks, my horse has become noticeably more lethargic. I'm wondering whether I should get him retested now and not wait til June? We've got a busy season ahead of us and if he needs medicating I guess I'd rather start sooner rather than later.
Or, I'm wondering it is his new, reduced sugar diet? Or is it just him?


Hmm....
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decreased muscle would make me suspicious. It was the most obvious symptom in mine (who tested negative anyway but had full blown cushings, badly) my test results were 17 and 11 taken days apart as I was pretty sure he had cushings despite the test which is not always accurate. He was 13.

Based on what I have learnt from my 2 cushings horses I would have been medicating a 15yo with ACTH40, decreased muscle and performance drop/lethargy from last Dec.

So I would retest and even if negative if there were sufficient signs of cushings get him on a prascend trial. That at least may give you a horse to ride for several years to come.

I am sure you cannot compete however if you carry on competing with an unmedicated cushings horse then he will simply come to a full stop. That is what mine did. The last day before diagnosis and medicating I took him for a simple ride, walking, nothing difficult. After about 2 miles he simply came to a stop and I had to lead him home. He had slowly and gradually been working up to that degree of lethargy for a long time.

If mine was anything to go by he will come to a stop pretty quickly eventing as he won't cope plus the possibility that without sufficient strength either you or he could get hurt.
 
Lethargy was my ponies only Cushings symptom and his ACTH levels were sky high! I'd consider 40 high enough to medicate and I am sure my vet would too.
 
Ok thanks guys. I've taken all your advice on board and back to the vet it is then. We are only unaffiliated so I don't think that should be an issue. I'm in Australia and everyone here still seems to be talking Peroglide, but I shall ask about Prascend. Perhaps we are simply 2 steps behind you guys.
 
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DonskiWA said:
Ok thanks guys. I've taken all your advice on board and back to the vet it is then. We are only unaffiliated so I don't think that should be an issue. I'm in Australia and everyone here still seems to be talking Peroglide, but I shall ask about Prascend. Perhaps we are simply 2 steps behind you guys.
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prascend is pergolide mesylate. We used to use pergolide in the UK and then they brought out prascend which vets now have to prescribe instead of pergolide.
 
If pergolide remains available to you then use it! Its the same drug. Pergolide isn't licensed for use in horses in the UK, but there was no alternative that was so UK vets were free to prescribe it. But the drug company then got the same drug named as Prascend licensed so vets now have no choice. Prascend is significantly more expensive.

You can still compete for PC with prascend - the only organization to still permit it.
 
Crackerz said:
Lethargy was my ponies only Cushings symptom and his ACTH levels were sky high! I'd consider 40 high enough to medicate and I am sure my vet would too.
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Interesting, my vet is OK for me to monitor as that is my lad's reading - she says it's in the grey area and low. Mine isn't competing and only supposed to be walking anyway. He is idle but he always has been :)
 
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