My boy has cushings

russianhorse

russianhorse

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My wonderful lad of 23 has now been diagnosed as having cushings. We decided to have him tested when I called the vets out for his persistent mud fever (that in 19 years he has never had)

The results came back today that he had a level of over 110 (they would expect about 30). He shows no "expected" signs of it and in fact the vet said he looks in great condition.

Well I have to say I'm devestated. Not only has he suffered with EMND for 12 years, but now he has cushings on top

He's due to start some tablets of once a day when vet sends them to me.

I have read lots of stories on here of horses with cushings, so could you guys give me any tips, make me feel better about it etc etc

Thank you :( xx
 
My girl was diagnosed with it last Christmas after she had laminitis for the first time. This was her only symptom, although now I suspect that her respiratory problems were due to it too. She was retired at the time due to a shoulder injury, and had been for two years, but after being treated with one prascend a day, once she overcame the laminitis, she was the best I had seen her since well before the shoulder injury. I decided to bring her back into work. She is full of beans and feels better and more supple than any of the other horses I have ridden since her injury. Better than she felt before. So if your boy is otherwise well, the tablets should give him a new lease of life.
 
My boy aged 22 was diagnosed in May. He was and still is in full work.

He had no clinical signs but he hadn't grown a proper summer coat for a couple of years and when the free test was on offer earlier in the year I decided to have him tested.

His levels weren't massively high but confirmed he had cushings. He did start on 1 tablet a day but then lost his appetite and became very depressed :( The dose was lowered to half a tablet and since then he has been fine and when retested his ACTH levels were successfully reduced.

Like Wagtail's mare the change in him has been amazing, he had his glossy black coat back, had more top-line and was obviously feeling good judging by how lively he was to ride. He even did some showing again which we hadn't done for years due to his coat not being good enough.

I was upset at the time but am now glad I found out so that I can medicate and alter his management to try and prevent laminitis.

I thought he looked good before the medication but he looks fantastic now, and held his own against much younger horses out showing :)

My tips would be to see the diagnosis not as a bad thing but good in that you are now in an informed position about how to treat your boy. Perhaps have a re-think of his diet (mine is barefoot anyway but I now feed and manage him like a laminitic). I also give mine Agnus Castus in his feeds.
 
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I know you say your devastated, I was too, I thought it was a death sentance! But it really isnt too much of a big deal. My mare is on one Prascend a day as is doing fab!!
I'm on my phone at the moment put when I get on my laptop I'll send you some useful info and a link to a great fb page
 
my mare is 21 and i was devastated when she was diagnosed. her level was 172 so quite high and her symptoms were not losing winter coat, fat deposits over eyes, being a bit grumpy(which is not normal for her) and cribbing alot more than usual...she went back to her normal self within a few weeks of starting the tablets but ..it has taken a while to get her levels down to the correct level and she is now on 2 1/2 prascend a day....it is expensive and i get my tablets from viovet and including the charge for the vets prescription it works out roughly £1 per tablet...good luck with yours....
 
I know it isn't wonderful news, but on the positive side, you've caught it early, which means that is more treatable, and you're less likely to see all the symptoms.

My horse was test positive in Oct, at the moment we're just treating with agnus castus, and the vet wants to retest in the new year.
 
Thank you all for your replies

Its great to hear that your horses have maintained a normal life - I just feel like its the start of the path to the end - maybe I just need to pull myself out of my self pitying mode. I just worry I don't know how to maintain him now that he would be at risk from laminitis :(

Hopefully after having a good night sleep, I'll feel better :)

Just another quickie - those that give their horses Angus cactus - why did you opt for that, and has if worked?? I don't know what to do for the best :/
 
When my mare was diagnosed (after getting laminitis for the first time ever), me and her (at the time) owner, bawled our eyes out really thought it was the end.

I won't lie, it was and has been hard. The prascend veil was terrible, i did think that it would never get better and it had all been for nothing. But I persevered, i also started her on agnus castus as a "what harm can it do type thing" and i think that has also helped.

I've gotten her back up to 5 hours on grass, and will still be increasing that time, I am terrified of over doing it and her getting lami again, but my vet has assured me now that her levels are back within the normal range she should be at no more risk of lami as she was pre cushings. (but I'm not taking that risk just yet :P)

Diet is very important for cushings horses, and a good vit & min sup can make a difference i have found (I use metabalance).

On tues day I took my mare out for a hack and at the age of 25 she was naughtier and more energetic than I have ever known her to be in the last 6 years, so despite the cushings I think she is at one the bests she's ever been in her life!
 
Our pony was diagnosed 8 years ago and is still doing okay although on a high dose of prascend now. She has not been in work for a long time but that is because my daughter grew out of her about 14 years ago, plenty of horses and ponies with Cushings continue in work for many years.
 
russianhorse said:
Thank you all for your replies

Its great to hear that your horses have maintained a normal life - I just feel like its the start of the path to the end - maybe I just need to pull myself out of my self pitying mode. I just worry I don't know how to maintain him now that he would be at risk from laminitis :(

Hopefully after having a good night sleep, I'll feel better :)

Just another quickie - those that give their horses Angus cactus - why did you opt for that, and has if worked?? I don't know what to do for the best :/
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When I got the test results back the level was 83 when it should have been 47, the vet advised not to start on pergolide just yet, as she didn't have any other symptoms than weight loss.

So I started on the agnus castus route, which I do think helps, I feed the NAF Cushionaze. But we are going to retest her levels early next year, and monitor closely, if the levels are increasing then we'll start on the pergolide.
 
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