Pony just been diagnosed with cushings :(

M

MagicMelon

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I've read up on what it is exactly and how to help treat it etc. Basically he had had sore feet for quite a few months now and we couldn't figure out why, he had really bad lami as a 5yo (but we've managed to keep it away since - he's now 21). So he's always been prone to hoof problems like absesses etc. I just thought his soles were too thin and flat hence why he was pottery on stoney ground.

Really, what Im wondering is - will pergolide which he's about to be started on, help with this issue? ie. will he go sound eventually??? I know its hard to say, vet is just sort of saying he might, but cant be sure. From anyone who's used pergolide - how long does it take to start seeing any difference in the horse? And also, how much does it cost and can it be prescribed so I could get it off the internet (if so, where is cheapest?).
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Be interested to hear how you get on, Meg has been diagnosed with cushings this week too, started her Pergolide today. 3 months worth from the vet was £100, next time will get prescription & buy from the chemist.
 
Hi,

Cushings is a benign tumour in the pituitary gland. It occurs due to a neurotransmitter imbalance leading to excess cell growth. This causes excess hormone release leading to clinical signs.
Pergolide does the same job as the deficient neurotransmitter and as a result minimises the excess hormone release thereby minimising the lcinical signs.

These include hirsutism (hairyness), poly uria, poly dypsia (excess weeing and drinking) and laminitis to name the more common ones. There are many others.

Pergolide is the best treatment available, however it does not cure the disease it just minimises or eliminates the clinical signs. Cushings is not "treatable" but it is manageable!

If you would like more information or ask any more questions about it feel free to PM me! Iv just spent the past year doing my dissie on Cushings and how it effects owners so fire away!
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QR

Is Pergolide the same as Permax? About 7 years ago I had a cob with cushings and he was prescribed Periactin, the vet said we'd see how he responded, but if we weren't managing it as well as he hoped then we would switch and try something called Permax.

Unfortunately he developed another problem shortly after he was diagnosed and had to be PTS for our safety as much as his, but I've got a friend who has a cushings horse who manages really well with the pergolide.

*Edited as my 'G' seems to be on strike
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i have pony with awful cushings, wasnt sound and looked twice his age, since being a youngster has never been allowed haylage etc because of laminitus. we bought him two years ago in a really sorry state. pergolide fantastic!! sound now with normal shoes on, on haylage, mane and tail thinned out, still has to be clipped every 3 weeks or he looks like a highland cow!! but went to his first bsja show for years on saturday and jumped clear around the 1.10 hes a star!!! been a long job but its all down to that magic tablet!!
 
Hi lucy, my 12 year old pony has been diagnosed today. I asked the vet to test as she has always been a big drinker since I had her 18 months ago, started building up fat pads this summer although very fit and in regular work (pony club, mounted games, sj, funrides etc) didn't drop her winter coat finally until mid August and started growing this year's winter coat the same week. She picked up a chest infection in August and I haven't been able to exercise her since, thankfully no lammy yet. Please may I PM you to find out more? I'm devastated and obviously want to manage her properly, so any more information I can glean from any direction would be gratefully received.....
 
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