support group for cushings owners?

[LeneHorse]

My horse has just been blood tested for Cushings and has come back with a positive result. She is in early stages we think - no hairy coat or bulging eyes just not 'right'. She'll be starting on a low daily dose of peroglide (sp) when it arrives from vets and is to get re-tested in a month to see if this is working. I'm sure I read on here that there is a support group for owners of horses with cushings. If anyone can provide any info on this, or suggest any good websites I'd really appreciate it.
thanks x

 

[barehoofhannah]

The insulin resistance and equine cushings yahoo group, world wide group.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings has lots of resources. There are also a few others linked to it.

Katy Watts site Safer Grass
www.safergrass.org
I've got all the DVDs/computer CD's and am on her forum, very useful and lots of stuff on her website for free.

I subscribe to Juliet Gettys teleseminars, http://www.gettyequinenutrition.com/ the next one is laminitis and likely to have stuff on insulin resistance and lamintis, it's only about £10 so you could ask some questions and she'll feed back during the seminar. I download all of them after and listen whilst doing chores.

Dr Don Walsh, Animal Health Foundation http://www.ahf-laminitis.org/?m=1 did a free online tele presentation a few weeks ago, worth a watch and a look at his other stuff http://www.equisearch.com/horses_ca...webinar-laminitis-lessons-with-don-walsh-dvm/

I'm also on Dr Eleanor Kellons e-zine group which I pay for and that's useful learning to.

Marjike van de Water has a nice book, healing horses their way.

Dena Schwartz http://www.animalaromatherapy.co.uk/ may be of interest

One of the horse I trim had an off the scale reading, the pergolide reduced the level amazingly.

I hope that's a bit of info that's useful.

Best wishes
Hannah

 

[Oberon]

The Yahoo group is great.
My old boy tested at over 200 a couple of weeks ago. He showed no symptoms either!
He's on 1mg of Prascend now and looks happy enough.

 

[Eaglestone]

Sorry to hear that your horse has been diagnosed with Cushing's, but would like to say that the drug Pergolide/Prascend, will make so much difference to your horse.

As the other reply states, there are lots of sites and information for this condition and read read read as much as you can. Every horse is affected in a different way, but in my opinion the risk of Laminitis is far the worst .

Please do not think that is the end for your horse, as Motor ( featured in my Siggie below ) is living proof there is life after the diagnosis ..... he was diagnosed in 2005 and now 7 years later, he is still with us and (fingers crossed) he will be celebrating his 31st Birthday next week.

I only stopped riding him at the beginning of this year, due to very thin soles, owing to the affects of the Laminitis, he originally endured in 2005, where he had 10 degrees of rotation of the Pedal bone.

If you want any support or advice, from the ground, then please feel free to PM me.

 

[LeneHorse]

Thank you all for the fantastic information and support. My pergolide arrived tonight so she'll be starting on it tomorrow. My biggest worry is of course laminitis. I lost my previous pony to cushings related laminitis 10 years ago - she did not get diagnosed with cushings until after the lamintis had struck and all four pedal bones sunk so there was no choice other than pts. I am hoping and praying for a better outcome this time. I know there will come a time when the symptoms take over and her quality of life declines and a decision will have to be taken but would like her to have a few good years on the medication before this happens. She is only 14 at the moment.