Veteran's coat - just getting thicker naturally or cushings?

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LegOn

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Does a horses coat get naturally thicker as they get older?? My 20 years young horse is still in full work - we compete regularly at riding club (SJ, dressage & XC) & he is ridden/hacked 5/6 days a week. He is in great condition - lovely shiny, healthy coat. Good attitude to his work & generally a total pleasure - despite acting more like a 4 year old some days!! ;) But his coat has stayed quite thick this summer. So much so that I'm gonna clip him cause he is sweating up & its not fair when we are still jumping etc.

I'm a bit worried about cushings... I know coat is one of the signs but I dont think I'm noticed any other changes in him. Vet is doing another horse on the yard so I'm getting him done aswell to be on the safe side. But his condition is amazing! I went to a showing clinic with him last week & they were very complimentary about his condition for his age etc.

Is it just a natural oldie thing that their coats get a bit thicker??
 
My oldie is still shedding his coat by the barrow load! I pull out loads using a furminator for 15-20 minutes a day; I honestly don't quite understand how he's not bald! His coat is also so long that after it rains, it curls. Vet saw him last week and took bloods to test for Cushings' - came back yesterday as fine, very low ACTH levels. Next year I will definitely be clipping...

I think you're doing the right thing to have yours tested anyway (esp. if you use the free test from the Laminitis Trust) :)
 
Can be, Frank's has got thicker (and sometimes clipped in summer) and I did have him cushings checked a couple of years ago just in case.
 
I think you are doing the right thing getting him tested. I don't think it's inevitable to have a thicker summer coat at 20 without a reason for it. Before our 3 were being treated they had the start of Cushings and they were shedding later than when they were younger but their summer coats when they got them were still as they had always been.
 
Thanks a mil all - I'm glad I'm getting him tested, its just the worry in the meantime but it might be for nothing! And I know Cushings can be managed but I hope he doesnt have it :(

Clippers will be out tonight... fun!! ;)
 
Why be so worried? Cushings is a very common condition these days and is very treatable. It doesn't even cost that much these days. There are far worse things that can happen.
 
fatpiggy said:
Why be so worried? Cushings is a very common condition these days and is very treatable. It doesn't even cost that much these days.
Click to expand...

Heavens! I only wish that were true :(
Prascend is £80+ for a box of 60 so it's certainly not cheap (there are other drugs but these are even more expensive). Cushings or PPID may be common but it's something that you should be worried about. Horses with this condition have a shortened lifespan. They don't just get a curly coat! They have an increased risk of laminitis - all year round not just in spring/autumn, are more prone to foot abcesses, colic, skin conditions, pneumonia, multi organ failure, liver disease, dental infections ...the list goes on.
They need more frequent visits from the farrier, the dentist, you need to pay particular attention to worming.
 
My Vet recommended trying an agnus castus based supplement first for Bobby before going on pergolide (pre prascend). He ended up never needing drugs & was pts at 29 due to arthritis.
 
I think it depends wether you are riding your horse with PPID/how old he is, as to wether you treat them with Prascend or not....Prascend is the only way of treating PPID, yes it is expensive, but well worth it!
You dont necessarily need more visits from the farrier or the dentist but you do need to feed specific feeds and supplemements and grass manage him..
 
flojo said:
Heavens! I only wish that were true :(
Prascend is £80+ for a box of 60 so it's certainly not cheap (there are other drugs but these are even more expensive). Cushings or PPID may be common but it's something that you should be worried about. Horses with this condition have a shortened lifespan. They don't just get a curly coat! They have an increased risk of laminitis - all year round not just in spring/autumn, are more prone to foot abcesses, colic, skin conditions, pneumonia, multi organ failure, liver disease, dental infections ...the list goes on.
They need more frequent visits from the farrier, the dentist, you need to pay particular attention to worming.
Click to expand...

Yes, I know, my mare had Cushings too. But the OPs horse is 20 so of course it may have a shorter lifespan - most of it is over already. My friend's pony was treated for a number of years and made it to 37 so it isn't a foregone conclusion. My girl was rising 30 and it was chronic arthritis that saw her off. As to everything else, well we all need a bit more TLC as we get older. Costs - you need to shop around. I didn't pay anything like that much for my Pracend. And unfortunately increased keeping costs with age are a fact with animals and you need to plan and budget ahead accordingly.
 
fatpiggy said:
Why be so worried? Cushings is a very common condition these days and is very treatable. It doesn't even cost that much these days. There are far worse things that can happen.
Click to expand...

I think its natural to worry about them!! Wouldnt it be worse if I wasnt worried... at least I care enough to be worried!! ;)

Cost of course, can be an issue but I will get him whatever treatment he needs if he needs it - doesnt mean you dont worry about the cost! Parents worry about the cost of school book & clothes every year but doesnt mean they dont get them for them or find a way. Its natural to worry :)

Test was free - brilliant :) Just had to pay the vet call out fee but it was split since another horse was being done so all good there - just waiting on results now.

I clipped him last week & the difference is unreal! He was a tank jumping the other day & was full of beans over the weekend. Really glad I did that now - fingers crossed that with no other symptoms, we dont have cushings just yet ;)
 
My horse's coat thickened more and more through his twenties, but he didn't have any other signs of cushings so I didn't get him tested. I managed his coat by clipping him all year round as and when he needed it. I discussed my course of action with my vet, who agreed with my rationale.

My horse was already on Cortaflex and one Danilon per day for his arthritis, so I would have struggled to afford Prascend on top of that. I also knew that Prascend had some side effects, one of which can be a depressed appetite, which would have been a problem for my horse as he was not easy to keep weight on in his later years. In order to maintain his weight he always had the best grass, haylage and as much (suitable) hard feed as he could be persuaded to eat, so I did not want to manage him as a potential laminitic when he was used to the best of everything. He was also on full livery where that would have been difficult to achieve. If he had had a full-blown attack of laminitis at any time, I would have called it a day, but luckily he did not succumb to that.

I constantly second-guessed myself about whether I was doing the right thing for him, but he lived to the grand age (for a TBx eventer) of 28 in gentle work and was put down almost a year ago due to stiffening up with arthritis.

So it is your choice, in discussion with your vet, on whether to treat for cushings or whether to clip the hair off and carry on as normal.

Good luck!
 
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