what would you do?

W

welshied

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 March 2009
Messages
2,119
Visit site
Horse has been diagnosed with cushings and have been told can try him on medication and see if there is any improvement, he is currently very thin and has a lot of muscle wastage he is getting to be very wet in stable and just not himself at all he is 17 and has been retired for a few years now due to his arthritis and is already on one danilon a day for this and i am now thinking maybe enough is enough and its time to call it a day!? Anyone elses have any experience of it?
 
Ive not had any experience with it but saw no one had commented so just wanted to say Im really sorry your boy isnt doing too great. I think sometimes we know the answer in our heart of hearts and maybe you have already made a decision?
 
Cushings causes muscle wastage and it is relatively straightforward to medicate to correct the inbalance. Also a depressed horse "could" have the cushings as the cause. Medication causes quite a dramatic and positive response as well.

However, the medication is horribly expensive (was @£100 a month last time I looked for a large horse) so might be worth trying a herbal medication first, something like cush eze. This has received quite rave reviews from other H&H posters. A horse with Cushings, properly medicated can have a very long live. I would suggest you search the vet forum and post on there for advice too but you would need blood tests to check if the cushings is being managed which is another expense to consider. Good luck.
 
It is up to you and your situation really - if you have got the time and money to put into caring for him, and would feel better giving the medication a try, then do as the vet said.

Alternatively if your time/financial resources are running low and you can see how much discomfort he is in, well perhaps it would be the best thing to do.

But only you can make this decision, it depends on your personal situation and your judgement of the horse's quality of life. You know your own horse better than anyone and if you feel he's just not himself then you know what to do. But with this medication there is always a chance he might improve, but then again keeping him alive through medication only isnt really a good standard of living for him.

Take some time to think about it, observe him closely over the next few days and then make a decision.
 
Cost of medication varies according to how many pills the horse has to have. My 15.3 hh mare is on one tablet daily and this costs £1 a day, so around £30 a month.

OP, the medication is very effective and usually makes a dramatic improvement in Cushings horses and ponies, though they can temporarily get more depressed and off their food for a few days and up to a month when the tablets are first given. My horse was fine and had no such side effects.
 
Wagtail said:
Cost of medication varies according to how many pills the horse has to have. My 15.3 hh mare is on one tablet daily and this costs £1 a day, so around £30 a month.

OP, the medication is very effective and usually makes a dramatic improvement in Cushings horses and ponies, though they can temporarily get more depressed and off their food for a few days and up to a month when the tablets are first given. My horse was fine and had no such side effects.
Click to expand...

your pricing makes me so cross... lets just leave it that this was not the pricing I was given! talk about inflated pricing.

Fortunately for me, my mare turned out to not have cushings and came off the medication (loaner had thought she had it so mare was medicated when she came home).
 
Luci07 said:
your pricing makes me so cross... lets just leave it that this was not the pricing I was given! talk about inflated pricing.

Fortunately for me, my mare turned out to not have cushings and came off the medication (loaner had thought she had it so mare was medicated when she came home).
Click to expand...

It totally depends on how much pergolide your horse needs to maintain. My boy is only on 1/4 tablet per day, therefore his medication costs less than £100 per year. Another friend of mine, her horse is on 5.5 tablets per day so the medication for her horse is approximately £2000 per year.
 
My 17yo has cushings (although wasn't showing such drastic signs as OP) and he is happy and comfortable on 1 prascend tablet a day (92p each via online pharmacy).

Might be worth trying him on prascend for a month or two before making your final decision?
 
my mare has cushings(started on 1 prascend and gradually had to increase over 12 mths) and is now on 2 1/2 tablets daily, so is costing me approx £2.50 a day but she is feeling very well and is enjoying life so i would take your vets advice...one of my girls symptoms was being grumpy and she changed back to her normal self within 3 weeks of being on the tablets. good luck with whatever you decide...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top