When best to clip my cushings mare?

[Bridie&theMinis]

Hello
My sweet 23yr old arab x mare has cushings and last year was the first time her coat had grown so thick she ended up sweaty under her belly etc by Feb/March time.
So this year I'm planning to give her a neck and belly clip (owned her 10+ years but never been clipped, sweating has never previously been an issue).
I was going to wait till beg Feb but would appreciate your thoughts.
a) Would you clip her now or wait as planned another month incase we get a cold snap?
b) Would you go for a belly and neck (I suspect even a medium trace clip may be more comfortable for her)?

Sadly she isn't currently ridden due to health problems, lives out and is currently rugged in a Fal Pro h/w (w neck if v cold or raining). If its a mild day I put her in something lighter, or even naked if the sun is out.
Thanks for your advice in advance!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

You can clip her pretty much when she needs it as long as you keep an eye on the weather to make sure she doesn't get too cold. With Cushings, there's more too it though than just growing an extra hairy coat that doesn't shed properly. Untreated Cushings horses often have trouble regulating their own body temperature and are always too hot. This can seriously stress them and in an untreated horse, the last thing you want is even more cortisol sloshing round their systems. Is she on Pergolide/Prascend? That's the single biggest improvement you can make for her. It will bring the cortisol levels in her body back to within normal range and this will in turn help with temperature regulation and coat shedding. If you don't give her medication for her Cushings, bear in mind there are other more worrying things that will start affecting her such as ataxia, confusion, loss of weight and appetite, skin problems that won't heal and infestations that won't clear. And watch out for the increased risk of laminitis.

 

[nadinek82]

I clip a friend's horse with cushings all year round. He gets sweaty and uncomfortable when his coat is getting long so it's better for him to be fully clipped majority of the year

 

[Bridie&theMinis]

Thanks for the detailed reply box of frogs.
Bridie has been on Prascend since the Autumn and her cortisone level has dropped significantly since her initial test which is good.
TBH, I didn't realise at all the impact cushings can have on a horse until I had a new vet over to do an eyetest and she suspected cushings was the root of the issue and explained all the things it affects inc. pituitary gland swelling which can push on the optic nerve and brain affecting eyesight. I got her tested and the cortisone level was over 1000 it should have been around 29. Her following test was 128 so has dropped significantly. She will be on the tablets for the rest of her life now but I am so glad to know how much they will help her. I've had ongoing problems with weight distribution due to the hormone inbalance and am now hopeful the tablets will help with this as well.
I wish I'd known more about it before as I would have treated her immediately. Just over a year ago, another vet had seen B when she was lame and I mentioned how I was struggling to maintain her weight. Vet noted she has a skinny tum but fat neck and bum and said she looked cushingoid, and that she might look better if she had 5 small meals a day instead of two bigger ones but that overall she was fine so keep going as you are. End of conversation! I therefore assumed cushings was just something common in older horses resulting in a hairy coat and affecting weight distribution and as she seemed fine in herself I didn't anticipate or research methods of treatment. I wish I'd looked into it more at the time as my assumption was wrong.
Fortunately for Bridie, and considering her high cortisone level, she hasn't suffered laminitis, and now I understand more about the disease I recognise other factors for instance low immunity to eye infections (they hung around longer than expected with treatment) and weeing alot (9 times out of 10 when she sees me coming she pees!)
Anyway, I believe there has been alot more press about cushings recently so hopefully more people will consider getting their animals tested.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

i would do a part clip anytime, and then a full or hunter clip come april/may when spring is here as cushioniod horses rarely moult properly. i have 2 oldies hee with cushions, medicated, and find clipping them every 6 to 8 weeks in the winter and as required through the summer really helps them feel better and so much easier to keep their skin clean and coats shiny. horses with cushions generally are much hotter than normal horses as it does seem to affect their temperature regulation. wishing you and bridie well for the future. managing cushions is an on going thing with changes/additions to be made as the seasons change. doing bloods twice a yr is helpful in monitoring the condition.

 

[Tammytoo]

As has been said. cushings sufferers do have problems with maintaining a correct temp. Mine always seems warm, so unless it is freezing or below I don't rug her at all, she is a 22 y.o. tbxwelsh If your pony is sweaty now can you not put on a lighter rug than the heavyweight? Mine is on Prascend and I find that she sheds her coat more or less normally now.

I would go by your instincts - if you feel she is really uncomfortable then do what it takes to make her comfortable. There are no hard and fast rules and you know your horse better than anyone.

Prascend is truly a miracle drug!

 

[Spotsrock]

I did my mare with cushings this week. She was listless and miserable. I clipped her on a hunch. She was unhappy with being too warm for time of year and itchy. Much happier now.

 

[Bridie&theMinis]

Just a quick note to say thanks all for your helpful replies and clarification.
As she's okay at the mo, I'll wait a bit longer then give her a clip when she starts getting a bit sweaty as overall she's a cold horse but obv finding it tougher to regulate herself. Fortunately she's 5 mins away so I can go and change her rugs with the weather.