ACTH 137 pg/ml reference 9-35
Insulin 10.89 reference 10-40
Glucose not reported yet

Hi -

Albuquerque is where I was born! Still in my heart and blood. Forever.

Yes, your mare is PPID and definitely needs pergolide. I would suspect she'll need more than 1mg/day.

I'm envious about that insulin!

Glucose is run by another part of the lab, so perhaps they just haven't finalized the entire report, but wanted to get the ACTH info to the vet before the weekend. It is a number that requires treatment.

Ask your vet for a prescription so that you can order capsules. I use www.thrivingpets.com, but there are a couple of others listed in the links section.

Also order online a bottle of APF. This is an adaptogen blend, and will help tremendously in the introduction of the pergolide. Many, if not most horses seem to get what we call the pergolide veil - a little lethargic with loss of appetite. Once on the pergolide, the horse rarely needs the APF to help with any veil.

Start with .25mg/day for three days. Then add .25 in AM as well as PM for three days. Keep increasing every few days until you reach the dose you and your vet decide upon. I do think she will probably need 2mg/day.

I would stick with a reasonably low s/s diet. While that insulin is good news, IR can develop with a PPID horse. Just be safe, not sorry.

Linda
EC Primary Response
West Coast, formerly of Albuquerque
May 2004