My other Morgan gelding Onyx has me wondering if he is developing early PPID symptoms.  He is 13 YO, has had runny eyes off and on for the four years that I have owned him.  The vet says he eyes look fine, no sign of uveitis,  Last winter he lost weight and his topline until he started getting 10.3% ESC + starch hay, which is the first hay he has ever cleaned up. His weight is now pretty ideal.  He shed his coat a little late and never lost all of the long facial hairs, even now there are some, not many. His coat is shiny. Now I am looking at his crest and it seems to be larger.  He is working with his head lower, so it is possible that he is just losing his inverted neck that he came with when I adopted him four years ago.  I had ACTH and insulin done on him in 2011 and April 2014 and numbers were normal.

When I read the symptoms of PPID, it seems like it doesn't fit him, so I am not sure. I am wondering about testing him again in September.  Does that make sense?  If so, do I need the whole panel (ACTH, insulin, glucose, leptin) or will ACTH by itself tell me what I need to know?  He doesn't act like an IR horse, eats some of his hay, naps, goes back and eats more. He is a high energy, opinionated and somewhat cranky horse, although very sweet with me.  He is limited to 45 to 60 minutes of pasture in the morning because my other horse Cory is IR and has to go out with a blocked muzzle.

Case History link is below.

Thanks!

Paula  (Cory IR and Onyx) in Bucks County, PA, USA

EC 2014     NCRplus2011  

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/echistory8/files/Paula_Onyx/