Dr. Kellon,
I have e-mailed the x rays from August this year and the ones I had
done today to you. I am having trouble posting them to the photo
section. I sent them to Paula to see if she could do it for me.
It is not good news. I am about ready to crash myself.
She actually seemed better today.
This is what the vet had to say.
Stall Rest with lots of bedding
Boots with pads
Bute for a few days.(I am giving her a scoop of phyto quench and 7
tsps. of Microlactin.) So do I do Bute? I also have some of Clairs
Devils Claw Formula.
Only Hay to eat. Her neck and fat pads have plumped up in the last
five days.
You had me giving her alfalfa pellets or beet pulp for the calcium
should I continue with them. Also her flax seed.

The vet also wants to bump up her pergolide. She was on 1.5 until
August 2007 then I put her on 2mg. She is going to have me add
another .5mg.

Any suggestions

I am so sad.

Karen, Chantilly and Tommi

This morning I am not so rattled. The farrier came and took her toes
back and lowered her heels. He elevated her feet one at a time on a
board so she did not have to stand on one foot. We have padded her
with a toe relief. I would like to give her an area that connects to
her stall that is another 10 x 10 space. This way she can move to
the outside to look around. Is this a good idea. The footing is pea
gravel and shaving and it is level.

Tilly's other vet that does accupuncture and chinese medicine called
this morning to see how she is. She told me she has about four or
five other horses that have crashed this fall. All but one of them
is very controlled with diet. She said she is not sure what is
causing this, but wonders if our weather which has been very warm in
the day and very cold 20 to 25 at night has something to do with it.

Thanks and waiting for Dr. Kellon to Help.

Karen, Chantilly and Tommi--- In
EquineCushings@..., "Karen" <karen@...> wrote:

Karen,

Sounds like your weather is a lot like Indiana's too (as of late
anyway!). I know my Cushing's girl has been doing ok, with the
exception of a couple abscesses and her sole is still healing on her
toes from them. That makes her sore walking unless I keep her in her
Sabre Sneakers. So, she's staying in her sneakers. I also have been
putting her canvas/felt blanket on in the evenings. It's dipped into
teh 30's lately here and it seems she is not stiff in the mornings if I
have her blanketed.
I'm checking her (and her IR daughter) crests, and it does seem like
they have a bit more of one (only in a small part though) and I'm not
sure if that's just from what little they can snarf through the tiny
holes in the muzzles. I've sectioned off a small part of my front
pasture that has very little stubble in it, but it is the DRIEST lot
right now. Both are booted and the not-so-dry-dry lot just isn't
productive to healing abscessed feet in boots.

I'm glad you aren't so rattled today! I've never been one to baby my
horses (blankets, no way!) but now, I do and it makes the ones who need
it happy and keeps them healthier. I don't need her gaining weight, and
using her calories to keep warm will maybe make her too thin... so it
makes sense to put a blanket on her!

Maybe adding a sheet/blanket at the cold (under 40 degrees is my limit)
nights will help her not 'crash' as you've heard others in your area
doing on controlled diets.

I'd say as long as she gets to choose to go in and out, it shouldn't
hurt, but see what the others advise (I'm not what I would say and
'expert', I am suffering with this as well!!!)
Good Luck
Rita
Indiana

She has been wearing her blanky. I go out at 9pm and blanket her and
put fuzzy shipping boots on her to keep her legs warm.
Thanks,
karen, Chantilly and Tommi--- In EquineCushings@...,
rita@... wrote:

Tilly's x rays are posted under Chantilly. I will take some hoof pics
today. She had a trim this morning also.
Thanks Amberlee for posting them for me.
Karen, Chantilly and Tommi--- In EquineCushings@...,
rita@... wrote:>

Karen wrote:

This morning I am not so rattled. The farrier came and took her toes back and lowered her heels.

Okay, so that's what I get for reading my mails in reverse order ...

If she's comfortable moving around, it sounds like your setu will be fine.

She said she is not sure what is
causing this, but wonders if our weather which has been very warm in the day and very cold 20 to 25 at night has something to do with it.

It sure can if they're on grass - the grass gets VERY high in s/s in that kind of weather. Also the seasonal rise can make any slight IR tendency worse in the fall. If any of the horses are older that may be a factor.

If the horses are just IR, the cold nights can cause vasospasm in their extremities which can make any slight laminitic tendency worse.

SOOOOO ... the horses may all have different mechanisms operating, all with similar symptoms. That's why the DDT approach is so important. The horse who isn't controlled by diet may need to be bundled up, taken off grass, or ACTH tested. Testing I:G ratio or doing thermography will help to find that out. If the ones who ARE controlled by diet are older or flare up again next year at the same time it might be time to run ACTH testing.

-Abby


--
**************************
Abby Bloxsom
www.advantedgeconsulting.com

--- In EquineCushings@..., "Karen" <karen@...> wrote:

The vet also wants to bump up her pergolide. She was on 1.5 until
August 2007 then I put her on 2mg. She is going to have me add
another .5mg.

Hi Karen,

Just had a chance to review the whole thread. Many Cushing's horses
crash in the fall because of the ACTH surge. I agree with your vet
that increasing the pergolide is a priority. Use only capsules.
Would also check ACTH. If it's not being controlled, consider
another pharmacy.

If you're not soaking the alfalfa along with the beet pulp, start
doing that but she's been doing fine with those things in her diet
so diet isn't likely root of the problem unless you got a new batch
of something that's exceptionally high.

The trim is also extremely important. I'd repeat the X-rays now that
she has been trimmed to make certain the hoof wall is correctly
realigned. This often means taking her breakover back to well within
the sole by backing the toe up from above (nothing off the bottom of
the foot). The realignment allows the hoof wall to grow in correct
position relative to the bone. Once her trim is correct, consider
getting a consultation with Abby about the hoof casts to help her
get more sole depth. Agree with everything else, including getting
the pressure off the rim of her coffin bone.

Eleanor