My horse was diagnosed last year, after two
lengthy bouts of laminitis and a very slow healing surgical wound. We already know
of the Cushings, but are wanting to evaluate whether or not his current pergolide
dosage is enough. He is still having lameness problems and it's possible that he
needs more to shake this off. . My vets still think the test is safe and the amount
of the 'active' ingredient to be low, although I recognize that some risk
exists. It
would be unwise to skip the test and increase the dose without cause,
-----------
Kay ,
BET labs claims that they *CAN* tell from their Cushings Panel( only $75.00
all inclusive- NO RISK) whether or not you need to increase your dose of
meds- they have you draw 2 samples, Fasting AM (hay ok) and PM - they
measure the actual cortisol levels to determine if they are high AND the
*variance* between the two -these 2 things tell them if your problem is
inadequate control of cortisol or something else. They also check insulin
levels (not glucose) - and thyroid - their literature says that a large
percentage of cushings horses need thyroid , and they also say that many
people need to use BOTH Cypro AND Permax (in lower combo doses) to gain
control , especially after a while as the horse becomes resistant to one or
the other - they work in different ways .
They were very informative on the phone and they will mail or fax you their
info.
Their Phone # is (859)273-3036
The Serum is mailed to them after separation without need for refrigeration,
via regular US Mail.
If you haven't already done so , take a look at the healthyhorse and
barefootedhorses list archives and check out Gretchen F.'s site about
treating founder barefoot.
It seems so simple , people just can't believe it works , but having done it
for the last 4 months , and run across many others for whom it has worked
also- I'm definitely a believer -(I did take 4-6 weeks to bring his heels
all the way down as his tendons were tight) and once you buy a good rasp,
good hoof knife , and sharpener(don't skimp on these) ($60),some books
($100) there are NO Farrier fees unless you want to have him check you out
once in a while (that's what I do) - No "tens of thousands" of dollars a
year are necessary - just a willingness to learn and do the trims twice a
week.-everything can be ordered on the net , so don't stress out about
buying it locally.
I also think that the supplements from ABC have helped -rapid sound hoof
growth - talk to Alice who is their "Cushings" person . I have also seen
several other products that claim to help -Vitaroyal , Equizime , etc. -I
don't really know WHY they work , but there are allot of satisfied customers
whose stories you should read -All the reps will give you info- I think they
all get at the same problems in similar ways -"Cushings" is a
"Syndrome"...lots of parts - may be made worse by mineral deficiencies ,
etc. (?Magnesium/others)- diet (I was by told by *several* sources to get
rid of the wheat bran and drastically reduce the alfalfa - to give FREE
CHOICE grass hay at *all* times (no withholding food EVER) and give small
amount (1 qt) of HIGH PROTEIN/HIGH FAT food (Purina Strategy or "homemade"
as is on some web sites...must be LOW soluble carbohydrates-NO sweet
feeds/grains)-and to add one cup corn oil to feed each day to increase fat
in diet(introduce gradually) - cushings horses are "Insulin Resistant" like
adult diabetics and don't properly metabolize carbohydrates.-
I have also become a believer in NO STALL REST unless that's what the HORSE
wants - a soft place to lie down if they *want it* but 24/7 access to the
pasture to walk (and to find differing terrain to change their pressure
points) if they need to and "the company of peers" if possible (and not
aggressive) to basically give them a reason for being alive-I don't think
I'd have much will to live if they stuck me in solitary, put tight high
heeled shoes on me , and put me on a diet all at the same time!
You are obviously at the point where you are thinking of having to put him
down...been there...Vet was talking about cutting tendons...why don't you
look into some of these "alternative things" before you give up - there were
many of us who were at the Strasser lectures who had all but given up before
we tried these things...all of us having spent "thousands" at various
vets/vet schools...all of us having success at this time to at least the
level of the horse being comfortable at pasture ,enjoying life as a horse ,
and some even returning to riding with hoof boot protection .
I wish you luck
Nora
