Hi Kay

I was feeding blue seal senior feed because it is rice
bran based, not beet pulp based and has less sugar in
it but recently moved to another state and I'm having
a heck of a time finding it, I read some interesting
things about cushings on a draft horse site
www.ruralheritage.com about feeding cusing's horses,
there was a thread under the virtual vet button.
My frind has a 48 year old pony with cushings, been
treated for about 7/8 years, he's not doing too well
but might just be how old he is. My horse was
diganosed 2 years ago, her only problem was we were
doing a 25 mile competitive trail ride and although
she came in 7th out of 40 for the first time, I felt
her dragging in. I chalked iot up to her age, she was
about 28 then and pretty old to be doing this sort of
thing but over the cpourse of a few months, she fell
when being ridden, hurt herserlf for the first time in
her life, and had probles with the herd she was in,
not being able to handle the group anymore. So she
had the blood wokr done, her insuling levels were
critically low and sugar very high, the dexamethasone
test was frightening, my then vet diagnosed cushings
and told me she was pretty sick. I couldn't afford
the permax, so I switched feed and moved her to a
quieter setting and retired her. The next year she
was looking pretty good, hadn't died and was sound so
I started riding her again lightly. Got a new vet re
did the test, still abnormal but not nearly as
horrifying. So I question cushings as a diagnosis but
don't know what elso to call it. I've has several
thyroids done and the are normal. she has increased
thirst and urination, failure to shed out, less energy
but she looks good, better than alot of horses 1/2 her
age. She's never colicked or foundered, never had a
cold in her life. She's been barefoot with a natural
trim for most of the 15 years I've had her. When the
new vet comes out I'm going to have the blood work
repeated and see what's going on. I will never have
another horse like this one, she is 1 in a million, I
have another horse whom I love and have cared for
through thick and thin, but my little yellow horse has
my heart, so although I can grasp that at 30 she's at
the end of her life, I will miss her when she goes.
Linda

--- "Kay H." <akkray@...> wrote:

Hi again...new member Kay from Alaska here...

I finished reading all the archived posts and now am
wondering how
everyone's horses are doing since this list started.
I feel great
empathy with you out there, and hope the horses are
all doing OK.

To Chris, from a Feb. 24th post...you asked about
how everyone was
doing with the emotional impact of having a
Cushingoid horse. I
didn't
see anyone respond, but know that I have had lots of
ups and down
with
this. At first, when Domino was diagnosed, I felt a
little sense of
relief to at last know why he had been so slow
healing and to
knowing there was the option of treatment. Then the
inability to cure
Cushings hit me hard. That was almost a year ago,
and Dom is doing
pretty well, except for the current mild laminitis
(?) problem in one
foot. Naturally, I feel lots better when he is
moving well...He looks
very good for a 22 yr old Cushings horse and has
already shed his
winter coat and put on a little weight. He never has
developed the
pot
belly, excessive drinking or urinating symptoms, but
did get a wavy
mane this winter and for several years his coat
growth/shed sequence
was out of step with other horses.

Someone, I forget whom, mentioned using a different
pelleted complete
feed than Equine Senior and I would like more info
on that, if
possible. I have fed Eq. Sr. for several years, as
it became very
challenging to keep Dom's weight up during the
winter. I do not like
the molasses in the Eq. Sr., but at least have some
trust that Purina
keeps good control of the ingredients and
production. Here in
Fairbanks, it is really difficult to get much in the
way of quality
feeds. Shipping costs from the Lower 48 are high,
too. I can buy Eq.
Sr. locally and year-round, which is a big reason I
use it. It's been
a bit of a nightmare (no pun intended) to feed
exactly what I want.
So, I'm interested in people's feeding programs with
their Cushingoid
horses.

To answer a different question...I was told that the
average life
expectancy of a Cushingoid horse from time of
diagnosis was 2-4
years,
with laminitis and/or abscesses the most usual
reasons for death. I
suppose a lot depends on how long the condition has
pre-existed. Like
the rest of you, though, I'm hoping for a lot more
years than that!

I'm really curious to know what Donna did regarding
the mare Lady she
was considering purchasing...it did sound like Lady
might be
Cushingoid, but I sure hope not.

Thanks for the space to chat...I hope all is well in
your barns, Kay

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