Hi,
I have just joined the list. I have a 26 year old Arabian gelding with
cushings. We have been together 22 years and have been managing the disease
since late 1996. I have experimented with the pergolide off and on and so
far 1 - .25mg dose every 24 hours seems to suit him. He has never foundered,
and he is very affected by the changes of season. 4 times a year I can
expect and bit of a turn for the worst, it only lasts about a month and then
he is back to what is "normal" for him.
Today an equine dentist visited our farm and I had the gelding looked at. He
has one molar far in the back that is very long, I guess it has been missed
a few times. Well, in order for him to work on this tooth a sedative is
necessary, as in the old fellas' golden years he can't manage even the
slightest stress. The dentist wants to make it as easy on the horse as
possible but he, like myself, is very concerned about the sedation. My
question to the list is, has any one had experience with a similar
situation? Not so much as the dental work, but with other activities that
require sedation. I will be contacting two of my vets tomorrow to arrange a
consult or whatever necessary prior to the dentistry. My biggest concern
with this gelding is, since the Cushings he tends to react differently to
certain supplements, feeds etc, and as long as he's been with me he has
never had a drop of sedative; so the thought of this at this point in his
life really scares me.
I thank you all so much for reading my LONG post and I really appreciate any
information anyone can offer.
Thank you again,
Kim Skiba
ruffle@...

Hi Kim, I can only speak as an owner and from my own experience, but my
Cushingoid 22 yr. old gelding has done fine with sedation. There hasn't been any
apparent difference in his reaction to it pre- and post Cushing's diagnosis. My
vets are careful with the dosage as my horse has a 2nd degree heart block, but
there's never been a problem. I can sure understand your apprehensions and it's
very good that you're consulting your vets.

By the way, my gelding had a couple of lower teeth which had grown much too
long several years ago. The vet used a Dremel power tool to file down the teeth
and there has been no further problem or excessive growth other than the normal
wear and tear in an aged horse. Before the tooth was shortened my horse was
uncomfortable, so it was a necessary procedure.

It's a lucky thing that your gelding has no laminitis or abscesses. My guy is
perhaps losing the battle with Cushing's as he having his third bout with
lameness and things aren't looking very hopeful. Our older horses are very
special and we hate to see them in pain.

I hope you get a good solution to your situation and can feel OK with whatever
you decide. Kay in AK

Hi Kay,
Thanks for your information. Very much appreciated, I cannot imagine how you
must have felt when a sedative had to be administered knowing about the
heart block, this is what scares me most. I'm so glad all was well
however.This is most encouraging for me. The dentist I use is a very careful
man, and he won't even consider the sedative without a vet present. A very
good business practice as far as horsemanship & liability are concerned.
His tooth is a long one in the back. The dentist is concerned about the
irritation it may cause to any surrounding soft tissue. He wants to cut it
off, as filing it may cause it to loosen and eventually fall out, but, it
may do that anyway. Awful to say, but I wish it would fall out, at least I'm
not scared of antibiotics. :+)
Its a wonder that he has never had laminitis, he was such an easy to
maintain horse all his life, always fleshy-not fat. I am amazed at how this
cushings varies from horse to horse. I am so sorry to hear of your geldings
lameness, I hope that you can find the cause for his sake and yours. There
is nothing harder to watch than our friends suffering, because they are so
brave.
I went to Equissage this spring and the first horse I did when I got off the
plane was my older gelding. He wasn't too sure about the whole affair, but
now he welcomes is massages. I hope that they give him some relief.
Thank you again Kay for your help, I will keep you posted on what I find
out, hopefully theres' a mild sedative that can do the trick, or I'll be the
one who requires reviving!
Kim Skiba