<<I was also wondering if anyone else is on the list that has a horse without laminitis, but Cushings signs. How was your horse diagnosed? Thanks...>>
Just a quick intro - I have a 29 year old mare who was diagnosed via blood work with cushings almost two years ago. So far we haven't had a problem with laminitis. She has the really long coat which is kept year round and stays fat and cresty on air. She also urinates more than average and the urine has a very acrid odor. Her eating habits also changed drastically and this once chow hound is now extremely picky. The only thing I can get her to eat is a small amount of grain and straight alfalfa hay. At this point she is in good condition and still very peppy (she still goes out cross country and may still event this year). When she was first diagnosed she was having regular bouts of colic but that straightened out as we adjusted her diet (she wasn't eating any hay at that point and with very little access to grass the lack of roughage was causing problems).
At this point she isn't on any meds. My vet advised that since she wasn't foundering there was no need and that the meds weren't that effective for the symptoms she has. Thats why I joined this list - to find out more and see what I should be doing to manage the disease before it becomes a real problem. My vet doesn't seem that interested....
