| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
|
Locked on 12/30/2004 7:09:47 PM PST by Admin Moderator, reason:
Thread III: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1311311/posts |
Posted on 09/18/2004 6:56:23 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Free Republic has a lot of horse people that have found each other on other threads…. And since we all like to talk horses, how about a thread where it is not off-topic, but is THE topic?
A few of us thought it would be interesting and informative to have a chat thread where we can share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the last thread we had a great time and were a great help to each other working through lessons and training, horse lamenesses and illnesses, questions and challenges and always just our stories we like to tell.
I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!
I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and Becky pings everyone most mornings. Let Becky (Paynoattentionmanbehindthecurtain) and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.
So... like the last thread, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.
If the vet told you that then I'd say do that. But from what you have said here, sounds to me she may be a bit wormy. I'd shoot her with a tube of Zimectrin.
Vets are like doctors, you can't seem to find 2 that say the same thing:)
Becky
True:') I'll go by there tomorrow. He's just right down the road from my job. I just have to be careful what I tell him though or he'll want to see her. I'll just remind him that he said he wanted to get them back on their rotation this time.
Becky is right, her winter coat shouldn't be coarse. She's got something going on and it does sound like she's wormy. Another ailment that can cause a coarse, thick coat and pot-bellied appearance is Cushing's but I don't think that's what you are dealing with.
You know it won't hurt her to just give her the Zimectrin. I've wormed before 2wks apart. Not something I would do often:). Might save you on a vet bill anyway.
Becky
I wouldn't even tell the vet, those wormers are very safe and you can get them at any feed or tack store. At least that way you've avoided a potential vet bill.
What is Cushings?
Becky
Great minds think alike.
LOL
Is there an echo in here:)
Becky
Well, she was already diagnosed as wormy. That's why he wanted the panacur. She's had three dosed over the last two months. I'll get something else from him. Funny. The vet high on everything else but he's the cheapest to get wormer from.
:')
It's a tumor on the pituitary gland. Not a real big deal but it does cause problems. My pony George is a Cushing's and this is what I deal with: chronic founder, a coat that won't shed out in summer (I body clip him) and he pees alot. It will eventually make him sick enough to warrant an expensive drug called Pergolide but he's not there, yet. Just as a side note, lots of people will say that their horse is Cushings but you can't know that for sure without expensive lab work and most people don't take it that far. I did the lab work and the Cushing's specialist that my vet talked to thought George was at death's door because of the lab numbers. He actually doesn't appear sick and he is rideable for the kids to toot around on. He is old, probably around 25.
I looked it up. She doesn't have any symptoms except a change in her hair and looking a little sunk. Something to watch for but she probably just needs cleaning out again.
I didn't think she had Cushings, I just didn't know what it was. I think she's just wormy.
Becky
Cushing's Disease in Horses
Cushing's Disease: Symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment of this disease which mostly affects older horses.
By Jayne Pedigo
Related Resources
Arthritis in Senior Horses
Eye Problems in Senior Horses
More Senior Horse Care
Buyer's Guide
Senior Horse Care Guide
The Equine Collection
Hands-On Senior Horse Care
Cushing's Disease, or Cushing's Syndrome, is often thought of as a disease that only afflicts older horses, however, it has been known to occur in horses as young as eight years old.
Symptoms of Cushing's Disease
Horses with Cushing's Disease can be easily recognized by their coarse, wavy coat that often fails to shed out in the summer. A gelding at the barn I used to board at suffered from Cushing's Disease, and even in the heat of a Houston summer, he had a thick coat of wavy hair.
Other symptoms are excessive thirst, combined with excessive urination. A normal horse will drink in the region of 5 - 8 gallons per day, whereas a horse suffering from Cushing's Disease will drink as much as 20 gallons per day. Affected horses often have a pot-bellied appearance, combined with a loss of muscle on the topline. In addition, horses with Cushing's Disease are often more susceptible to other diseases because their immune system has been compromised.
What Causes Cushing's Disease?
Cushing's Disease is caused by a tumor of the pituitary gland, which is the small gland at the base of the brain which regulates the rest of the horse's endocrine systems. As the tumor grows, it puts pressure on the nearby hypothalmus, which is what regulates the body temperature. This is believed to be the primary cause of the distinctive coarse, wavy hair coat. As cells in the pituitary gland become overactive, they excess quantities of a peptide called pro-opiolipomelanocortin (POLMC, for short) causing the entire endocrine system to go out of balance.
Diagnosing Cushing's Disease
Even though the clinical symptoms are often very obvious, a number of tests have been developed over the years to positively diagnose Cushing's Disease in horses. These include the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) and ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) stimulation. In addition, a test which combines the DST with a thyroid stimulating hormone release test, or TRH was developed by a team at the University of Tennessee to eliminate the overlap of the values of normal horses with those with pituitary tumors which was occurring in a number of cases.
Treating Cushings Disease
The good news is that once Cushings Disease has been diagnosed, treatment is simple, if long term, and in many cases allowing the horse to return to normal health.
Bromocriptine mesylate, a dopamine agonist, is one of the drugs used to treat Cushing's Disease. It mimics dopamine to inhibit overproduction of activating peptides, and it has been shown to mildly decrease plasma ACTH and cortisol levels. There are problems in absorbtion which limit it's practical use, however, and there are reported to be a number of side effects.
A more successful drug in the treatment of Cushing's Disease is cyproheptadine, a seratonin blocker. This is available in tablet form, which is easily absorbed into the horse's system, making it a much more practical treatment.
The simplest way to monitor the horse's improvement is to watch the water intake over a 24 hour period. The drug levels are slowly increased till the water consumption returns to normal. Once the horse has shown maintained improvement for a month, the dosage of the drug is decreased until a maintenance dosage is reached.
It is important to note that while these drugs treat the symptoms, they do not treat the pituitary tumor itself. Horses with mild Cushing's Disease may be returned to good health for a number of years, but eventually the tumor will compromise the horse's life and euthanasia becomes the kindest option
I can deal with worms. I was afraid she was expecting:')
Maybe I will just pay the extra dollar and go to pet mart. I mention this to my vet and he'll want labs:')
Has she been exposed to a stallion?? If it was a good stud I'm not sure I'd be upset about that.
One other thing on the worms then I'll get off my soapbox and go to bed. If you are boarding her at a public facility and the other people aren't taking as good of care of their horses as your are, it's nearly impossible to keep them worm free. Some knucklehead that's worming his horse once a year is contaminating the whole pasture with worms.
Aren't you a nurse? You can save a ton of money by doing most of your own vet work, even drawing blood and taking it to him to test. Some vets don't like doing this because they can't charge for an outcall but some guys will work with you.
We all sign a contract to worm but....you never see some owners. She may have picked up something from different soil not treated here while she was gone too. She's stabled with mares. I was talking about that her stomach expanding and I was afraid I might have bought her pregnant. I still haven't noticed her cycling. It's been what? About 3 months? My vet hasn't seen her (my choice, he offered) but the house vet did and was the one that told me to worm her a week after I got her.
She went nuts with the immunizations. I haven't but they have shown me how and I know I can do that. I'm not sure where to draw the blood though. I was going to get him to show me but this guy acted like his pants on fire and had to go. When the time is right, I'll get mine to show me. He always will let me do stuff to cut costs. He's good about that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.