Tell me all about cushings

[Mary Poppins]

Ben is having a Cushings test in a few weeks time. This was on the recommendation of the specialist dentist who said he had gum disease and old sores in his mouth which should have healed. Apparently gum disease is an indication of cushings. I have also noticed in some places his hair has become particularly long this winter to the point where I have to use my fingers to untangle bits at the top of his legs and under his girth. I am hoping it comes back negative but preparing for it to be positive.

I'm therefore interested in everything related to cushings, and/or good reading where I can learn more.

 

[Jessey]

In short Cushing is the middle lobe of the pituitary gland not working properly. The P gland is the control center for hormones which control loads of functions in the body, which is why there is a huge variety of symptoms seen with Cushing. The main one seen out of whack is ACTH, so this is what the vet will test to see if it’s too high. This is the best video I’ve seen on what and how it all happens

 

[lauren123]

Cushings generally affects older horses 15+. However if you special like the boy in some cases they get cushings younger. Sox was 10 I believe. He had the standard test first which came back negative. But I pushed my vets because of the signs. We did a additional test acth test I think. His levels should have been under 110 and Soxs was 210! So he started on meds and this keeps the cushings under control. Sox has 6 monthly bloods to see if the amount of meds he is on is holding him. So far so good.

 

[Skib]

Our invaluable old lesson horse who later became my share suffered from Cushings. She did well and lived to 23 years but was on the latest and expensive meds. Like all the RS horses she was shod front only and the extra hair growth really showed only at the end of her life.

 

[carthorse]

Like Lauren I've had negative tests on very symptomatic horses that have responded well to prascend. The symptoms can be wide ranging with horses showing some but not others, but if they start ticking a few boxes it's well worth a chat with your vet like you have. Talk About Laminitis is a useful site, and often has a voucher you can print out to cover the lab work for an acth test..

@Skib you mention a new drug for Cushings, do you know the name of it? As far as I know there's only Prascend (used to be called Pergolide) which has been around for years.

 

[Skib]

Our invaluable old lesson horse who later became my share suffered from Cushings. She did well and lived to 23 years but was on the latest and expensive meds. Like all the RS horses she was shod front only and the extra hair growth really showed only at the end of her life.

I dont know. Sorry but thinking back it is now quite long ago. So it would not be new any longer. I cant say what it was as it was being trialled. and may be Newmarket was mentioned?

 

[carthorse]

@Skib in that case I bet it's Prascend, but if you find out otherwise please let me know.

 

[Mary Poppins]

Thanks for the advice. I know the test will be positive - Ben wants to experience all the ailments of old age it seems. His hair does get matted in places which it never did before. Still, it seems that the condition can be controlled well with medication and hopefully a low dose is all he will need.

 

[Jessey]

The more accurate test is the TRH stimulation test, that’s the one Sox needed @lauren123.

ECIR is a really great resource too, if there’s anything known about ppid it’s known there and it’s run by a vet (Dr Ellenor Kellon) who does loads of cutting edge research in to and is the world leading vet on PPID and IR and she will consult directly on difficult cases, she helped me a lot when going down this rabbit hole with Jess.

Yes I’m sure you’re right @carthorse, the only treatment (drug treatment) for Cushing is the drug pergolide, the horse licenced form of which is the brand name Prascend only came out about 10 years ago. I used pergolide 20 odd years ago so definitely not new.