To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [MSAR] MSAR & Cushing's Disease
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:35:57 -0700
Chuck, you have my sympathy. I have had a Cushings horse before and I
know the up and downs. While this seems like a harsh blow take heart-
medicine can do some outrageously wonderful things these days about
Cushings. You will first probably need to make sure it IS Cushings and
not Insulin Resistance. Sometimes the tests results look similar. I can
heartily recommend the yahoogroups EquineCushings. If there are experts
in the study and care of Cushings and IR they are on that list. Just the
archived information alone will enlighten you immensely.
Now- if your horse is just Cushings diet is not as big an issue and meds
can control most of the symptoms for a good long time. If he is IR then
diet is MUCH more critical- to avoid the laminitis/founder syndrome.
Even then there are things you can learn about grazing that might allow
some during a search- and there are specially formulated pelleted feeds
that work really well for IR horses.
Anyway, you can probably still use your horse for a long long time!!