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Touch & Go, my 20+ year old horse has recently been diagnosed with cushing's disease.
When I first got the news I didn't know how to react.That was mostly because I really didn't know much about the disease or
what caused it. I knew a few horses that had cushing's and I knew the basic symptoms (burly coat, sweating abnormally, drinking
excessive amounts of water, and excessive urination), but I had no idea that it was caused by a brain tumor.There is no cure
for this disease, but there are medicines that can help reduce the symptoms, and a lot of alternative ideas about diets that
could also help an afflicted horse to lead a normal, healthy life. This is a page for people like me who want to learn about
what can be done for the horses with cushing's disease that they love.
Touch & Go fall of 2000
Touchy has been on Pergolide since January. His whole attitude
seems to have changed. Before, he would just stand in the corner of his stall or out in the paddock looking depressed. Now
he has more energy and will actually trot around outside (he's even run away from me a few times!) His stall is also not as
wet all the time and he doesn't drink nearly as much water, even in the hot summer. I'll try to keep everyone updated, but
for now he's back to normal!
*** This is all information that I found on other websites, and I take no credit for other peoples' research. This is also
my interpretation of some of the information, and explanations may not be complete.There are links to these sites below.
Basics
of Cushing's Disease
SYMPTOMS:
-long curly coat
-sweating a lot
-failure to shed winter coat
-drinking excess amounts of water
-excessive urination
-laminitis (minor or severe)
-loss of body condition
(loss of muscle, pot bellied appearance)
-lethargy (laziness)
-mouth ulcers
-bulging above the eye
-weakened
immune system
WHAT CAUSES CUSHING'S DISEASE:
Cushing's Disease is caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland
which is at the base of the brain and regulates the horse's endocrine system or hormones. As the tumor grows it puts pressure
on the hypothalmus which regulates body temperature.Doctors believe this is the cause of the thick coat and sweating. As the
pituitary gland becomes overactive, excess quantities of certain peptides, or chains of amino acids, are released throwing
the endocrine system off balance.
TREATMENTS FOR CUSHING'S DISEASE:
Although there is no real cure for cushing's
disease, there are medications that can help to relieve the symptoms of the disease.Veterinarians can prescribe these, and
also some alternative treatments.
HOW TO TELL IF YOUR HORSE HAS CUSHING'S:
Just because your horse has a thick
coat or sweats a lot does not mean that he has cushing's disease.Some breeds of horse naturally have thicker coats and/or
sweat more than other breeds of horse. I don't know if it's proven, but I have found that draft horses and larger breeds will
sweat more than some lighter weight horses.There are tests, however, that can determine whether a horse has cushings or not.
My horse was diagnosed through an ACTH test. There are also other tests that veterinarians use to diagnose this disease.
Links to sites about Cushing's
An article on Cushings with some easy to understand explanations
Some pretty basic explanations of cushing's disease
An article from a veterinary journal
A news article on Equine Cushing's Disease
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