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  Discussion on Equine Metabolic SynDrOme
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Member:
Brezniak

Posted on Thursday, Dec 18, 2003 - 1:02 pm:

I have a 6-year-old mare who recently foundered and who is obese with a large crest. She is a Shire x TB and her mother has a large, short neck also but no fat deposit at the crest. She has been tested for cortisol (normal), T4 (slightly low, .9), and T3 (slightly high), and insulin (high, about double normal). I have read some of the material on this site and elsewhere about misdiagnosed hypothroidism and Cushings disease and am a little nervous about giving her the L-thyroxine and pergolide that the vet has prescribed. The vet thoughts are to try this approach until the founder has subsided and then try to remove her from L-thyroxine and pergolide pending a dexamethazone suppression test. She is aware that many things can effect thyroid values (as am I because I have hypothroidism, which brings to mind why people with this usually are overweight and can have coarse hair, etc.). Other than being overweight, this mare is normal, no long or coarse hair, depression, etc. Is this a reasonable approach or am I right in questioning it? I have tried to find pergolide in the medications section without success. Does it have another chemical name and what are the possible side effects?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Dec 19, 2003 - 6:08 am:

Hello Diane,
You are right to question it for all the reasons listed in the articles in the Equine Diseases » Endocrine Disorders section that it sounds like you have read. Our recommendations are in the article Equine Metabolic SynDrOme.
DrO
Member:
Smcfarm

Posted on Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 - 11:32 am:

I have a 17 year old pregnant Mogan mare that is foundering. I have removed all grain and am feeding grass hay. We drew a chemistry panel, T3, T4, insulin yesterday. We did not do cortisol due to the stage of pregnancy (270 days). She is a cresty, obese (very easy keeper), Hypothroid mare. She has a history of abortion at 9 months and has been on Regumate since 4 months due to a DrOp in progesterone. What do I need to know about founder and pregnancy? Is pergolide safe for pregnant mares? Will she be able to provide for the foal on grass hay alone? Are horses affected by gestational diabetes? We are also planning to ultrasound to check for placentitis. Her treatment right now is bute and Banamine, no grain and wedge pads.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jan 23, 2004 - 8:28 am:

Taking the specific questions one at at time:
Is pergolide safe for pregnant mares?
We don't know in horses. Preliminary studies on pregnant mice did not find significant problems except at very high doses (much higher than would be fed to horses).
Will she be able to provide for the foal on grass hay alone?
Yes probably so. You should be sure she gets a good vitamin and mineral supplement (see Nutrition). If milk production becomes a problem consider a very high protein / calcium supplement like Calf Manna or perhaps better a soybean fortified alfalfa pellet.
Are horses affected by gestational diabetes?
Yes, pregnancy probably does result in worsening insulin resistance.

You should read our article associated with this forum, it will explain the most likely problem your mare is having and correct your mistaken notion your mare is hypothyroid (even with low T3/T4 values).

As I know you are aware the problem is that the treatment for the founder is runs counter to the requirements for pregnancy. When faced with this dillema I recommend you address the founder. It really is amazing what a healthy fetus will tolerate but if the founder worsens you can loose them both.
DrO
Member:
Smcfarm

Posted on Saturday, Jan 24, 2004 - 11:43 am:

Dr.O,
An update on my pregnant mare. She was US on 1/23 and is showing signs of placentitis. The placenta has thickened greater than 8mm at 270 days. She has been placed on pentoxifylline and TMS and 20cc Regumate. The fluids looked normal and the fetus was very active. Her chem panel came back showing low chol, low normal trig, normal glucose increased Ca & Cl and decreased P. She had been receiving a pellet feed based on KER research that was supposed to give a balanced diet with 14% protein with grass hay. Insulin, T3, T4 are pending and an ACTH will be drawn 1/26. She has been receiving bute and banamine and the farrier trimmed her and put her on lily pads. She seems very comfortable and the bute and banamine will start to be decreased. I am wondering if the laminitis could be caused by the placentitis even though she physically looks like a classic IR case.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Jan 25, 2004 - 9:28 am:

Probably not a direct cause SMCF. The stress of pregnancy and the obesity have probably predisposed to both problems. In general horses with placentitis do not display systemic signs of disease. Then again if it is an organism that elaborates MMP's perhaps. Has this mare shown signs of early lactation?
DrO
Member:
Rfarms

Posted on Thursday, Jan 29, 2004 - 1:25 am:

Six Mile Creek..

You might have seen that my mare aborted twins this am... something we were worried about happening since we saw lactation 3 weeks ago.. we couldn't see the twin... saw the thickening of placenta and our blood work was identical to your mares bloodwork, except she is not Hyperthyroid. .. and luckily no feet problems, she is also only 6.

Does your mare show lactation? I would be curious as to the other conditions your mare shows... positive no twin? We thought we were, unfortunately not. Its just your bloodwork is almost identical to our mare's approx 3 weeks to foaling...

Thank you.. Lori
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