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  Discussion on Older mare with possible renal failure
Author Message
New Member:
lkb8190

Posted on Friday, Sep 14, 2007 - 10:00 am:

I say 'possible' because the mare has not been seen by a vet, she is owned by an elderly friend on a fixed income and her problems do not (as of yet) warrant calling out the vet.

The mare is 29 years old, lives on pasture but for a few years now has not been able to maintain weight on that, so she gets a 12% complete feed, NOT sweet. She was very thin (probably a 2 on the BCS) last October, when I took over the feeding, but gained weight readily and by winter was up to a 5. She did get some use out of the spring grass, also, and I even cut her feed back slightly, she was getting a little bit chubby!

I was away for 3 weeks in July, and when I got back, she'd DrOpped a little too much weight, so I upped her feed again - only this time, she's not putting weight on, she may even be continuing to lose. Her appetite is still very good - amazing, since the feed has the taste and texture of sawdust (to me, anyway).

I've begun to wonder if she has a kidney problem because she does drink a lot of water and also urinates frequently, in great volume. I'm not sure if the drinking/urination has been going on for a long time, as I've just recently started putting her in a stall for feedings - she's only in for an hour, just long enough to finish eating, but frequently she will urinate in the stall, even though I know that she doesn't like to, she tries to wait - will most of the time urinate immediately upon being let out into the pasture. The urine is pale and clear, so I'm not too worried about that.

I don't think she's Cushinoid, she sheds like crazy.

My main concern is the weight loss, she's old so may not make it through the winter, but so far she is still happy, if maybe a little quieter than she was a couple of months ago. I just don't like thinking of her slowly starving, even though she's eating well.

DrO, I know that you're not going to be able to offer much medical advice on this one.....my hope is that someone else will have had a similar situation and can tell me what they experienced and (possibly) what to expect.....Wiley, how is Star doing?

Thanks!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Sep 14, 2007 - 12:39 pm:

Lisa, whenever I see the words "I had a horse that did the exact same thing..." I cringe. Daily I have folks describe horse problems on the phone then get to examine the horse and it is amazing how different the reported and observed signs are (for more see any of James Herriot's books). Even with accurate descriptions two cases are never exactly the same, even with the same disease, and often very disparate diseases have similar clinical signs. It is one of my jobs here to try and be sure horse folks don't misinterpret what they read on this site so that their horses receive the best possible care so I emphasize that the information you receive by this method of trying to assess a problem, looking at symptoms alone, will frequently only be helpful by luck and not design.

If you want a shot in the dark consider you have an aged mare, with increased urination, weight loss, and mild depression. The signalment, history, and symptoms are all referrable to Cushings. Remember that Cushinoid horses don't usually display all the symptoms and hirsuitism is not in about 9% of the Cushings horses. This does not rule out renal disease but that can only be done with appropriate laboratory work as there are no pathognomic signs. See the article on "Polyuria" for a idea of the range of problems with this symptom.
DrO
New Member:
lkb8190

Posted on Friday, Sep 14, 2007 - 2:39 pm:

Thank you, DrO! You're right, every case is unique, I was just looking for similarities.

Thank you also for referring me back to the Cushings symptoms, I've never personally known a Cushings horse who did NOT display hirsutism, but I should have done more looking there before going to the kidneys, because if it weren't for that, I definitely would have pegged her as a Cushings candidate. I am not familiar with 'naturally occurring' Cushings in aged horses, I guess - most of the horses I've known have been show horses - this mare has spent her whole life living on pasture. The other Cushings symptom she displays is sweating, although we live in Texas and until the temperature DrOpped recently, that one was hard to tell if it was excessive.

My main concern is keeping her comfortable and happy as long as possible. Her owner cannot afford Pergolide, or any of the testing that would show exactly what we're dealing with - and I don't know that would be of much benefit, anyway. I am concerned that she's declined this much over only two months.....I have been gradually increasing her feed, and also added extra rice bran, so possibly that will help. She gets Horseman's Edge Complete Feed, by Purina - I've been happy with how well the horses do on this (have 8 of them on it, ranging from 25 to 34 years old) and like that it's 26% fiber. I may try adding beet pulp for this mare, though, if the extra rice bran and increased rations haven't made a difference over the next 3 weeks or so.

Btw, I also have a stallion here (31yo) who I'm almost certain has diabetes insipidus - basing that on having had a dog with the condition - so this is an interesting place!
Member:
paul303

Posted on Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 - 12:41 am:

Her owner could try Veterinary Pharmacies of America in Houston, Texas. 877 838 7979
They have a reasonable price on Pergolide. A prescription is necessary.
New Member:
lkb8190

Posted on Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 - 9:14 pm:

Thank you, Lee, I'll keep that in mind ...... although in this particular case, it may not be practical, I always like knowing about a compounding pharmacy!
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