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  Discussion on Is it cushings??
Author Message
Member:
kriseyc

Posted on Saturday, Aug 27, 2011 - 12:33 am:

Hello Dr.O and Folks,
I have a 16 yr old easy keeper paint gelding whom has recently been drinking larger than usual amt's of water and urinating a bit more also. We have had some hot/himind weather but i've known this guy for 8 years and he has always been a good drinker, but intake has been unusually high recently.
Horse is maintained on 1st cut mostly grass/timothy hay and 7-8 hours t/o with short stubby, non maintained (not lush!)grass. 3/4cup triple crown senior 2x day. Mineral block.
Weight is good, no fatty deposits,excellent muscle/topline(according to 2 vets) esp for his age. Moderate/consistent work.
NO shaggy coat, ever! even in winter.
My Vet wanted to test for cushings due to water increase and admitted he did not strike her as a cushings horse.
Mu confusion lies in the fact that one Vet (lameness vet)said that the test should not be preformed until the fall as most horses levels would be high at the moment.
My P.C. Vet said we should do it NOW, as the levels will be normal now , and be higher in a few weeks when it is cooler.
I respect both these vets very much and both are well educated, but completely oppose one another in their statements.....
So I followed my P.C vet's advice last week and she drew blood for an ACTH test...came back high @ 73 (normal being 9-35). She still thinks he does not present as a cushings horse ( I don't think he does either) and wants to draw blood again to be sure next week....( oh, ok, no problem...whats another $140..)Last week it was drawn @ 2:00 pm after he was turned out and quiet. He was worked lightly around 7 am that morning, and was not high or stressed at the time.
I have read through your articles re: Cushings and what stuck in my mind most was "Do not treat the lab work, treat the symptoms"...
What should I do? Retest next week or wait & see? I tend to be a very proactive owner, but i'm not looking for trouble that's not there also.
Thanks in advance...
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Aug 27, 2011 - 4:34 pm:

Hello IKE,
It really is a question you have to answer for yourself< "If there is no problem what is the point of testing?" The article explains about how the time of the year effects ACTH results {neither vet is exactly right). Exactly how much water is your horse consuming a day?

As to the increased water consumption (and the concurrent increase in urination) this may be environmental, and I would be slow to spend much on this alone during hot humid weather, but Cushings is not the only disease which causes PU/PD. For more on this see HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Urinary System » Excessive Drinking and Urination, Polydipsia / Polyuria (PD/PU).
Member:
kriseyc

Posted on Friday, Sep 9, 2011 - 9:19 am:

Thanks Dr.O,
So if I understand correctly, it is best to wait until fall (October?)or winter for more accurate test results.
It's hard to tell exactly how much water he consumes in a day as he is out with another horse and shares a 50 gal tub. He has 2 buckets in his stall which are emptied and cleaned each day and checked again @ night. I had noticed him having empty tubs in am (usually there's 1/2 or more left in each) and no change in staff or watering habits. i also noticed him drawing water for much longer amounts of time after riding, he always drinks then and I take note. I board him, but frequently pick out stall and also noticed larger amounts of urine. Both are better now, seemed to have decreased and could have just been weather related.
It sounds like, if there are no other clinical signs of cushings, I will continue to monitor him for(PU/PD) and possibly retest later in year and consider a blood panel as well.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Sep 11, 2011 - 10:08 pm:

We have recommended times in the article IKE.
DrO
Member:
kriseyc

Posted on Monday, Sep 12, 2011 - 12:14 am:

ok.....thanks...
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