The most amazing makeover!

[Horseface]

I wrote here in the late winter with great concern for my mom's 25 year old arabian chad. He was a skeleton and not eating. we thought we were going to lose him.
We had the vet out had his teeth done and started feeding him soaked hay cubes and some Podium...and now look at him!!!! I took these this weekend...

I cried when I clipped him I was so happy. So was he..he just stood with out being tied while I clipped him...and then when I turned him out he bucked and bucked and carried on like a foal!!!!


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=259354&id=575240646&l=0ec35f2041

[Horseface]

...you guys have no idea how happy I am...

[Carrera]

He looks so happy! Congrats on taking such good care of the old man!

[RedTahoe]

Yay for Chad AND you!

[hitchinmygetalong]

Wow, that must have been one messy job, but you are right, he looks much happier.

Is that a baby toy I see hanging in his stall? Does he play with it? :lol:

[Horseface]

haha yeah..he squeaks it and shakes it when he wants something..hehe

[skykingismybaby1]

That was an "awwwwww....." moment. Thanks

[Horseface]

haha no problem..:)

my mo has ben carefully blanketing him now in case it gets too cold at night

[BeaSting]

He looks great!

[chestnutmarebeware]

What a great job! He looks fabulous and very happy!

I also had a success story this winter with my 25 yo TB mare. She lost a lot of weight and condition while on a temporary pasture-board situation, but even after moving her to a terrific full-care barn, her weight wouldn't come back. The vet recommended 15 soaked alfalfa cubes twice daily, in addition to her senior feed and free-choice hay.

When the winter blanket came off for good this spring, I couldn't believe my eyes—this fat, shiny horse was a stranger! If it weren't for her swayed back, she'd be mistaken for a youngster! And she canters up the hill in the pasture again, and beats the crap out of any of the other mares who fail to give her the proper respect:lol::lol::lol:

[visorvet]

The photos of your horse's haircoat suggest strongly that he is affected by Cushing's disease. If so, treatment with pergolide, a safe and inexpensive medication, will result in even more dramatic improvements in his health, well-being, activity level, and appearance than can be achieved through nutritional management alone. Forgive me if I am telling you something that you already know, but since your post did not mention any current treatment for this very common problem of older horses I thought I would mention it. Treatment can cost as little as $20/month, which is what it costs us to treat our 36-year-old Arabian stallion here at the University.

Good luck with him!

[strawberry roan]

That surely was a makeover. :) He looks fantastic!! :)

[Horseface]

oh yes, he does have cushings...he has had it for a while now..he did try pergaloid and had better success with chaseberry(sp)?...so the only side affect he has is the ugly coat. No founder ect...

long live Chad. :) :)

[visorvet]

I definitely don't wish to belabor this point, and I promise that it will be the last thing I say on the subject! Chad's long haircoat is a symptom of advanced, uncontrolled Cushing's disease, and not something that you see with early or mild stages of the disease. The weight loss, dental issues, loss of muscle development over his topline, and somewhat pot-bellied appearance are also classical. While it is wonderful that he has not foundered, and has bounced back from his previous difficult period, the photos prove that his Cushing's is not well-controlled at present and I would still consider him to be at risk for laminitis, infectious diseases, and other complications in the future. The fall (e.g. August to December) will be an annual period of particularly high risk for this. I apologize if I am being annoyingly persistent on this point, but I think it is an important one. It is such a simple matter to treat this condition these days that it breaks my heart to see any horses suffer from it unnecessarily. You obviously love your Chad deeply and want what is best for him, so I didn't want to pass up a chance to help. Now I will shut up!

[Horseface]

no it's good to have this info.

I know his coat has progressed over the years to what you see now. WE started him on pergaliod when he was first diagnosed I guess about 5-6 years ago. His coat jsut got worse and worse. Even with the drug. The we switched to Chaseberry and his coat more or less went back to normal. Do you think he could be building a resistance to it? He is healthy right now in every other way..we jsut get his teeth done twice a year and his feet trimmed more frequently..he also is on a low carb no sugar diet. Right now tho his is on really good pasture as well. I know that good pasture can cause founder but he seems to be thriving on it.

[visorvet]

Horseface said:

We started him on pergaliod when he was first diagnosed I guess about 5-6 years ago. His coat jsut got worse and worse. Even with the drug. The we switched to Chaseberry and his coat more or less went back to normal. Do you think he could be building a resistance to it?

Visorvet says:

While some horses seem to response to chasteberry, it is less effective than pergolide in the vast majority of horses so I rarely recommend it. Scientific studies demonstrate vastly greater effect with pergolide, so this is the "gold standard" unless there is a good reason to do differently. My guess is that the chasteberry was helpful for Chad in the earlier/milder stage of his disease, but as his disease advances it simply cannot get the job done. There are several possible explanations for his poor response to pergolide therapy in the past, but none of these argue against its use now!

Possibility #1 is that he was simply treated with too low a dose of pergolide; it can take some tweaking over time to optimize an individual horse's dose. Each horse is different, but generally speaking the dose is increased if no improvement is noted, or if the response is only partial.

Possibility #2 is that the medication he received was of such poor quality that Chad just wasn't receiving the amount of medication you thought you were giving him. Pergolide is a compounded medication and its quality, stability, and effectiveness varies dramatically between compounding pharmacy sources. Studies have showed that some products contain what they say they do, while others do not. Also, some formulations are stable and others degrade quickly. This is why compounded medications are inherently problematic :~( Whenever I am told of horses that fail to improve despite a high dose of pergolide, I always investigate the source and dosage form. The powder form is most stable, so that is what I recommend. I generally prescribe it in capsule form, and owners can either dump the powder into feed or hide the whole capsule in feed or a treat.

Possibility #3 is that Chad received an adequate dose but was not treated for long enough to see a response. It can take at least 6 - 8 weeks to begin to see changes, so if you didn't treat for at least several months you may have underestimated its effectiveness. Also, if you were using haircoat to monitor his condition but administered the pergolide in the winter, you wouldn't expect shedding of that coat until the following spring. I know this seems obvious and I do not intend to insult your intelligence, but my point is that season can sometimes influence an owner's assessment of response, or lack thereof.

The most common problems I encounter are #1 and #2. I would strongly encourage you to consider this medication again despite your earlier negative impression. Chad will thank you for it! Also, there is no reason to discontinue the chasteberry if you think it is still having some effect.

P.S. How would you feel about letting me use a photo of Chad in my lectures on Cushings?? If you are willing and decide to pursue pergolide therapy, I would also love to have an "after" photo for comparison. :~)

[Horseface]

thank you for all this great info...

I am sure my mom wouldn't mind you using his photo at all..I will have to talk to her about switching him back since she is the one who is the main caregiver and I live three hours away( I agree he should be back on pergaloid)..I will show her this blog and let you know.

thank you!!!!
Denise

[visorvet]

My pleasure, Denise. Anything to make a beloved old horse happy!

[Horseface]

I have a ton of pics documented this far if you would like them. I have some of him in his prime too.

D

[SMF11]

What a lovely thread, from the original post to the thoughtful discussion of Cushings and pergolide. Thank you all :)