EAY
Nov. 27, 2009, 06:21 PM
The vet is coming out in a few days to give my son's 18-year-old Welsh cross pony an ACTH test for Cushing's and I want to be in the position to make educated decisions after the results are in.
The reason for the tests is that when the vet came out in early June to do the pony's teeth she felt that he had not sufficiently shedded out. Though I did agree with her, we had had a cool spring and it seemed like lots of the horses were not shedding out as usual. We bought the pony last winter so I am not sure what is typical for him. Also, he had lost quite a bit of weight and was generally in fairly poor condition so I wondered at the time whether that was a factor.
He did eventually shed out, though I must say he was quick to get his winter coat back this fall. Also he does have some fat deposits above his eyes, but other than that I don't see other clinical signs - no excessive water drinking and/or urination, cresty neck or other unusual fatty deposits. He gained the weight back nicely over the summer, has good energy levels, and has not been sick since we got him. In fact, he seems (knock on wood) resistant to a rain rot epidemic that they've been having at the barn where we board, so I took that to be a good sign about the state of his immune system.
He did have one previous mild (according to his previous owner who had him for years) pasture associated laminitis episode and was foot sore on one foot about a month ago. The farrier said he couldn't rule out laminitis but thought it was more likely the result of a bruise. There was no indication of an abscess.
I am concerned because I know the tests can have false positives, as well as negatives, and that clinical symptoms are necessary to give a diagnosis. The vet feels that the failure to shed out normally would be sufficient in conjunction with a positive test result to give a diagnosis of Cushing's and to recommend that the pony start drug treatment.
Does anyone have experience with false positive results? Is it not unusual for a Cushingoid pony to have so few symptoms? I know I'm kind of jumping the gun here and of course am hoping for a negative result, but at the same time I want to be ready and in a position to do what's best for the pony.
The reason for the tests is that when the vet came out in early June to do the pony's teeth she felt that he had not sufficiently shedded out. Though I did agree with her, we had had a cool spring and it seemed like lots of the horses were not shedding out as usual. We bought the pony last winter so I am not sure what is typical for him. Also, he had lost quite a bit of weight and was generally in fairly poor condition so I wondered at the time whether that was a factor.
He did eventually shed out, though I must say he was quick to get his winter coat back this fall. Also he does have some fat deposits above his eyes, but other than that I don't see other clinical signs - no excessive water drinking and/or urination, cresty neck or other unusual fatty deposits. He gained the weight back nicely over the summer, has good energy levels, and has not been sick since we got him. In fact, he seems (knock on wood) resistant to a rain rot epidemic that they've been having at the barn where we board, so I took that to be a good sign about the state of his immune system.
He did have one previous mild (according to his previous owner who had him for years) pasture associated laminitis episode and was foot sore on one foot about a month ago. The farrier said he couldn't rule out laminitis but thought it was more likely the result of a bruise. There was no indication of an abscess.
I am concerned because I know the tests can have false positives, as well as negatives, and that clinical symptoms are necessary to give a diagnosis. The vet feels that the failure to shed out normally would be sufficient in conjunction with a positive test result to give a diagnosis of Cushing's and to recommend that the pony start drug treatment.
Does anyone have experience with false positive results? Is it not unusual for a Cushingoid pony to have so few symptoms? I know I'm kind of jumping the gun here and of course am hoping for a negative result, but at the same time I want to be ready and in a position to do what's best for the pony.