Cushings disease

[mickey]

I'm a tried and tested person... I'd personally give the pergolide a go as the long term effects will be better known compared to agnus castus.
I do know pergolide isn't expensive- if it were I'd possibly try agnus castus 1st. Or of insurance will pay I'd definately start with pergolide. But thats me!

[lucydales]

Thank you.
No insurance! LOL!
But money isn't my first priority with her. It is my ethics with alternatives vs drugs.
Also least hurt for Choc, even if she'd be better visiting the hunt kennels, she was my first pone.
What is her life expectancy on pergolige??

[valerie n scout]

sorry to hear about Choc Lucy, life is a Git sometimes xxx

[mickey]

Ethics is always a difficult one- Im a dealer opposed to a witch (tongue FIRMLY in cheek!)
I haven't really had any experience with pergolide until recently- new livery on the yard, got chatting and her mare is on it. Said I'd find out the cost. She has 250mcg daily, lives out 24/7 with no problems as far as I know and seems fine in herself. She's still in light work- think she's in her 20's?
Just done a quick search and found that results can be seen in 3-4 weeks.
Ill have a chat with Harley's owner when I next see her

[lucydales]

Cheers very much, Hun.

[SuzieP]

Nothing to add Luce, except to send a hug! At least you've got the condition early. Personally I'm with Em on this one......

[dalesponyrider]

So sorry to read this Lucy. Big hugs from me! I would probably go the Pergolide route but only because I've seen Pam's Quest do so well on it. However, that is not a fair opinion as I just haven't any experience of the agnus castus, and would just stick to what I know.

One thing I do know though, is that Choc is in really good hands and you will do the very best you can for her!

[cadeby]

I have Pagan and Becky on Vitex agnus castus to try and correct their oestrogen:progesterone imbalance. My French vets (well Belgian actually) were enthusiastic for me to try this. However, in the course of our discussions about the herb, they did mention that they don't believe it works with Cushings cases.

Given that Choc is an older lady, I think I'd go down the tried and tested pergolide route from the outset. It should hopefully give her good quality of life for however much time she has left

[SuzieP]

Mar 18, 2010 14:47:16 GMT -1 heathera said:

I'd go the pergolide route. With Bonnie we saw results within ten days and he was on it for around five years. In the end it was a combination of the Cushings and his joints failing that saw him PTS, not the cushings alone.

I think you can tiffle around for months and/or years with herbs and diet in these cases and, IME, there's no difference in eventual outcome and life expectancy. With the pergolide they can still have a relatively normal life experience.

I opted for a quick support system in the form of drugs rather than to keep trying lots of alternatives for months when we didn't know what his life expectancy would be.

That's good advice re the life expectancy and quality of life. A matter of weighing up the benefits and side effects and finding the right solution for you and Choc.

[Debbie]

for you and Choc. I do know that Nancy with Knight on here, she has another pony, Topaz who has Cushings and she's been on pergolide for years with great results.

I'm another who'd go the pergolide route rather than the herbs....and that's shocking for peeps who know I love to reach for the herbs. But this one's so tried and true and does help the pony achieve as normal a lifestyle as possible.

[harveydales]

Only just seen this Lucy, so sorry.

I agree with the others. When Quest showed early signs of Cushings I did lots of research, as of course you will have done and also spoke to several "experts". The overwhelming responce was to go onto Pergolide straight away and maybe one of the Agnus Castus concoctions also as it might mean Quest could stay on a lower Pergolide dose. He never suffered from any of the possible Pergolide side effects and it definately helped him keep lami free. I've known of many horses have long, happy lives on Pergolide. We lost Quest to colic last year which I feel was unrelated to his Cushings, although we'll never know for sure.....

[leannwithconnie]

Just to say that the pony I mentioned at the start of this thread has just been diagnosed with Cushings

[SuzieP]

Well! Didn't you always say that it was Cushings Leann - but the owner thought not? Hope she's not too despondent is she?

[lucydales]

Sorry to have hi-jacked your thread Leaan!

[Deleted]

Iv'e had mine on Pergolide for 2.5 years now. Was concerned at first re long term drugs, side effects etc but to be fair apart from an initial drop in appetite (first 7 - 10 days) she has been remarkable. Her weight is steady, (lost what she needed to and has now maintained a steady 350kg for 2yrs) she now lives out, coat growth is normal- and she is throughly enjoying herself!!
She's on 1mg daily, snuck in a carrot- yey for the dales belly lol. Costs £23.00pm from my vet incl recorded delivery postage.
It was a really hard diagnosis for me to deal with, I practically had myself convinced she was finished but reading around on the Yahoo groups- Metabolic Horse and Cushing's disease really helped with perspective. From what i was able to find out she could have anywhere from 2 - 10 years, nobody really knows. So we take what we can get enjoy ourselves, it's worth it to see her gallop up the field at teatime!! Hope this helps in your decision making.