Cushing's Database
This database has been compiled for all owners of Cushingoid horses and ponies. It contains various amounts of interesting information that should give owners help in deciding what to medicate with, what symptoms the drugs remove and how useful they are. Furthermore it gives practical and real life examples of the range of symptoms horses with Cushing's have and also how they cope with the disease over time.
We still greatly need your help with this. Please if you have a horse with Cushing's, consider having their details anonymously entered into the database. If you contact us at our e-mail address we will send you the information we need - PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS ADDRESS FOR REQUESTING ADVICE ABOUT YOUR HORSE
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DATABASE MAY NOT BE USED BY ANYBODY IN ANY WAY - VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS OR OTHERWISE WITHOUT CONSENT
| Country | Horse or Pony | Breed | Age at Diagnosis | Date Diagnosed | Diagnosis Method | Symptoms | Drugs Used | Dosage | Duration of medication so far | Any Positive Results? | Time taken to achieve effect? | Cost (optional) | Where are drugs obtained? |
| UK | Pony | Riding Pony X Connemara | 17y | Winter 1999 | Dex. test | Abnormal blood test, laminitis, not shedding coat | Pergolide | 3/day | 10 months | No laminitis/No effect on coat | 6 months | £65/100 pills | Vet |
| UK | SAME | PONY | AS | ABOVE | Homoeopathic Combination Remedy & Silica | As directed by Homoeopathic vet. | 7 months | Significant improvement in coat condition. Summer coat acheived. | 6-8 weeks | £70 (including consultation) | Hom. Vet. | ||
| UK | Horse | Cob type | 20y | Summer 1997 | No blood test | Immense curly, thick coat, thyroid problems | None | - | - | No deterioration in condition | - | - | - |
| USA | Horse | Appaloosa/Arab | 20y+ | Winter 2000 | No blood test | Wooly hair, sweating at nights | Hormonise | 60cc/day | 1 week | - | - | $100/month | Pharmacy |
| USA | Pony | POA Appaloosa | 18y | Summer 2000 | Medicate for 2 months and wait for effect | Cresty neck, chronic founder, abscesses, heavy, curly coat not shedding | Pergolide | 0.75ml for 2 m, 0.50ml for 2m |
4 months | Reduction in crest, less curly coat, brighter attitude | 2 months | $102/2 months | Pharmacy |
| Netherlands | Horse | KWPN | 22y | Winter 2001 | Blood Test | Curly coat, excessive drinking, urination, not shedding | Parlodel/ Arsen. Alb. (homoeopathic remedy) | 30mg/day (split) | 6 days | none | $85 for 90 doses | Pharmacy | |
| USA | Pony | Unknown | 17y | Autumn 2000 | Symptomatic | Laminitis, no shedding, curly coat, swollen sheath, lethargy, excessive thirst | Cyproheptadine then Pergolide | 2/day | 3-4 months | None with Cyproheptadine. Improvement in laminitis/stiffness with Pergolide. | 95% better on Pergolide in 60 days | $44 (cypro.) $110 (pergolide). |
Pharmacy |
| UK | Pony | Welsh Mountain | 9y | Winter 1999 | No blood test | Laminitis | Pergolide | 2mg/day | 9-10 months | No laminitis 1999. Returned in 200 whilst on Pergolide | 48hrs in 1999 | - | Local chemist |
| UK | Horse | Welsh Cob | 5y | Winter 2000 | Dex. test | Laminitis, delayed coat shedding | - | - | - | ||||
| UK | Horse | Thoroughbred X NF | 19y | Winter 1999 | TRH stimulation Test | Laminitis | Pergolide | 1mg/day | 1 year 3 months | No recurrence of laminitis since | 6 months | £79/month | Vet |
| Belgium | pony | Unknown | 22y | Winter 1999 | Raised glucose in blood | Diabetes, curly coat, lethargy, excessive drinking | Pergolide (Parlodel) | 12.5mg/day | 2 years 2 months | Coat thick but not curly, livelier, gained weight | 2 weeks | 600 Euro/year | Vet |
| UK | Horse | Welsh Sec. D | 20y | Unknown | Symptomatic | Long hair | D-Tox feedsupplement only | Loading dose, then 1-2/day | 6months | loss of excess hair, less wet bed, weight improvement | 6 months | £14.40/tub | Feed Merchant |
| USA | Horse | Thoroughbred | 22y | Spring 2000 | Symptomatic | Long curly coat, lethargy | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| USA | pony | Shetland | aged | 1997 | Blood Test | Laminitis | Sadly put to sleep July 2001 | ||||||
| UK | pony | Welsh cross | 17y | Nov. 1998 | Symptomatic | Thick coat, laminitis/blood test | Pergolide | 1 pill/day | 1 year 7 months | glucose levels dropped, no coat change/brighter | duration of treatment | Vet | |
| UK | pony | Arab X Cob | 21y | August 2001 | Symtomatic | Wavy coat, no shedding, wet bed, loss of topline | D-Tox/Hormonise | Manufacturers reccomendations | 2 days | not seen yet | approx. £30/month | Feed stores | |
| USA | Horse | Quarterhorse | 28y | Jan 2002 | Blood test | Fever, cough, laminitis | Permax & Bute | 1mg Permax daily | 2 months | Laminitis & cough disappeared | max. 1 week | $150/month | Drug store |
| UK | Horse | Welsh X Arab | 17y | Feb 2002 | TRH blood test | Colic, depression, no seasons, lameness, thick coat, glucose in urine, abscesses & laminitic changes | Pergolide | Pergolide 750mcg, increased to 2mg, then reduced to 1.5mg. Current dosage is 1mg | 4 months | Lameness improved, insulin levels reduced | - | - | Vet |
| USA | Horse | Morgan X Appaloosa | 20y | Jan 2001 | Dex. Test | Long hair, excessive urination, lethargy, swollen sheath | Pergolide | 1mg/day | Since diagnosis to present | More energy, hair growth not as excessive | within a few weeks to 2 months | $67/month | Perscription specialists |
| USA | Horse | Morgan | 24y | 2001 | Dex. Test | Laminitis, abscesses, colic, oily skin, wavy hair | Hormonise, then Cyproheptadine, Pergolide & Chromium | Cypro. 130mg Pergolide 3mg Chromium 5mg Thyroid L scoop |
Hormonise 9m Rest 5 m |
slight weight gain, improvement with laminitis & acscesses, brighter attitude | quickly | $95/ month $30 Thyroid L |
Vet |
| USA | Pony | Trottingbred | 5y | March 1986 | Dex. Test | Laminitis, abcsesses, weight loss, extreme thirst | None, then Cyproheptadine | 200mg/ day | 7m | improvement in laminitis & abscesses. Euthanized after 10y |
Immediate | Not known | Vet |
| UK | Pony | Welsh Sec. D | 14y | July 2002 | TRH Stimulation | Laminitis | Pergolide | 1mg/day | 10 weeks | No recurrence of Laminitis | 1 week | £50/month | Local Chemist |
| USA | Horse | Peruvian Paso X Morgan | 19y | October 2002 | ACTH Stimulation | Long curly hair, slow shedding, crest, incoordination at rear, laminitis, polyuria | Pergolide, Thyro- L |
Pergolide - 1ml/day Thyro-L 1/2 to 2 scoops per day |
to present | Shiny hair, lethargy improved, sounder | 24 days | Pergolide $175/2 months | Vet |
| USA | Pony | Shetland | 30y | Feb 2001 | - | Laminitis, thick coat, ulcers, infections, skin parasites | Pergolide | Started at 0.25mg/day | to present | Excellent general appearance. Galloping on soft ground | - | - | - |
| USA | Horse | Quarter Horse | 27y | Sept 2002 | - | white line disease, atrophy, slow shedding | Pergolide | Started at 0.75mg/day | to present | Normal shedding, sound | - | - | - |
| USA | Pony | Arab cross | 25y | August 2002 | - | slow shedding, heart & metabollic problems | Pergolide | Started at 0.5mg/day | to present | sound, still minor immuno-deficiency problems | - | - | - |
| UK | Pony | New Forest | 27y | 1998-summer 2001 | - | Long thick curly coat, lethargy, pot belly, excessive drinking/urination, laminitis, colic | Antibiotics for secondary infection, Bute | - | - | Infections cleared. Pony euthanased due to severe lamintis | - | £160 |
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| USA | Horse | Standardbred | 29y | July 2000 | Bloods | Laminitis, non shedding coat, fat pads | Vitex | 6oz per day | 1 month | Shedding, more energetic | 3 weeks to shed | - | Horseshoe herbals |
| USA | Horse | Peruvian Paso | 19y | October 2003 | Process of elimination | Muscle & weight loss, excessive drinking/urination, lethargy | Pergolide | 1mg/day | 48hrs | None yet | - | $190/60cc | Vet |
| UK | Horse | Unknown | 25y | 1999 | symptoms | long coat, not shedding, swollen sheath, skin infections, pot belly, laminitis | None | - | - | Kept well on no medication for 5 yrs. Euthanased due to laminitis 14/4/04 | - | - | - |
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