The average age of our patients is probably rising. As horses get older certain diseases become more common. Often following diagnosis many of these problems can be treated giving the horse a better quality of life and you, the owner, peace of mind.

Unfortunately many of these problems may be difficult to spot as the horse gets older and are put down to increasing age. One area in which there has been a rapid advancement of knowledge and the improvement in the effectiveness of treatment is Cushing’s disease in horses. The classic clinical signs are unexplained bouts of laminitis, an increase in drinking and urination and a long curly hair coat. Along with this, horses and ponies are often lethargic, have weight loss particularly of the muscles and are susceptible to infections. We often see ponies and horses for the first time for tooth or sinus infections when the underlying cause may well be poor immunity due to Cushing’s disease. A full investigation that requires blood sampling to investigate insulin and ACTH levels.  There are many different syndromes which can cause the onset of laminitis, including insulin resistant as well as cushings disease.  It is important to try and distinguish which of these conditions may be involved in the horses disease prior to treatment.  If cushings is involved the treatment of choice is Pergolide.

Another common medical complaint we often deal with is weight loss. This may be caused by inadequate intake due to poor appetite, teeth problems or behavioural problems in a herd of horses. Or alternatively it may be due to poor absorption of the food once it reaches the gut, or loss of nutrients due to damage to the kidneys or the gut. Initial investigations may centre on analysis of blood samples, but we can also investigate these horses with glucose tolerance test, analysis of abdominal fluid, biopsies of the gut wall, and abdominal ultrasound. Treatment usually involves correction of the underlying problem, whether that be dentistry, or removal of inflammation in the gut wall.