Cushings Syndrome

A small benign tumour in the pituitary gland causes equine Cushing’s syndrome. Since the pituitary governs the entire endocrine (hormone) system, a number of conditions are associated with the disease. Cushing's disease is also referred to as hyperadrenocorticism.

A horse with Cushing’s usually develops the condition in the mid to late years of life (average age, 20 years), although it is sometimes diagnosed in horses as young as seven.

Symptoms

The coat grows very woolly and curly.
There may be increased sweating in patches.
The stomach becomes distended.
The horse drinks a lot.
The horse passes urine frequently.
There may be some weight loss.
There may be ulcers in the mouth and elsewhere.
The teeth may come out.
Increased glucose levels in blood and urine.
The condition may trigger laminitis.
Resistance to other infections may be lessened.

Treatment

Treatment is difficult, and often there appears to be no practical and economic cure in bad cases, but the following ideas may be ways of helping your horse to be more comfortable and enabling her/him to live, sometimes actively, for quite some time.
In mild cases drugs might help, eg cypropheptadine or pergolide. Neither is cheap and treatment is long term.
Clip the coat in warm weather.
Treat any raw/sore patches on the coat with an antibacterial/fungal wash.
Ensure that the horse is rugged during cool nights and days. This will ensure that any food digested is used keep up strength rather than just for heating. It is likely to lead to increased energy levels and may improve alertness.
Gently exercise to help with physical well being; eg leading in hand around the field.
Give hard feed regularly, maybe 3 times a day. If your horse's teeth have deteriorated then make sure that the food is relatively soft and mushy. This may be achieved by watering the food, often with hot water. This will help the food to be more easily digested.
It is suggested that food should chosen to meet the needs of the state of the animal, and a blood test may help determine the level of sugars that need to be present.