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Diary for:
"Gregg" from Pennsylvania
TYPE: Equine, stallion
WEIGHT: 1125lbs
AGE WHEN DIAGNOSED WITH CUSHINGS: 16 TREATMENT LENGTH: ongoing, 3 years TREATMENT TYPE: Holistic PRODUCTS TRIED: flax seed hulls, chaste tree berries |
Dear Diary,
Introduction...
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I have been riding horses since the age of 7, and finally at the age of 35 bought my first horse at a local benefit auction in Pennsylvania. He was already 9 years old but as you can imagine your first owned horse is very memorable, they are such noble loving creatures that can peer into your very soul. I always joked around that I'd rather have a horse than a husband, well now I have both (and they seem to get along just fine!). In Conclusion...Gregg the horse at the age of 16 was diagnosed with Cushings Disease. We knew something was wrong after witnessing increased thirst and over a bit of time a loss in muscle. Our fears were confirmed after a blood sample was taken and tests run on it. He also began showing signs of a pot belly and had some abnormal hair growth. His dull coat was usually the first thing people would notice, as well as an incredible amount of urine flow. We were told to make sure he had a calm environment and to keep him from being stressed and to remove simple carbs from his daily diet and to add flax seed hulls which are supposedly high in antioxidants and chaste tree berries. Thankfully you can buy both of those in bulk on ebay and other places. While he doesn't care for the smell of the berries and we had to mask it by mixing it with molasses, the flax and berries have made a huge difference after about 10 months. His coat is now in great shape, and he is much more alert and lively. I realize there is no cure but this is the next best thing making his life more comfortable and he is now able to go about his normal routine. |
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Related Conditions
- Addison's Disease Sometimes referred to as the reverse of Cushings Disease, Addison's is a disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones (whereas Cushings produces too much). Addison's affects the balance of water, potassium, and sodium in the body. We will be expanding this section soon.
- Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism occurs when not enough thyroid hormones are being produced, common symptoms include skin problems and weight issues. A vet can do a T4 test to rule out hypothyroidism. In humans it's commonly caused by an iodine deficiency. We will be expanding this section soon.
- Diabetes Insipidus The most common symptoms are an incredible thirst with the result being extremely diluted urine all hours of the day and night. Symptoms are often confused with Diabetes Mellitus, though with Insipidus the urine does not contain glucose. In humans it can also be caused by an adverse side effect of certain drugs.
- Diabetes Mellitus Common type 1 and 2 diabetes, you will see excessive thirst with increased urination (diluted) and increased hunger. In dogs when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin high blood sugar makes its way into the urine and it takes water along with it causing the classic thirst/urine symptoms (sugar also controls appetite).