PPID diagnosed in 12yo mare

[fire.pony]

Hi all. My 12yo Connemara/Arabian mare was just diagnosed with PPID. We’ve been struggling with weight (chunky) all year despite feed/lifestyle changes and in full work (suitable for novice level eventing). I finally had some blood work done this week and she came back with ACTH at 207 and insulin within normal range. She’s been sound and had no other “obvious” signs of PPID besides struggles with weight. I will be picking up Prascend and Thyro-L today as prescribed by vet. Curious to hear other’s experiences with PPID diagnosis in a “young” horse.

*edit: original wording was confusing- she is overweight and I’ve struggled to get her to lose weight

[jherold]

Don’t panic. My now 24 yr old gelding was diagnosed at about the same age. Other than needing a pill a day, nothing else in his life changed. My vet started him on 1/2 a pill and that was enough for several years. His thyroid corrected itself once he started on prascend. He did need more grain to maintain weight, when he was previously an easy keeper, but that was it. Don’t let people talk you into radical diet changes. I.e.no pasture etc. Your horse is not insulin resistant. While IR and cushings are frequently seen together, it’s not always. You and your horse will be fine

[fire.pony]

Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m feeling optimistic and at least relieved to have answers and a plan. I’ve only ever known “old” horses with PPID that were retired, so this was feeling like foreign waters.

[horsepoor]

I have one diagnosed at 13. Welsh Cob that was also diagnosed as insulin resistant a year or two before that. So far, he’s doing well on 1/2 Prascend pill a day, and when I can keep him in work, his IR is also well controlled. Winter is tough here as I only have an outdoor ring so work is hit or miss, but I’m reluctant to board him because of the IR (when I have boarded him, they always give in to his cute begging face and he gets fat). I was really discouraged when he was diagnosed so “young” but I also think a lot of horses don’t get tested until they are really showing extreme signs so it gets missed for a lot of years.

[Hayburner]

I knew of a 4 year old with it, very strange that’s for sure. Unfortunately, it was found when when the horse got laminitis.

Did your vet take in to account that we are in season rise right now?

[fire.pony]

We did not discuss seasonal rise (blood draw was 11/7 in central Indiana), but the value was 207 which seems high no matter the season? I’m sure we will do retesting in the next few months to see how she is doing on the prescriptions, but I’ll be sure to ask about this.

[JB]

@Hayburner

Did your vet take in to account that we are in season rise right now?

@fire.pony

I finally had some blood work done this week and she came back with ACTH at 207

There is no realm of seasonal rise that would account for 207. Even 100 would be a pretty definitive number

[RedHorses]

Mine was diagnosed at 15, which isn’t as young as yours. His only symptom was inability to develop top line muscle, and the vet offered PPID as “maybe it could possibly be…” She was so uncertain that I wasn’t going to test until Boehringer Ingelheim offered to pay for ACTH tests for some of my vet clinic’s clients and they offered me one.

My horse is now 24, and while he’s in the 54% of horses that don’t rebuild topline muscle when treated with Prascend, his PPID is so well controlled that I don’t have to worry about it. The test results last month showed him well within normal range.

PPID is a degenerative disease and when you catch it early the drug slows the degeneration and damage caused. Don’t be discouraged by the diagnosis - by catching it now you’re going to be able to keep your horse healthier for much longer than you otherwise might have done.

[fire.pony]

Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m feeling a lot better about the prognosis

[CLB15]

“Laminitis chit chat.” And “Laminitis Crisis Support” groups have lots of users who share resources and experiences! I joined this fall after EMS diagnosis for my horse

[greywithchrome]

Ugh sounds like my 12 year old mare who I’ve been avoiding getting tested because she is absolutely terrified of needles. I work harder than most to try and keep her weight down and nothing I do makes a difference. She even went on thyro-L for a few months and it didn’t help at all.

[fire.pony]

Oh no, sorry to hear that. I tried all the lifestyle changes we could with no success. I did learn in the process that if she has to wear a muzzle, she tries to kill herself getting it off, so she will definitely be in a drylot when the grass comes back in the spring. I’m glad to have the piece of mind now that we have the blood work results. Good luck!