I know this can be a sign of excess sugar, correct?
But can it also happen without excess sugar because of Cushing’s?
Is it a first warning or a final warning?
My vet said most horses that have “puffy eyes” usually have cushings and/or IR. I’d have blood pulled.
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About a month ago my mare developed puffiness in the hollows above her eyes and last week she was diagnosed with a triple wammy: Laminitis, Cushings and Insulin resistance. If your horse has other associated symptoms such as cresty neck, fat pads etc. I would definitely get the ACTH drawn!!!
He is IR/Cushing’s. I have been keeping his diet tight but his hollows are very puffy tonight.
Just wondering what would have triggered the Mega-Puff.
it can be a sign of cushings. My cushing horse does not have that hollow, as is normal for older horses.
many younger horses also do not have the hollow.
[QUOTE=LMH;4307468]
He is IR/Cushing’s. I have been keeping his diet tight but his hollows are very puffy tonight.
Just wondering what would have triggered the Mega-Puff.[/QUOTE]
Excess cortisol comes to mind. I had a “normal” but very ill horse on dex that developed huge puffs in the hollows. Went away complete when dex was discontinued.
Is you IR/Cushings horses being treated for the condition?
Hmmm…that could be-change of weather, shorter days, his system is changing.
My Cushings/IR pony also got the mega-poofs this week. She’s been walking sounder than ever the last month, so hopefully this isn’t signalling a setback coming…
M~ that sorts of leads me to believe the shorter days could be changing things?
I noticed you are the opposite end of the things from me so weather can’t be it! Pasture can’t be it!:lol:
I wonder if any others with Cushing’s horses have noticed this recently?
Avocado leaves
In our area its the winds that blow the dry avocado leaves into the corrals that cause the puffyness.
Toxic, but it does clear up after a few days. Leaves aren’t falling yet, but I thought I’d mention it in case you have some other kind of tree or bush.
Out here, it’s one of the first clinical signs of African Horse Sickness…
Is this on older horses? My 12 yr old QH gelding has no hollows, I thought it was just eternal youth! Hmmm, now I think I will pull blood. His coat is good, but his neck has the appearence of being able to get cresty.
Whatever the reson, he is having a metabolic change from how he usually is. Either he didn’t eat the same way, or is developing an different level of his disease process, or his metabolism is changing, as all horses do with different ages and seasons. You need to get the vet out to pull blood and find out what to change about his meds and diet to keep up with these changes and find out whether they are cyclical, temporary, or a permanent change and treat him accordingly.
[QUOTE=Melelio;4307953]
My Cushings/IR pony also got the mega-poofs this week. She’s been walking sounder than ever the last month, so hopefully this isn’t signalling a setback coming…[/QUOTE]
This is my elderly pony too! Her bloodwork shows she is stable with her meds and she is in the best shape ever but her curly hair patches are getting bigger and I just checked her eye hollows last night, sure enough puffier than normal. It has been hot this week so I am hoping it is just a weather thing.
[QUOTE=LMH;4307468]
He is IR/Cushing’s. I have been keeping his diet tight but his hollows are very puffy tonight.
Just wondering what would have triggered the Mega-Puff.[/QUOTE]
Did he get into someone else’s feed? Did someone accidently give him any carrots or apples? Carrots and apples should not be fed to an IR/Cushings horse. Too much sugar. Have you tested your hay? You might have a bale or two that was higher in sugar and lower in fiber. Also, an IR/Cushings horse should not be getting grain whatsoever. If he is boarded out, are people sneaking him a handful of this or that?
Excess heat/humidity will also alter an IR/Cushings horse because they’re already a bit wacky with their water intake and content. Kidneys are impacted with IR/Cushings and it is the kidneys that control thirst/urination.
Another thought: If you’ve had a lot of rain recently, the grass would have a sudden influx of sugar content. An IR/Cushings horse can have grazing, but you well know the restrictions. Surprisingly, against what you might normally think, a constantly irrigated grass field has less sugar than a dry field, because dry grasses push harder to set seed because for them it’s a drought.
I wonder… ask your vet if a human glucose monitor would work in your horse. Not sure how kindly he’d take to getting pricked every day, but it might give you an idea if your feeding program is working or whether something needs to be altered.
Thanks Anotherround. I work for a vet, but never heard of this. I will ask him and pull blood.
Bulging supraorbital fossae scare me, I always warn my clients that they are skirting danger when they show up. When you see horns you are really screwed.
Ann Szolas
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[QUOTE=decorum;4313731]
Bulging supraorbital fossae scare me, I always warn my clients that they are skirting danger when they show up. When you see horns you are really screwed.
Ann Szolas[/QUOTE]
OK while that is encouraging to know it didn’t really help much with my question.
From reading the responses (heaven’s let’s hop I can take African Horse Sickness of the consideration list!), my first thought is his Cushing’s-changing from the change from longer days to shorter days, increasing ACTH levels from now until December.
That would make the most sense with his background and current condition.
I checked my 24 year old mare and sure enough she has puffy sockets above the eyes. She hasn’t been diagnosed with anything but hardly gets any grain, just enough for her supplements. This was the first summer she had to be body clipped which she was so delighted to have done, acted like a young horse!!
My other mare, suffering through another lymphangitis episode, second this year although not nearly as severe as the April episode but still on Baytril, has half puffy sockets above the eyes, she is 20 this year.
All of the other horses in the barn, younger, have normal hollows above the eyes. Interesting.
I am bumping this up from the dark ages as I have a horse with puffy sockets! Vet is scheduled but any modern advice on what this might be? I can’t say for sure how long we’ve had puffy (big forelock!) - at least a week likely.
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