The bad news is that Willem does have Equine Cushings Syndrome. The good news is that he was tested for this in such a very early stage that A) I can put him on the lowest possible doese of Permax and B) I should not see any other symptoms.
The part of me that is relieved to know why he was not shedding is having a nasty balancing act with the part of me that wants to cry.
But the PS is that the hair is gone, thanks to Chef’s trainer’s old wives tale re paste wormer making old hair fall out.
Oh coreene, I am so sorry. Go ahead and have a little “woe is Willem & me”. Its okay truly. We lost out too, on this round of testing. So we can commiserate together. Should have known better than to brag…Our older creatures are at least in good hands, we’re on Pergolite. I think thats the name…1/2 daily. Been on it for a week, so we’ll see how this goes. Looked up the disease, and it’s amazing, dogs, cats and people can get this. Oh, and a big kiss for that handsome face 
Well pooh bah, I’m sure you were hoping it was just a case of serious wormy-ness. But that would have been too simple. Got a love 'em.
Bud sends his best and wants to ask Willem if he could please be his nursemaid? Please, pretty please??? The poor horse would do anything to get out of this flippin’ heat. 
“The older I get, the better I used to be.”
The bad news is that Willem does have Equine Cushings Syndrome. The good news is that he was tested for this in such a very early stage that A) I can put him on the lowest possible doese of Permax and B) I should not see any other symptoms.
The part of me that is relieved to know why he was not shedding is having a nasty balancing act with the part of me that wants to cry.
But the PS is that the hair is gone, thanks to Chef’s trainer’s old wives tale re paste wormer making old hair fall out.
Coreene I am so sorry to hear about Willem.
The pony next to Poncho, Apple, has Cushings and is on the medication and doing quite well. I am certain hers was more advanced than Willem’s so he should do even better than olde Apple.
I know the feeling you have today, I had it the first few days after finding out about Poncho’s ringbone. Dread and relief at the same time. I found a good private cry helped me a lot.
I have to take deep breaths around Mallory and I find being positive and optomistic helps me more and more every day.
Please know that my thoughts are with you.
Sincerely, CCM,Poncho & Elliot
Coreene, so sorry Willem has cushings. My dog Emma was recently diagnosed with Cushings and it doing quite well on her medication. Hope Willem does as well. 
Oh I’m so sorry coreene. 
I don’t know much about the disease but as you point out, it’s curable and you were fortunate enough to catch it early.
Here’s to Willem’s certain speedy and full recovery.
“Mommy, does it really matter?” - Sumo toddler, age 3
about Willem and best of luck with his treatments.
Little Suave and I send are positive thoughts and prayers for Willem. You are such a good Mommy to him and the good thing is that you have caught it very early on.
We will continue to jangle our curb chains
Thanks Heidi. It’s actually treatable, not curable, but with medication (especially so early on) it should not be a problem. You do have to keep a close eye on secondary infections.
How is Sumo?
Geez, that’s too bad . I knew an older mare who lived comfortably with Cushings for many years. Actually, she may still be alive, although she was 31 the last time I saw her 10 years go. Just hang in there. Willem is going to be okay. So are you!
Stall confinement: Week I’ve lost count of hopefully not all that many more.
New X-rays: Salter-Harris type II is healed! Bone deposit is necessitating more stall rest 
Awwww, coreene! Hugs to both you and Willem! I was so sorry to hear the news. But, as you and others have said - you’ve caught it early and hopefully the medication will do the trick.
Our pony was already on Thyro-L and she still foundered in June. We caught it very early and did a bunch of bloodwork on her, figuring it might be Cushings. It turned out it was also an insulin/sugar type problem. So, now she’s on both the Thyro-L AND Metalobeeze. The good news is that she’s lost about 75 lbs and can now actually go out in a nasty paddock for about 30 minutes a day AND can eat a little grass hay instead of the cedar branch ridden nasty stuff she was only allowed to eat before. She still is only allowed enough grain to eat her supplements/meds with. The sad part is that she actually will eat them w/o the grain, she’s so hungry!!!
Hang in there and we’re all thinking of you guys!
Oh, Coreene, am sorry. Sending my best wishes to you and Willem.
Miz Hoy … aka “the Stuffed Horse” … has symptoms that often make me worry about Cushing’s but she has not tested positive. She did, however, have to be treated for extremely low thyroid. (I was convinced she had throat cancer because of the “growth” in her windpipe that was actually an enlarged thyroid – Merry still teases me about that. )
The worry we go through with our “older” kids. But they are worth it. Again, good luck to Willem!
Bulletin Board Goddess
So sorry to hear that, Coreene. It’s good to hear that you at least caught it early. Hope Willem feels better on his new medication.
You are such a great “mom” for being alert to Willem’s symptoms and getting a solid diagnosis. It sounds like Willem will be around for quite some time.
“Charter Member of the Baby Greenie Support Group of North America”
Do search around re where you get your medications for Cushings. There can be a big spread in prices charged. My instructor recently found, through her vet, a supplier that charged HALF the amount she had been paying for the medication for her retired GP horse.
She clips him several times a year to keep him comfortable, and he is on medication on a regular basis because apparently founder can become a possibility for horses NOT medicated (and occasionally even if they are medicated).
On the other hand, obviously the effects vary from horse to horse, because an old App/QH cross in our barn, well into his 30s, has Cushings and has had no problems vis-a-vis founder. His owners cannot afford the medication, but other than the need to clip him several times a year, he seems to suffer no ill effects.
Best of luck with Willem.
Cressy was diagnosed as hypothyroid last year, with the most likely culpret being the pituitary tumour of Cushings. She has been on a minimal dose of Thyro-L and is doing very well.
The most important things to remember with a cushingoid horse is that they must keep their weight down and do everything by the book to prevent founder. Even while they are being treated, cushings horses are very prone to founder, and not the mild variety, either.
Monitor the grass intake, limiting when necessary, and no sudden dietary changes. And take it easy on the treats!
What I do, I do for my horse, and thus I do for myself~me
and took steps to have Willem diagnosed. I wish we had been so good and discovered our old pony’s Cushings much earlier. As others have said, the effects of Cushings are treatable and you will be able to keep Willem useful and comfortable for many more years.
By catching this early and providing the neccessary medication you will be able to prevent the bone deterioration, founder and hairy coated misery associated with the disease. Willem is very lucky to have you.
I leased a really nice older horse named “bubbles” of all things 
who had Cushings. I think he ate us out of house, home, and barn. He wasn’t pretty to look at but he was still a happy guy 'til the end.
Do you know how quickly it progresses? How much time he will have? Will he still be totally rideable? - just trying the guage the emotional support your BB friends will need to give through this
Coreene,if you go to “The Rural Heritage"website,there is some really good stuff on there,go to the contents page and enter 'Cushings”,in the search area,it will bring up lots of very useful info for you.
fernie fox
“I have lived my life-it is nearly done-.I have played the game all round;But I freely admit that the best of my fun I owe it to Horse and Hound”.
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