A Renegade Cowgirl

Breeze in fall of 2007A year ago last spring, I noticed my mare, Breeze, was gaining quite a bit of weight. In fact, she looked like a pregnant mare just about ready to foal! As the weather got warmer, I noticed she wasn’t shedding out and her coat was long and curly. I then noticed that there were fat pads above her eyes, she was quite pot-bellied, and she was sweating excessively from her heavy un-shed coat. She was looking sway backed, her neck muscles were tight and cresty, and she was urinating frequently. She also started to limp and I feared she had foundered.

Breeze in Spring of 2008My heart sank. I knew there was something terribly wrong with Breeze. She just didn’t look right. She had all the classic signs of Cushing’s syndrome, which today is called PPID (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction) In horses, the intermediate lobe of the pituitary gland is affected; in humans and canine Cushing's, the anterior lobe malfunctions. What was previously thought to be a tumor of the pituitary is now claimed as an enlargement.

I decided not to do the dexamethasone test at this time. Part of me didn’t want to know, plus it’s very expensive, and there can be false positives and false negatives with the test. In fact, the dexamethasone sometimes causes founder.

As a Master Herbalism student, here was an opportunity for me to help my mare; but I have to admit this has been my most difficult clinical study.

Breeze in November 2008After much research, I started her with herbs that will help the Pituitary (Chaste tree berry); for circulation & laminitis (Gingko & Hawthorn Berry). After a week I noticed the fat pads above her eyes were gone and she finally started to shed out. The limping stopped after a couple days using the Hawthorn Berry.  

She seemed to improve some over the summer and lost some of the weight, although she still had the pot-belly. As fall approached, I noticed she lost some muscle on her topline and rump area. Her coat grew in normally in the fall and she seemed to maintain her weight through the winter.

Then in the spring I noticed she was drooling quite a bit and her mouth smelled. Upon inspecting her mouth, I noticed she had several ulcers inside her lips, gums, and under her tongue. It was difficult for her to eat and she started dropping weight. Her coat was dull and thick; again she was not shedding as normal.

Breeze mid summer 2009The vet suggested I bring her up to get her teeth floated and to check the mouth sores. He did float her teeth, but we both agreed that the sores were her biggest problem. We put her on a weeks worth of oral antibiotics and the sores healed up. She started putting weight back on over the summer, but then the sores became active again in September. I tried the oral antibiotics again, but due to the sores, was difficult.

At this time I decided to run a dexamethasone suppression test to determine if this was truly Cushing’s syndrome (PPID). I needed to know what we were dealing with. This test requires 2 blood draws; one before and one after an injection of dexamethasone, a synthetic form of cortisol. Three days later it was confirmed positive. The treatment most vets prescribe is the drug Pergolide, which manages the disease, but does not cure it. It might buy the horse a little time, but there can be side effects. I haven't tried it and at this point I'm continuing to put more of a focus on herbs and nutrition.

Breeze mid September 2009At this time she was losing weight drastically; I can now see her hip bones, ribs, and backbone. She was extremely sunken in her hind end; not much muscle tone and no roundness to her rump. It has been hard to watch my horse wasting away because she can’t eat. She went through some colicky symptoms during this time and her back legs have been stocked up. I did some Reiki sessions on her belly and it helped her to pass some gas. She then resumed grazing. 

After another vet consultation, I started administering IM Penicillin for 10 days. Giving shots is not my favorite thing to do, but in this case we felt it necessary. During this past week I've noticed the sores are improving, much less drooling, and she is eating much better. 

I use herbal remedies, homeopathy, Reiki, and nutrition, in conjunction with veterinary care and feel working together is best for the animals.

I started feeding a low sugar/low starch food (pellets) which she can now eat. I add Probiotics, Psyllium, and her herbs to this mixture. I haven’t noticed any weight gain yet, and I’m hoping we can keep the sores under control. Winter is coming and she needs the weight.

I welcome any comments and suggestions. Please send your prayers and good energy to Breeze. She's been my best horse friend for 11 years.

To be continued.....