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Message |
    
Rebecca L.M. (Bluemoon)
| | Posted on Monday, Jul 8, 2002 - 10:05 am: |   |
Hi Dr. O -
I have read the articles on Hyperthyroid and Cushings before posting my question here. I know you are probably tired of these shedding questions  but I would like your advice.
My mare has not shed out her coat this summer. I have only owned her two summers and last winter she had a good healthy thick coat and shed it by April/May. This year she has kept a thick summer coat. We did have a cool spring but all the other horses have shed and right now we are in the 90's for temps.
She shows no other symptoms of ill health such as listed under Cushings or Thyroid. Not under or overweight. Not depressed. Eating food. No bulging or recessed eyes. etc... No cresty neck or funky fat deposits. She has a good hoof history - no founder. Her coat is not dull either just thick.
I am making an appt. with my vet to have a blood panel done this week. On this first exam is there anything we should be testing or looking for? Also, are there any other reasons (other then Cushings/thyroid) that would prevent a coat from not shedding?
From the articles on Cushings I am wondering if it would be a good idea to put her on some oil and a vitamin supplement?
I also noticed from the article on Cushings that a horse may not show all the Cushing-like symptoms. And I'm wondering if we aren't catching some sort of problem very early on and that is why we are not seeing additional symptoms? |
Rebecca L.M. (Bluemoon)
| | Posted on Monday, Jul 8, 2002 - 10:07 pm: | |
Dr. O -
I have been doing some more research and several people have suggested giving Pepper a stronger worming and that the not shedding might be encrusted worms (yuck!)
The former owner said that Pepper would not tolerate a daily wormer as she would get 'wormy' - due to a carryover I guess of being a rescue horse when she was 2. She is now 16 and of course when I bought her 18 months ago she went on Strongid and the Preventicare program (which will reimbure up to $5,000 for colic surgery if needed).
Some of the things the former owner said were just plain silly so I didn't put too much stock into that statement at the time. Before going to the expense of a bunch of tests, should I worm first and rule this out? Due to our hot weather - in the 90's is it safe to worm her with a paste?
What are your thoughts that this might be the cause of the problem instead of Cushings or Thyroid, since she has no other symptoms (at this time anyway)? |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM (Dro)
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jul 9, 2002 - 7:56 am: | |
If you have been religous about dosing the Strongid and given the recommended twice yearly ivermectin or Quest worms are unlikely.
Hair coat quality is the sum total of a horses health status over the past year so to outline all the causes of a poor quality or long coat is beyond the means of this discussion. The vet should be out not to do a blood panel but to do a thorough physical exam and review of management. Only after this is done should a lab work up and fecal be considered.
DrO |
Rebecca L.M. (Bluemoon)
| | Posted on Monday, Aug 19, 2002 - 1:57 pm: | |
I thought I would also post an update here on what happened with Pepper and her not shedding coat.
When the vet saw Pepper and her heavy coat in July, he felt that this was a side effect of her being on daily Strongid. He had seen one other horse in his practice that had responded to daily Strongid in the same manner.
Pepper's former owner of 13 years had told me that she could not be kept on a daily wormer as she would "get wormy." My vet said what probably had happened, is that over time Pepper reacted to the daily Strongid by not shedding and they interpreted it as being "wormy."
July 16th, we took her off the daily Strongid - nothing else was done to change her lifestyle. She was given a dosage of Panacur that was due for her regular worming. Within 2 weeks she was heavily shedding. The last week in July , I put her on Source Focus SR as the vet had recommended a B-vitamin complex (and I didn't want to put her on Red Cell). By the first of August, she was shedding in gobs. Now at mid-August her coat is pretty much a normal summer coat except for some shedding over the withers and to the right of the shoulders.
I did some Net research and found nothing about daily Strongid being related to hair not shedding. All I can give is what happened to Pepper. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM (Dro)
| | Posted on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2002 - 6:43 am: | |
Thanks Rebecca,
I feel that this is a unlikely result of the Strongid, based on the hundreds of horses I have seen on this product (the same caveats that I list above still apply). Did the vet run a fecal test for worms? It is probably coincidental that you stopped the Strongid and she shed and though you state that nothing changed you forgot the most important change: it got later in the summer.
It will be interesting to see if next year without the Strongid, and regular deworming with other products, if you remember come here and post next year. Note: we do not recommend one dose Panacur for regular deworming as it does not get the encysted larvae. See the article on deworming for more on this.
DrO |
Rebecca L.M. (Bluemoon)
| | Posted on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2002 - 8:58 am: | |
I am skeptical at this point too. However, I do not think this had to do with 'later in the summer.' By July, in Oklahoma, we had already been in the 90's on a regular basis - sometimes triple digit with heat index and Pepper showed no signs of shedding.
I also think that her former owner's comment, an observation of what happened when Pepper was on Strongid, is of note. Obviously she does show some sort of history with Strongid.
I'm not sure if it was Panacur - I will doublecheck. I do know it was a paste wormer but I will check on the brand. |
Elizabeth Donahue (Paul303)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Aug 21, 2002 - 8:07 pm: | |
Isn't it daylight hours that influence the shedding cycles? |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM (Dro)
| | Posted on Thursday, Aug 22, 2002 - 7:26 am: | |
Yes it is day length that is the primary factor that controls shedding and hair growth. This is mediated through the endocrine system. As horses age they develop defects in the endocrine system that cause later shedding, for more on this see Cushings in the Endocrine disease section.
DrO |
Elizabeth
Member
Username: Ann1
Post Number: 45
Registered: 6-1999
| | Posted on Sunday, Mar 16, 2003 - 10:40 am: | |
I also have a horse that grew alot of hair and he has always had a good hair coat. I called my vet in and he pulled blood and took manure for worm testing. I received my blood work and culture for manure back and found one thing that way bad and that was the T3 was very low. It show 21 and the min/max was 40-180. We put him on Thytrophin PMG for about 3 months. I just had his blood work pulled again and his T-3 went up to 48. His hair is starting to fall out and return to normal. I'm wondering if there is any other type of supplementation that can be given a horse to help his thryoid without medication. He is on a great feed Triple Crown Performance 10 and as good a hay as I can get. His also gets minerals and a salt block. Drinks plenty of water and receives good turn out time. Could you give me some help and let me know what can be done to help his thyroid stay in the right zones. Thanks, |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 7984
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Monday, Mar 17, 2003 - 6:39 am: | |
Elizabeth you need to read our article on thyroid disease. See » Equine Diseases » Endocrine Disorders » Hypothyroidism in Adult Equines. If after reading it you still have questions post them in that forum.
DrO |
