Chip’s Test Results - 27/07/24

If you read the previous blog, you’ll know why I decided to test Chip for PPID (Cushing’s).

On Monday the vet came and took his bloods and we had a really in-depth discussion about his symptoms and other possible causes.

In my heart of hearts I didn’t really feel that he did have Cushing’s but I needed to rule it out.

So I have quite mixed emotions now that we’ve got the results back.

Good news: Chip does not have Cushing’s. As expected really, his ACTH level was 19 and at this time of year 30 was the level we would start to question if there was a problem.

However, this means his lack of enthusiasm (most notably in the school) and lack of topline must be attributed to something else 😞.

Whilst the vet was here we discussed his arthritis in his fetlocks, hocks, back and neck and what could we do to support him now:

• Cartrophen - is an intra-muscular drug administered by the vet over 4 sessions, 5-7 days apart. It works to protect and support the recovery of joint cartilage that is damaged by the arthritic process. As it’s systemic (it will cover his whole body) I do like the idea of trying it. However, the quote for the 4 injections is £536 😬

• Intra-joint steroids - vets can inject corticosteroids into accessible joint space. This is anti inflammatory and helps to reduce pain. However, they only provide temporary pain relief and have to be repeated every 18-6 months - depending on the horse. I suspect that it’s time to repeat medicating Chip’s hind fetlocks as he hasn’t had these done in 24 months BUT it could also be his spine that needs help again, or his front fetlocks? It’s hard to know where to start 😞 It costs around £600 to have a pair of fetlocks medicated…

• Intro-joint gel - Arthramid is a gel substance that is also injected into the joint space but this targets the synovial membrane. There’s a lot of research into its efficacy and apparently it does last a lot longer than steroids but I believe it’s significantly more expensive too - £800 per site! I.e £1600 for a pair of fetlocks…

• A Bute trial - something else which I’ve never actually done before! Chip isn’t actually lame and whilst we can all see that he needs more warming up than in his younger years he’s not displaying significant enough pain in any one area to be lame. The vet did say that if the Cushing’s test came back as negative that it might be worth doing a Bute trial to see if he’s simply ageing and less enthusiastic after all these years rafhe than having an issue or pain. I don’t really believe that though and it’s not going to tell me where there’s an issue if there is one.

• Supplements - the vet also asked if Chip’s on any joint supplements and actually at the moment all he has his the Supple & Senior Balancer which contains glucosamine and MSM. Over the years I can confidently say I’ve tried most joint supplements and at many times several in conjunction. Sometimes I’ve felt like I’ve seen a big difference and other times not. Most recently when I took him off it all I didn’t notice any difference at all. However, I think it’s time I did another comprehensive review of the market and considered my options again. Worth highlighting you can easily spend £100 a month on supplements though…

• Gastric ulcers - now this I really don’t believe. Chip is the least ‘ulcery’ horse I’ve had but I guess he’s also very stoic. He has no symptoms other than the lack of topline and enthusiasm (but I guess I tested him for Cushing’s on just these two). However, scoping is invasive and stressful for the horse and I’d want more indicators before putting him through something like that.

• Teeth - Chip has his teeth checked annually by our lovely dentist and he’s never had an issue as long as I’ve owned him.

• Worms - I worm egg count my horses every 6-8 weeks and then actually give a wormer (to target encisted red worm) after the first frost every autumn. His counts are always low.

• Saddle fit - As you know Chip has the most wonderfully, well-fitted saddle which we recently tested as being 20% more shock absorbing than an equivalent saddle.

• Physio/osteo - Chip sees the physio every 6 weeks (without fail) and more recently the osteo too. He’s due another osteo treatment later this month.

For now I’m going to wallow in a state of confusion and uncertainty on what my best next steps are.

Chip is in every way his usual self other than being 10% quieter and definitely less keen in the school. He's not lazy and you couldn't ever call him a kick along but he's just not up in his bridle as much as he used to be. I do know he's getting older and I do know he's a high mileage horse but I just want to preserve him as best as I can.

I think in the immediate short time I'm going to research the joint supplement market again and try to give him some more support in the least invasive way.

Then I'll discuss the veterinary options with my physio and osteo when I see them next and get some more expert opinions.

Also start saving!

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