This is Cortez. His previous owner was concerned about his quality of life as he had appeared to age quickly and was lethargic. His new owner had us out to evaluate him. On physical exam he was lethargic and moved stiffly. He was approximately 100lbs underweight with muscle wasting over his top line. Evaluation of his feet showed signs of previous laminitis events. A TRH stim was performed and radiographs were taken of his feet. His blood work showed that he had untreated Cushing’s disease or PPID. Cushing's disease is an endocrine disorder that can put horses and Donkeys at a higher risk of equine metabolic syndrome, laminitis, and non healing infections. Cortez was started on Prascend and a shoeing prescription was given to the farrier. Cortez recently had a 3 month recheck where he was a much healthier and happier horse. He had gained 70lbs, his feet were in much better condition, and he had a pep in his step. His new little girl enjoys riding his around their property and looks forward to riding next summer!

Stay tuned for a blog post on laminitis coming next month.