Cushing’s disease is due to the excess secretion of cortisol by the adrenal gland that results from a tumour in the pituitary gland.
This excess secretion of cortisol can have dramatic effects on several body functions.
Symptoms
Clinical signs of cushing’s disease include;
- A long thick and curly coat
- Failure to shed the coat in spring
- Increased sweating
- Loss of condition
- Excessive drinking and urination
- Diabeties
- Fat deposition in the supra-orbital fossae (above the eyes)
- Dull coat and eyes
- Reduced resistance to infection
- Worm burdens
- Lethargy
- Muscle loss (resulting in a dipped back and pot belly)
- Laminitis
Cushing’s disease is more common in ponies and is a disease usually affecting older horses. It is slowly progressive and causes more symptoms as time goes on.
Can Equissage help with Cushing’s Disease?
It can help alleviate the impact various symptoms have.
There is no known cure for Cushing’s Disease but good management can help improve quality of life, particularly in the earlier stages of development.
Regular sessions will help the circulation particularly to the distal limbs (important with regard to treating laminitis); good circulation is important to ensure all areas receive nourishment for cell regeneration, etc. and to support the immune system. Of equal importance is good lymphatic and venous drainage. Use of Equissage will also help with muscle tone; it is only the weakening and stretching of muscles which results in the “dipped back/pot belly” appearance.
Equissage used as part of the management programme for a Cushing’s Disease case will help keep the horse/pony in as good a shape as possible for a longer period of time.
For more information please call 0800 072 1180, email us at info@equissage.co.uk or request a FREE TRIAL
Application
Bearing in mind that Cushing’s Disease sufferers are usually older, often retired horses, much as they still like regular attention, they don’t want constant fussing over so a once-a-day session is quite enough.
A longer session, say 30 minutes, with Equissage on a lower setting (No.3) will prove to be far effective. Bearing in mind that often Cushing’s Disease cases do urinate more, you do not want to put the kidneys under additional “strain”. The longer, gentler session will prove more effective at helping circulatory conditions as well as aiding with foot abscess and laminitis recovery.
