A poorly old horse

Krystal is in her mid twenties and has been at the sanctuary for many years.  She is a lovely, gentle pony and apart from having only one eye, she has been fit and well – until recently.  A few weeks ago Krystal became lame and when the farrier came he diagnosed laminitis.  This was puzzling because she wasn’t overweight and the first flush of sweet grass is long gone.

The vet came and confirmed the diagnosis, Krystal was put on a fibre rich diet and given medication and pain killers.   There wasn’t much improvement and on her second visit the vet suggested a blood test.   The results have just come back – Krystal has Cushing’s disease which is also known as Equine Metabolic Syndrome.   Apparently it’s fairly common on old horses and is the reason she developed laminitis even though she wasn’t overweight.   We’ve seen dogs with Cushing’s and know that it can be treated so hopefully it will be the same for Krystal and we’re waiting to here from the vet about treatment.

More about Krystal and Cushing’s disease coming soon….