Thursday, July 28, 2011

Just How Efficient Are Horse Supplements

By Ryan Ready


Horse Supplements are actually effective. They can help make your animal resistant to most diseases. However, sometimes you need more than vitamins if the sickness is just too much. Cushing's disease is a slowly progressive condition that is a result of unusually large levels of cortisol within the body. Although the disease can occur in any variety of horse, it is more prevalent in Morgans and some pony breeds. It can exist in horses of both sexes as well as in animals of every age group; however, it appears to be more common in elderly animals.

Even though a relatively rare disease when compared to other horse diseases, the condition is showing up more often. One reason for this is because horses, similar to humans, are living longer due to advances in health care and nutrition. Cushing's disease may be found in human beings, dogs, horses as well as other mammals. Metabolic syndrome, also known as peripheral Cushing's syndrome, is a different ailment that has a lot of the same symptoms of Cushing's disease. Clinicians say it could be a factor in horses which develop Cushing's disease. The illness cannot be cured.

However, the hormone levels may be regulated by means of medication, therefore controlling the condition. Many of these drugs can cause or aggravate liver disease, so you should not overdose, and a blood test of liver function before you start treatment and occasionally thereafter is advisable with liver-affecting medication. One also needs to treat the secondary problems including diabetes and laminitis which develop as a result of Cushing's disease. Additionally watch carefully for infections or illnesses, which are more likely to occur and much more hard to clear, due to a depressed disease fighting capability. Also, injuries are less likely to heal on their own so horses must be kept clean and may require antibiotics.

The horse may also be made more comfortable and its well being improved by means of management of the symptoms. For instance, if it does not shed its coat in spring, resulting in the horse having an excessively hot coat during summer, you can clip the coat. As a way to verify a diagnosis of Cushing's disease, specific hormone tests are usually undertaken. While the signs and symptoms of Cushing's syndrome are related to excessive production of cortisol by the adrenal glands, the amount in the blood differs throughout the day. This will make it hard to distinguish between amounts of cortisone concentration in the typical horse and a horse with Cushing's affliction.

Horse Supplements are extremely beneficial however, you should know when you need more. The most widely used test for classic equine Cushing's affliction is the DST test. This test determines the effect of dexamethasone within the blood cortisol concentration. It blocks ACTH secretion by the healthy pituitary gland and considerably decreases circulating cortisol. Since it is unable to block ACTH creation by the pituitary tumor, it does not suppress blood cortisol levels inside the horses impacted with traditional Cushing's syndrome. High cortisol levels restrict the action of insulin, causing elevated insulin levels in horses with Cushing's syndrome.




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