Last program I talked about care of the older horse, and considered some special nutritional needs and dental abnormalities.  Today I want to follow up on some comments made by Dr. Nancy Loving at this year’s AAEP convention concerning Cushing’s disease.  Cushing’s disease is common in older horses and results from a tiny tumor on the horse’s pituitary gland that causes excess production of cortisol.  Excess cortisol causes increased water consumption, weight loss due to decreased muscle, a long hair coat that doesn’t shed, increased fat deposits around the tail head and neck, and most importantly causes many of these horses to founder.  Founder is a condition in which the bones in the horse’s feet rotate away from the hoof wall and cause severe lameness.  If you have a horse that has these symptoms, contact your vet as there is a medication that can help older horses with Cushing’s disease. 

Another condition that also causes these older horses to have a crusty neck and excess fat is called metabolic syndrome.  This is a condition that also causes horses to founder and it is related to being fed too many nonstructural carbohydrates.  Nonstructural carbohydrates are common in grain but also can be high in pasture and even some hay.  Dr. Loving reminds us that horses do not eat grain in the wild and this is something important to remember.  There is an increased risk of colic and founder from eating grain, and most older horses need very little if any grain.  If they need extra calories, feeding a fat source such as beet pulp or vegetable oil is much safer.  Older horses should be examined by your vet at least twice a year.