'Missy' De Coriolis

Horse of the Month March 2022

Our horse of the Month for March is the beautiful Missy! Missy developed laminitis in October 2015 and due to this, her age and other signs (cresty neck and fat deposits) she was tested for Equine Cushing’s disease. The result was positive, which her owner Brigitte describes as “daunting news in itself”, and unfortunately she also had pedal bone rotation in all four feet. Missy’s shoes were removed, pain relief was started, and she was put on box rest to manage the laminitis. She was also given medical treatment for Equine Cushing’s disease, and she then began a diet of soaked hay and molasses-free chaff (under 10% non-structural carbohydrate (NSC)) to bring her weight down. Later that year she was fitted with shoes with pads for support, and Brigitte slowly and patiently turned her out for incrementally increasing periods in a very small paddock. Eventually she was able to manage short walks in hand, and finally she progressed back into ridden work!

Now Missy’s Cushing’s is well controlled and she is maintained on daily lifelong medication with regular testing. Although she is an older horse, she is still ridden and still loves life. Her diet is well-controlled to maintain good energy and condition without excess starch and sugar and Brigitte reports that she still looks and feels like a younger horse!

We know that many horse owners will empathise with your experience Brigitte – laminitis is such a distressing condition to manage, with many risk factors to minimise. We are so delighted that controlling Missy’s Cushing’s and her diet/weight worked well in managing her laminitis as well as her other Cushing’s signs. Thanks so much for sharing her story with us!