PPID

Red was doing really well and I was starting to think about popping him over a small fence, but we had a set back. We had some very, very hot weather and a few days later he felt very messy riding out then the next day he was very footy, even on relatively smooth ground and then on day 3 I rode him in the school and he was lame in his off fore (about 4/10). His pulses in both front feet were quite strong. I gave him a few days off and his pulses returned to normal and his lameness improved. All I can think is that the grass was stressed and it triggered inflammation in his hooves. I have been toying with the idea to get him tested for cushings (PPID) for a few months now and as luck would have it there is an offer on at the moment for free lab tests.....so off to the vets we went. I was convinced he has it as from the list of symptoms he has: fat pads above the eyes, drinks a lot, wees a lot, slow to heal, footy/raised pulses and is lethargic. His results came back just above what would be considered a 'normal' range, so suggested monitoring him and then doing another test before the spring. Having read about the 'normal' range, apparently at this time of year it is expected that readings will be high and so the 'normal' range is adjusted to allow for this. I am going to speak to the vets again tomorrow to get his exact readings to see just how close to normal they are. If I put him on treatment and it brings him sound then that would be great, but it could just be that the grass is dying off and the ground is becoming softer so could just be that. I think I will just monitor him as the grass and ground changes and use hoof boots if he needs them to hack out (I did buy him some scoot boots), if there isn't any improvement then I could try him on treatment to see if it makes a difference, I can always take him off it if there is no change. Thinking back, he keeps going lame in the summer and I give him the rest of the year off, maybe it is just the stressed grass?????