10/09/2026
Handsome huggable Jett is, currently, hand-down our most medically complex resident.
He arrived August last year laminitic and extremely sore-footed. We sorted through that with xrays, Soft-Ride boots, Equioxx for discomfort, frequent small trims to correct hoof angles, and SmartLamina pellets. Over time he became pretty much sound, with just occasional ouchy days.
Hand-in-Hand with the laminitis, he was diagnosed with Cushings. We started him on Prascend. He took it like a champ for about 3 months and then said “No Thank You”. I tried hiding it in Standlee pill pockets, Fig Newtons, Stud Muffins, apple quarters, carrot chunks. All were a Big Fat No. I tried shoving it into his mouth. That led to abraded fingers. At that point he lost all trust and wouldn’t even eat or take Any sort of treat. Sooo, having clients who had good success with it, we put him on Hilton Herbs Vitex Plus. After a month he actually shed out! Success!!!
So we had him on the right path, right? Whelp, over the winter into spring he started with elevated respiration, sweating … just being darned hot. Body clips and frequent showers helped. Tri-hist helped a bit, but not enough. Zirtec did nothing. Finally, pulled the Albuterol out of our arsenal and That does the trick. He’s not “text-book” heavey, no snap crackle pop in the lungs, but something is going on.
Over the summer he started losing weight. We chalked it up to the heat, to the discomfort of a laminitis flare-up, to the high humidity and his lungs. We increased his feed, we added Triple Crown Safe Starch. He got body clips, we played with meds. We ran a CBC panel that showed an elevated white blood cell count. We ran a course of antibiotics (SMZ’s) through him. The Lymes titer - normal. He was still too thin, added Manna Pro Rice Bran. Then he had a mild colic episode end of September. While Eli was here I whined about Jett’s weight. He ran an ACTH titer for metabolic/Cushings. It came back through the roof. So much for the Hilton Herbs. Back to the Prascend. First dose hidden in a Muffin, (same muffins we hide his Equioxx in). He took one bite and spit it out. I texted Eli. His response - “Incredible”. Eli placed an order for good old fashioned liquid Pergolide and he gets a dose squirted into his mouth daily.
Initially he was off-feed from it, but now he’s eating. AND he seems to have put on a bit of weight. 🥳. Fingers crossed for continued improvement.
So, this is a Looong story getting everyone up to speed. I’m not sure how many will read to the end. I don’t really post out extraneous donation requests beyond the usual biggies (vaccines, holiday-giving-season) too much any more because they just don’t get much attention. BUT, Jett wracked up a hefty vet bill this month - posted in photos. A donation towards Jett’s medicals would be Greatly appreciated, no amount is too small. I’ll put our PayPal link in the first comment.
If you’ve read to the end, THANK YOU! 💜
