 Expert
Posts: 1520
  Location: Illinois | Yes, it's relatively easy to manange. Lower starch/sugar diet, alfalfa hay worked best for mine. May want to test hay to be sure, alfalfa is typically lower in starch/sugar than grass hay so its better for metabolic horses. You can test your options to be safe, I tested what my hay supplier had & chose accordingly. A feed with out oats, corn, or molasses will work the best. I tried pergolide, it made mine go off feed & get really depressed which is common so we quit giving it. You may try it, some do well on different doses. I did the smart pituitary from smartpak instead, he did fine on it. Very limited grazing if you have pasture, you basically have to treat them like a foundered horse feeding wise. If they have a laminitis attack pull grain until its over & soak feet, it may never happen or it may. I shaved mine in early summer to keep him cooler also |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 675
     Location: Iowa | I have a 26 year old mini that I have been treating for Cushings for about a year and a half. I watch what he gets for grain (making sure he gets fed low starch and sugar feed) and give him a 1/2 a Prascend once a day. He is on pasture 24/7 and gets fed grass and alfalfa for hay in the winter. The biggest challenge for me is finding grain that he will eat as since being put on Prascend he is real wishy washy with his grain likes. And getting him to take his pill. Some say that a horse with Cushing's shouldn't be out on pasture. I suspect that Kouper had Cushing's for several years before he was diagnosed. During those years he was out in the pasture with the big horses. The only reason it was suspected he had Cushings was because of his coat and he had a pot belly. With this information I decided to not change anything in that respect as I wanted him to be a happy boy and knew that if he wasnt out with his girlz he would be upset. Elected to let him live his life to the fullest rather than change and risk his happiness. Knew that by doing this it could shorten his time. I have the mentality that not one thing is right for all horses. Cushing's is a difficult disease to navigate. You will know what is the best route to take in order to be map the route for you and your horse. Good luck! |