Cushings and loss of appetite

[Pidgeon]

Basically diagnosed with Cushing's in January this year. TRH stimulation test showed a level of 660 when should be below 100. Started on 1 tablet of Prascend/day. Had to reduce for a week as loss of appetite and diarrhoea. Retested end of March when level had dropped to just over 300. Another test done beginning of June and down to just over 200 so on vet advice increased dose to 1.5 tablets/day. Horse is 17hh 18yo ISH weighing about 660kg, not fat in any way as always erred on the thinner side to be honest. Still has a loss of appetite and struggles to even eat an apple/pear/carrot etc. Is this normal over 5 months since going on to Prascend? He eats hay/grass like its going out of fashion but wont touch his hard feed which contains his arthritis and stringhalt supplements in. Have tried a range of different feeds to tempt him but nothing really interested in, so kind of tearing my hair out as wasting lots on supplements he's not eating that he really needs. Any ideas much needed please?

 

[JillA]

Is it the taste of the supplements (i.e. would he eat it without, or has he got so wary of a nasty taste that he won't even try?) What base feed are you using - mine accept pretty much anything in soaked Equibeet (unmollassed beet pulp) and grass pellets, supplements seem to hide better in soaked feet. If they begin to leave a bit I up the proportion of grass pellets and they eat it then.
Otherwise the old apple puree in a syringe trick, and shove it in him that way. I found a lamb colostrum syringe works best for my old lady who doesn't reliably eat all her feed so has to have her Prascend syringed into her mouth.

 

[be positive]

The old pony I had at livery went off his feed when on prascend, he was ok initially then gradually became more and more picky, he only really wanted grass, it had nothing to do with eating the tablet that was given by hand in an apple for ages, I tried all types of feed he would eat a new one for a day or two then decide he no longer wanted it, in the end as he was not laminitic and was under weight I put him onto build up type mixes and he got better, still not eating enough but at least eating something.
I think you may struggle in the summer when the grass is plentiful, maybe try syringing the supplements and giving a token feed to tempt him, winter he may be more hungry and happier to eat if left with a bowl overnight.

 

[Gloi]

Mine's tastes changed after being on Prascend. Fortunately he isn't thin so no panic. He has never gone off grass and hay but is a lot fussier about concentrates and I gave up trying to get him to eat his hoof supplement. He does still like oats and anything mollased, though he is meant to be on low sugar so he doesn't get that. He gets the Prascend in a bit of bread which he likes.

 

[mightymammoth]

what about cutting a slice of bread into 4 or 2 with a little jam in it and making a sandwhich? Or what about a bit of speedibeet or even sugarbeet, just the bare minimum to get his supplement into him.

 

[ester]

what supplements are you feeding/how important are they? I don't believe most joint supplements help because usually the molecules are too large to be absorbed and then somehow they are miraculously supposed to make it to affected joints .

If he is a good weight and still eating grass I wouldn't worry too much.

Have you tried him on a chopped grass type at all? I had some trial packs of these recently and the museli went down very well with Frank and the guinea pigs! - unfortunately they will be getting the lower cal options

http://www.red-rufus.co.uk/

 

[brucea]

This is NORMAL for PPID

My PPID pony does this every year - and when you say to yourself " the nights are starting to draw in" then he will suddenly wake up and start heating like he is making up for lost time.

Change the way you are feeding him - at the moment my lads eat their cubes dry, moisten them more than a light crumble and they sniff and walk away.

Experiment too - I got a big pack of pumkin seed that were going out of date for 50P - so thought he would like them. He did, it was an unusual taste for him and he really enjoyed them

 

[splashgirl45]

I give mine her tablets in a carrot as she wouldn't touch her feed with them in. she then went off the food that she had eaten happily for years...I contacted lots of feed companies and got samples so I could find something she would eat....she is on formula4feet and baileys light chaff(which smells really minty)...and in the winter I add fast fibre as she now wont touch speedibeet..she is also extra fussy with her hay and I have to get the most expensive!!!!!!!! I wonder if the tablets make their taste buds change I cant think of any other reason..

 

[southerncomfort]

When we first tried my old pony with Prascend she had a bad reaction to it and stopped eating AND stopped drinking and basically gave up on life.

When her cushings became too advanced to treat herbally and she became poorly we had no choice but to try again with the Prascend. This time though my vet prescribed another drug at the same time which is an appetite stimulant. We started on literally Prascend dust! Gradually increased to 1/2 a tab and after 2 weeks we were able to begin weaning her off the other drug.

If you are really worried, speak to your vet about temporarily reducing the prascend and trying an appetite stimulant alongside (I *think* it was Periactin).

 

[zandp]

Mine's the same, started about a month ago, just sniffs her feed and leaves it, I now forget about the supplements she's meant to eat every day, give her the medicine with a treat by hand and make sure she has loads of hay.