Cushings Disease

[Luxgood]

Hi
Recent cushings diagnosis. Pony aged 27 and generally in good form. Vet due out this week to discuss further. Any advice tips.

 

[Cortez]

Err, listen to what your vet tells you? Other than that, it'll be getting any prescribed medication into the pony (my Cushings mare eventually refused to eat the pills voluntarily no matter how we disguised them).

 

[Mosh]

Listen to your vets but I've been on the journey recently after struggling to find out why she was so poorly and not getting better on antibiotics/ventipulmin etc.
I was already vigilant for laminitis with a suitable diet and regime but the risk does increase with cushings. I've kept her in the same level of work, if not a bit more to keep her weight down as well.
I found she was extra wet so had to play with bedding and stable lay out and she struggles with temperature control (feels the cold a lot more now)


And I started the medication at a lower dose to avoid the veil and built it up over a month or so and had more regular tests done, vets and myself had many a chat and she is currently on 1½ tablets daily which suits her well. She'll eat the tablets out of my hand but I do give her a polo to help.

She is looking pretty amazing at the minute and feels well judging by the antics I've had over the last couple of weeks.

 

[Winters100]

I am also fairly new to this, but I can say that my mare responded really well to the treatment. We retested after 6 weeks on 1/2 a tablet a day and levels were normal.

The biggest problem that I had to start was getting her to take the tablet. I was putting it into bananas and apples, until someone here told me never to give it in wet food. Now she takes it easily with a small handful of muesli.

Right now she looks great, and feels full of energy.

Good luck, and I hope that you find things manageable.

 

[hobo]

I agree with the listen to your vet. Mine was diagnosed this spring after having her first ever laminitis attack. Vet was amazed how much she improved in one week from the laminitis but put it down to me keeping them at home and doing everything he said and not listening to 20 experts on a yard.
I was very lucky she went straight on to 1 tablet a day and eat it from the begining but she is used to various things in her bit of Hifi that she gets. She had the 6 week check all good and has also had the 6 month check which again was really good. She had piled on the pounds and is now back down to her 2015 weight and is very well and lightly hacked to keep her mobile as she does have athrititis as well. Mind you my monthly vets bills are a bit eye watering but I have had her nearly 18 years so she does not owe me anything.

 

[Laurac13]

My elderly mini Shetland has been on prescend for years and is doing really well the only issue is getting his half a tablet into him! The medication does wonders ?

 

[TwyfordM]

If you haven’t already been warned by vet, when starting the meds it can get worse before it gets better with the dreaded prascend “veil” depression. Once dose is right (might take a few blood tests and dosage adjustments) horse should be better than ever!

 

[Bob notacob]

Fight , dont give up hope. Love from Bob and his servant \mike.

 

[Gloi]

Build up the dose of meds gradually. They can work wonders though.

 

[meleeka]

I have two on Prascend. They are very different. One takes her tablet from my hand without a treat and the other has to have it syringed in. One has had an increase in appetite and the other, who was never really a foodie, is very fussy. Do join the FB group for some really helpful info. I think it’s called equine cushings or something to that effect but it has a large following.

 

[Archangel]

There is a great FB group - Equine PPID (Cushings) - all the info for those new to PPID is in the announcement section and worth a read. Also in the files is a spreadsheet detailing sugar/starch levels in various feeds. You need to keep the combined level below 10% - include any supplements in this as well.

A lot of vets prescribe starting off at the full dose but this can cause problems with the veil as already mentioned. I would only do this (now I have more experience with the condition) when laminitis is present/likely. I started mine with quarter tablet and built up.

I tend to up the dose slightly during the seasonal rise (which is end July to end Oct). This is a critical time as a lot of autumn laminitis is PPID related. Then reduce it with a slight increase again in Spring. Before doing anything though, chat with your vet.

Mine is blood tested once a year, usually December, when I am running bloods for his annual check up anyway.

 

[Luxgood]

Listen to your vets but I've been on the journey recently after struggling to find out why she was so poorly and not getting better on antibiotics/ventipulmin etc.
I was already vigilant for laminitis with a suitable diet and regime but the risk does increase with cushings. I've kept her in the same level of work, if not a bit more to keep her weight down as well.
I found she was extra wet so had to play with bedding and stable lay out and she struggles with temperature control (feels the cold a lot more now)


And I started the medication at a lower dose to avoid the veil and built it up over a month or so and had more regular tests done, vets and myself had many a chat and she is currently on 1½ tablets daily which suits her well. She'll eat the tablets out of my hand but I do give her a polo to help.

She is looking pretty amazing at the minute and feels well judging by the antics I've had over the last couple of weeks.

Thanks very much, can I ask

If you haven’t already been warned by vet, when starting the meds it can get worse before it gets better with the dreaded prascend “veil” depression. Once dose is right (might take a few blood tests and dosage adjustments) horse should be better than ever!

Thanks very much for your reply.
can I ask what’s the “veil”

 

[Luxgood]

Listen to your vets but I've been on the journey recently after struggling to find out why she was so poorly and not getting better on antibiotics/ventipulmin etc.
I was already vigilant for laminitis with a suitable diet and regime but the risk does increase with cushings. I've kept her in the same level of work, if not a bit more to keep her weight down as well.
I found she was extra wet so had to play with bedding and stable lay out and she struggles with temperature control (feels the cold a lot more now)


And I started the medication at a lower dose to avoid the veil and built it up over a month or so and had more regular tests done, vets and myself had many a chat and she is currently on 1½ tablets daily which suits her well. She'll eat the tablets out of my hand but I do give her a polo to help.

She is looking pretty amazing at the minute and feels well judging by the antics I've had over the last couple of weeks.

Thanks very much for your reply, very helpful.

 

[TwyfordM]

Thanks very much, can I ask


Thanks very much for your reply.
can I ask what’s the “veil”

Once they start the meds it’s very common for them to go off their feed/hay and be very quiet/down/depressed with no energy, It’s known as the prascend veil, with most horses it passes but can take a while. With my mare she had it the first time around and it just didn’t pass, she she was very young (10) so I decided to wait until symptoms were worse. She’s gone back onto a different version this time (bova paste) with no issues, but that’s because she needs a very small dose.

It can be a bit alarming if you’re not expecting it, but it doesn’t happen to all horses, some are fine from day one.

 

[Luxgood]

Thanks very much for all your replies, extremely helpful.
We are starting on half tablet per day.
Stabled at night, grazing during day in small field. ( weather permitting)
No laminitis but very itchy skin.