cushings?? help?? drugs?? advice needed!!!

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luckyjac

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Hi, I have just found out my 21 year old mare has cushings, her levels were in the 150's (i have been informed by vet that normal levels would be 35)
Her main symptom was the filled eyes and coat, but I could just tell she wasnt herself and very lethargic when ridden etc, no energy.
Anyway, I really dont know where to go with this now, in terms of treatment, she had 1 lami attack back in april, but was recently lame for a couple of days just on one front leg but i now wonder if this was related? I have been extremely cautious re turnout. I am hearing alot that pergolide is no longer available?? what is the difference between prascend and pergolide???
Also at what point is prescription drugs necessary? i do not want to 'peak' too early with this drug if thats possible? can pergolide be used too quickly, should you wait for the condition to reach a certain point or the sooner the better? any advice gratefully received.:confused:
 
Luckyjac, I just found out today that my horse has Cushings too! For me it is a massive relief because for the last 2 weeks Sunny has started exhibiting the most distressing symptoms. I thought he was on his way out bless him. Vets came (Dyffryn Twyi you are the best) and took bloods for various tests. Cushings result came back today: vets said normal ACTH levels = about 40, Sunny's were 200, so that's pretty definitive. With the correct dosage and careful monitoring, horses can live happily for years with Cushings. Sunny is already 27 so any good quality extra time is a bonus. I'm hoping that after a few more happy years he'll be thundering down the field one spring day, bucking and farting with joie de vivre and at the top of one of his bucks he'll have a massive heart attack and will be dead with a smile on his face before he hits the floor lol. Try not to panic - work closely with your vets, read up all you can about Cushings, carefully listen to what your horse is telling you symptoms-wise. I guess you and I are both at the start of a new journey - PM me if you need to talk something over and I'll borrow you now and again for the same thing x
 
Hi

My old pony has cushings and we give her 'agnus castus' or 'monks pepper'. You can order it online. Its a totally natural substance and you can either buy it ready ground or in peppercorn shaped balls to grind yourself in a pepper mill. It works on the pituitary gland for all kinds of symptoms. People use it also for pms in women etc.. Moody mares benefit from it too as does my little mare who before taking it was in season everytime time she met a gelding!(serioulsy)
Helps loose the long shaggy coat too, or prevent it whichever end of the season your at.

Worth a go, works for me.
 
FR1, my understanding is that agnus castus can seemingly work almost as well as Prascend in the beginning but it loses its efficacy pretty soon. There have been some trials done but not all the information is in yet. The advice seems to be use EITHER agnus castus OR Prascend, not both at the same time or you could be over-dosing the horse and that can cause almost as many problems as under-dosing. Because of the extensive trialling of Prascend (well, Pergolide really) I'm happier going with that. If Sunny was younger or his symptoms were barely noticeable, I might have tried the herbal route but because of his age and the severity of his symptoms (extreme lethargy, ataxia, confusion, shedding problems, poor body temperature control, depression) coupled with his pollen allergy COPD I have to go with the product that the vets advise.
 
my horse was diagnosed with cushings 8th aug this year so i am a little in front of you. her level was 171 and should have been 47(normal level for autumn) so started on prascend 1 a day and after 6 weeks level has gone down to 98, so increased dose to 1 1/2 daily and next blood test due in roughly 5 weeks. prascend is made up of part pergolide especially for equines. according to information i have found it is ok to give the herbal supplement as well as prascend, i also asked my vet who confirmed it was ok to use both. however, my horse will not eat her feed with it in and as the one i have is in liquid form(vitex4equids) i have given up for now and she is only on prascend.

this is a bad time of year for cushings horses as the levels are higher due to the shortening days, if you do a search on here there has already been quite a lot of discussion re cushings and one poster had been feeding agnus vitex and her horses levels went up a lot so i think it doesnt work for all. hope this helps..
 
My 19 year old gelding was diagnosed with Cushings in July. We started him on 1 tablet of Pergolide/Prascend a day and he started to pick up really quickly. He stopped drinking excessively, had more energy, improved condition. Although I was gutted when I found out he had it at least it can be managed with treatment and he's now back to his old self :)
 
Pergalide (generic) is available from your local pharmacy - you will need a prescription from your vet (nominal charge) and your vet will tell you how much to give. Your pony will need a repeat blood test to check what the levels are once you have started treatment so that you can adjust the dose accordingly. There are various supplements available, which work really well for some, and not for others, but worth trying. Feeding additional oil can help with the greasy skin associated with cushings, but remember to supplement the vitamin e as well. Obviously you need to watch grass intake - it can be a 'safer' option to turn out in a manage with soaked hay if laminitis is a problem - and remember that frosty grass is bad for laminitics as well as the spring grass. Once it is under control, cushings is no different to any other chronic illness.... best wishes for you both.
 
Prascend (trade name) is Pergolide that is licensed for the treatment of horses, and comes in tablet dosages more suitable for equine bodyweight.

My Shetland however gets away with the human variant as he is too small/light for the minimum sized equine tablet.
 
My mare was disagnosed last September and has been on pergolide, initally 1a day, then went down to half a day and has sonce gone back up to 1 a day with another blood test being done next Monday. She was also on metformin for a while for her insulin levels but has came off that.
She's 23yo and is still in work after having several months off due to a really bad laminitus attack last year because of the cushings.
She probably won't go out much over the winter and will be turned out in the indoor arena with soaked hay (she's quite happy with this).
I get my pergolide from Tesco for £66.90 for 100, vet happy to give me a prescription (charge of £10) as they say they can't source it for a competetive price, think the last time I bought from the vet it was over £150 for 100.
Speak to your vet and see what they recommend.
 
What is your vet recommending? I have a mare that has had cushings for four years and she started on one tablet is now on 1.5 tabs of Prascend (equine Pergolide). You are coming up to the dangerous time for cushinoid horses as the days get shorter and they can go down with quite severe lami without warning.

Personally I would get your horse onto Prascend, your vet will tell you how much to give, to save him the agony of getting lami and the subsequent box rest, painkillers and sleepless nights praying the pedal bone doesn't rotate etc. You'll find his condition improves very rapidly, he'll be much happier in himself, his coat will be "normal" and, most important, unless you let him get overweight or stuff him with protein he shouldn't get lami.

You will probably need to get bloods tested at least once a year to ensure the level of Prascend is working, but I have heard of horses getting up to 6 tablets a day, (must be owned by millionaires!), so no worries about him "peaking" at his initial level.
 
I agree with Tammytoo. My horse has now been on Prascend for 4 weeks or so and the different is amazing. His is happier, his appertite isn't so out of control, but more importantly the fat pads he has had for ever (especially above and below the eyes) seem to be dimishing. I plan to have his ATCH(?) levels retested end of October and if they are below 35, we may consider a winter out at grass (assuming the grass has stopped growing by then.

My theory is, if you are going to keep a horse, keep it as well as you can.

As a matter of interest, I have also had my forage tested and found it wanting, so am feeding extra copper, zinc and magnesium. If I was on a budget, I might go for fast fibre (Allen & Page) and extra magnesium oxide as that seems particularly important for lami/cushings horses.
 
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