Cushings, Prascend or not?

[splashgirl45]

Interesting , although I don’t have a horse now I like to keep up with everything, it was costing me just over £4 a day but I had hoped to find something a bit cheaper. I was already taking my pension so every penny counted, luckily I had a few credit cards so she always got the best even if I didn’t

 

[paddy555]

I wouldn't use herbal remedies. If I was going to pay money it would be for prascend
I am very sceptical of ACT test results. To me there would have to be a high test result plus clinical symptoms to use prascend. Saying that some are not aware of all the cushings symptoms.

mine tested 11. I didn't believe it and retested a couple of weeks later. I think we managed around 17. That horse had every symptom in the book.

prone to infection, needed twice the antibiotics of a normal horse
endless hoof abscesses.
loss of top line,
fat but thin ie pot belly but muscle loss
covered in skin infection. With that alone I was close to PTS on welfare grounds.
poor at walking downhill
vey very lethargic to ride, we would have got there quicker if I had carried him
had to live grass free

we had a total mismatch of symptoms and test results. It is difficult to describe how bad his symptoms were yet the test didn't support it.

all of those went with prascend. He was on it for about 8 years. Never did test again. I just measured the dose based on his symptoms ie if any ever came back

If I was in that position again with a mismatch I would TRH test.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I wouldn't use herbal remedies. If I was going to pay money it would be for prascend
I am very sceptical of ACT test results. To me there would have to be a high test result plus clinical symptoms to use prascend. Saying that some are not aware of all the cushings symptoms.

mine tested 11. I didn't believe it and retested a couple of weeks later. I think we managed around 17. That horse had every symptom in the book.

prone to infection, needed twice the antibiotics of a normal horse
endless hoof abscesses.
loss of top line,
fat but thin ie pot belly but muscle loss
covered in skin infection. With that alone I was close to PTS on welfare grounds.
poor at walking downhill
vey very lethargic to ride, we would have got there quicker if I had carried him
had to live grass free

we had a total mismatch of symptoms and test results. It is difficult to describe how bad his symptoms were yet the test didn't support it.

all of those went with prascend. He was on it for about 8 years. Never did test again. I just measured the dose based on his symptoms ie if any ever came back

If I was in that position again with a mismatch I would TRH test.

We TRH tested an Appaloosa who kept testing 'within normal limits' on ACTH, that result came back *8x* normal. Vet suggested that I sit down when she rang with the result! Unfortunately, the Prascend only gave her a few extra months.

 

[NinjaPony]

Prascend or pts is the only realistic choice. My Welsh has been on it for a couple of years now after testing positive following an unexpected bout of laminitis. When his levels got too high last winter he got laminitis again, he’s now on a pill a day and looks really good, you’d never know he had it.

 

[zandp]

Prascend / Pergoquin does work. My elder mare was tested years ago at 350 (normal level for the time of year was less than 20), she's now been on Prascend 14 years and nobody believes she's 29. She's gone from 1 to 1 and half pills as well so the dose hasn't increased in a scary way. We're having some skin issues this year but otherwise she's really healthy and doesn't look or behave like a 29 year old. I'm really herbal normally - but had a great discussion with my vet and chose to medicate.

 

[suestowford]

When mine was first tested he was 10x what he should have been. He was a bit footy, and that's what made the vet do the test as he was very slim and shouldn't have been laminitic. He went on Prascend and within 6 weeks was back to his usual sunny self. Oddly enough he'd been very itchy for a year before diagnosis, that all went once he was on Prascend and I'm assuming it's how Cushings was affecting him, although it's not on the usual lists of symptoms.
He's been on it 7 and a half years now and has today galloped up the field full pelt so it's obviously doing him some good. I think he would be dead by now if he'd not been on it.
I'm very wary of supplements as I too have read that Agnus Castus can negate Prascend. I don't know enough to say whether there's anything else in the supplements that might also react with Prascend, so I don't buy them.
I would always say try Prascend first, as that (as far as I know) is the only thing that actually slows down progression of the disease. Agnus Castus only tackles the symptoms.

 

[Mrs B]

Hi, and welcome to HHO!

Mine had few symptoms - he was finding his work a bit harder than he should, and grew a thick coat earlier than normal ... and he's 19 so thought I'd test anyway.

This was at the beginning of October. ACTH level came back as 1157 - surprised the vet so much she thought about re-running the test!
Started on half a tablet of pergolide and tested again after 8 weeks - down to 212.

Now on one tablet a day to see if we can get him down to a 'normal' level in 2 months' time.

He is more cheerful in his work and happier in himself, so I'm very relieved to have got him tested and medicated! As someone said further up the thread, it's a bit of a ticking time bomb disease if you don't.

 

[poiuytrewq]

For both my ponies its been a god send. One has 3 quarters and the other a quarter ( very handy!)
Apart from getting the one on the larger dose to eat it at first, and he still tends to go off feeds from time to time but i just switch to something else Ive had no issues at all, only good results.

 

[Pidgeon]

Pig has been on pergolide since Jan 2015. Symptoms were a poor coat when clipped that winter. For me it's a no brainer, the pergolide keeps him alive. Welcome to HHO