Cushings? Thoughts please

[scruffyponies]

Pony in his 20s out on loan as a companion for about a year. On grass, no hard feed. Vet (routine visit) in spring advised bringing in during day, out overnight. About a week ago he went stiff in front, reluctant to step out. No heat in feet.

We decided lack of movement might be an issue and changed back to full time turnout (bare paddock). He's lean, no stiffness in neck, but one week on is still lame with warm fronts.
Coat still hasn't shed properly and looks rough, so suspect Cushings.

If he goes on prascend, can he still go out on the grass with his friend, or will he have to be kept in for a prolonged period?
If the latter, I think I would rather PTS. He has been out all his life.

 

[Tiddlypom]

If you can get the ACTH levels under control with Prascend he might well be able to live a fairly normal life re grazing.

If it was me I'd give it a go.

Acute Laminitis is always an emergency though, can you at least boot him with frog supports pre getting him vet assessed and ideally his feet x rayed? Box rest on a deep bed maybe still with frog supports is the ideal during a attack.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

agree with Tiddlypom it's definitely worth a go but I would get him off grass now as further damage will be done if his left consuming grass while he has laminitis.

 

[paddy555]

Pony in his 20s out on loan as a companion for about a year. On grass, no hard feed. Vet (routine visit) in spring advised bringing in during day, out overnight. About a week ago he went stiff in front, reluctant to step out. No heat in feet.

We decided lack of movement might be an issue and changed back to full time turnout (bare paddock). He's lean, no stiffness in neck, but one week on is still lame with warm fronts.
Coat still hasn't shed properly and looks rough, so suspect Cushings.

If he goes on prascend, can he still go out on the grass with his friend, or will he have to be kept in for a prolonged period?
If the latter, I think I would rather PTS. He has been out all his life.

there is no answer to that one.
I have a little mare who is now 38. She had laminitis 10 years ago, I dealt with it and she has been on prascend for 10 years. The vet warned me about grass but my view was if she couldn't go out with her children (she is an ex feral mare) then kept in she would have little quality of life.

mine is out all day (summer and winter) and comes in at night. Coming in at night is her choice and she loves it. I don't restrict the grass by day. So it works for her. May not work for another. Just a case of trying.

I would give prascend a go and look at your turnout. Try and restrict it with her friends as well or bring them in to start with. (whatever you can work with) and then gradually open it up and give more slowly. See how it goes. It is well worth a try. May well work easily for the winter and you can work around the summer a little.

 

[Tarragon]

My 25 year old went on Prascend (a tablet a day) when he was 18 and was field-kept and has been field-kept since; I didn't have to change his management.

 

[paddy555]

Pony in his 20s out on loan as a companion for about a year. On grass, no hard feed. Vet (routine visit) in spring advised bringing in during day, out overnight. About a week ago he went stiff in front, reluctant to step out. No heat in feet.

We decided lack of movement might be an issue and changed back to full time turnout (bare paddock). He's lean, no stiffness in neck, but one week on is still lame with warm fronts.
Coat still hasn't shed properly and looks rough, so suspect Cushings.

If he goes on prascend, can he still go out on the grass with his friend, or will he have to be kept in for a prolonged period?
If the latter, I think I would rather PTS. He has been out all his life.

I forgot to add about boots. What I did, as I was unable to box rest (she hated it) and I couldn't X ray (she was too terrified) was to get boots with pads in (easyboot RX's) and at the first sign of trouble put those on. She wandered loose around the yard in them and also went out in the field booted. This kept her out of pain and worked well for a difficult situation.

ETA please don't anyone take this as a way of dealing with acute laminitis. .

 

[meleeka]

I have two with cushings who both live out on poor quality grazing. I worry about them less than my mini who’s tested negative. If the lami was caused by cushings, it makes sense to me that they shouldn’t get it if the medication is controlling their levels. Of course I still watch them carefully, but in my mind they’ve never had laminitis because of grass (one has never had it at all anyway). The mini however has had grass induced laminitis so he worries me
more.

 

[splashgirl45]

I kept my cushings mare on her normal routine which was out 24/7 in summer and in at night for winter, I was careful with what I fed her but otherwise she lived a normal life with prascend daily. If ,when she was diagnosed, I had been told she needed to stay in she would have been PTS then. Quality of life is more important than quantity IMO..

 

[Connemara24]

I had a 28yo connie with cushings he was on prascend and he lived out 24/7 In winter and in during day out at night with soaked hay in the summer.

 

[ameeyal]

I have had 2 with cushings, one couldn’t have grass so I had him pts, the other is now 29 and lives out on a grass track eating what he wants no problem.

 

[Daughter of the Moor]

Pony in his 20s out on loan as a companion for about a year. On grass, no hard feed. Vet (routine visit) in spring advised bringing in during day, out overnight. About a week ago he went stiff in front, reluctant to step out. No heat in feet.

We decided lack of movement might be an issue and changed back to full time turnout (bare paddock). He's lean, no stiffness in neck, but one week on is still lame with warm fronts.
Coat still hasn't shed properly and looks rough, so suspect Cushings.

If he goes on prascend, can he still go out on the grass with his friend, or will he have to be kept in for a prolonged period?
If the latter, I think I would rather PTS. He has been out all his life.

I have a native pony with Cushings (PPID) in his late 20s who lives out 24/7 365 days a year with free access to shelter. He had his prascend dose increased from 1/2 to 1 last year after a touch of laminitis. Like you I won't shut him in and if he does get laminitis will probably decide to call it a a day and PTS. For me it is all about quality of life not quantity.