feed for cushing horses

[amandaco2]

My boy has just been diagnosed. He's a big lad, poor doer but now also lamantic. He can't have alfalfa as his skin and hooves react to it.
He's on fast fibre, hay, grass and pro balance with added salt.
ATM he's on box rest whilst recovering from laminitis.
He's dropped weight on nearly adlib hay, he doesn't need to drop any.
He was on copra before, which suited him well, I stopped it as he was getting too round about 5 Months ago.
But he will need something to replace the grass he now cannot have free access to do I was thinking about restarting copra once the laminitis settles. Also hoping it may mask the prascend!
What does everyone feed their Cushing horses?
I was wondering about if he needs more zinc and copper?I plan to test the hay and grass as well.

 

[ihatework]

Can I suggest you contact GWF nutrition?
I have a 21yo TB type with advancing cushings. He had his first lammi bout last spring and he is also showing some intermittent neuro symptoms. He has been a good doer all his life bar the last couple of winters.

GWF have bought out a low/no starch version of their Fibregest. It isn't launched yet but if you call them they will advise how to get hold of it. It comes in small pellets and can be fed unsoaked or soaked. Ingreadiants are similar to the standard Fibregest but the oat part is replaced with copra.

It's giving a massive 13.5 conditioning but with a combined sugar/starch level of 2.5

I'm very pleased with it so far. My horse will even eat dissolved prascend mixed in which is unheard of over last 5 years of struggling to get it into him!

 

[Sprout]

2 of mine have Cushings and are on Prascend. They are on Safe and Sound and I add Baileys lo-Cal balancer in the winter - they seem to do very well. Hope you can find something that suits yours.

 

[danda]

Dodson and Horrell brought out a feed that is specifically for Cushings horses , called cushcare condition, check on their site, it is high in oil and under 10% sugar and starch. My old boy had both COPD and Cushings and he was ok with this, he died from a complication from Cushings but nothing to do with Laminitis. Hope you find a suitable food that your's likes.

 

[_HP_]

Cushcare contains Agnus Castus which is small quantities can work against Pergolide.

Have a look on this site for diet suggestions. It's a very informative site. They have a Facebook page too ...EMS, PPID (Cushing's) and LaminitisUK ... the ladies on there will help you.

http://www.thelaminitissite.org/ppid.html


Be sure to introduce the Pergolide slowly so as to avoid the 'veil' that can effect some horses.

 

[Boulty]

Mine has copra, micronised linseed and agrobs muesli and meadow cobs along with a mineral balancer and agrobs mash as a gut balancer as well as adlib hay. He is slowly starting to look a bit more normal weight-wise (he dropped a lot of condition at the end of Summer which is actually what led to me testing him). I have read about cushings horses having increased need for vitamin e but hadn't heard about copper / zinc needs being increased as well

 

[amandaco2]

The vet started him at 1 tablet daily but I've been giving him half daily after reading the group posts. I will increase it up if he needs it obviously. He's doing ok, eating is not too bad sometimes he doesn't want the bucket feed unless its hand fed but I'm glad I started at a smaller dose.
He is drinking less, still plenty. I've been wrapping his legs to keep them warm as j clipped them off to let the vet look at him properly whilst he was getting investigated.
The only worrying thing is he's looking a bit uncoordinated on his hind legs, as if he's a bit drunk, but he had lami in 3 hooves so it looks like he's trying to lean on the one unaffected him foot.....

 

[_HP_]

Are his hooves supported?
Have you taken xrays to see what's going on inside?http://www.thelaminitissite.org

 

[Micky]

Second having a look at the laminitis site, full of recommended feeds for over weight and those needing more condition, also I read that you shouldn't dissolve prascend but can't remember the reason but certainly not recommended! Micronised linseed is good alrounder, helps with condition, hooves, coat etc... Mine lost a lot of condition/muscle initially but once the ppid was under control, he began to gain it again.

 

[amandaco2]

His hooves have pads on.he has been trimmed to xrays last week, he did look more sore after this.....
Will join that fb group. Looked at the case studies, my boys xrays are nothing like those thankfully he has very small changes.
I will put him back on linseed micronised again too.
They are such a worry, I want to try to do the best by my boy from the start.
He's eating the half tablet.in one piece in salty feed handfed. I hope he continues as he's very fussy. The tablet is bitter so dissolving it would likely make the whole feed taste bad so they wouldn't eat it....

 

[ihatework]

It's fine to dissolve prascend - that is what BI recommend on the package insert.
You aren't supposed to crush it.

Yes it tastes like **** and definitely taints the food if dissolved. Mine won't eat it out of anything (sugary mix, in carrots/apple/polos etc) - but will eat it dissolved in 250ml of water and mixed into a half scoop of fibregest, go figure!

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

st hippolyt equigard was developed for metabolic horses.

i know several that have been transformed by it

 

[Micky]

Apologies..getting confused with dissolving and crushing!!! As long as starch/sugar levels are below 10%, certain feeds will be fine...

 

[Gloi]

Both ours get their tablets wrapped in a scrap of bread and have never had a problem taking them.