Feeding an elderly Cushings

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gaufron

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My 32yr old pony has had Cushings for 2yrs or more. He has never had any symptoms of laminitis. His condition is complicated by lack of teeth so he cannot eat hay and is finding grass very difficult to masticate. I feed him soaked Alfalfa cubes sugar beet and high fiber cubes 3 kilos in all per day. He has just about managed to keep weight on but recently he has begun to look very thin. I am going to get the vet to check him over for any other underlying conditions causing his weight loss. He also has Vitex (original tincture) to help with his cushings symptoms, he will not take Pergolide no matter how I try to disguise it! He is otherwise well quite energetic and he looks happy. However I am loath to take such a thin pony through another winter, even though he is stabled. He also has sunflower oil and a few oats in his feed and I have just started to increase his feeds. He is rugged at night and during any rainy windy weather. I would welcome any other suggestions especially about feeds. I don't want to call it a day until I have tried everything and because he seems so content.
By the way he is 14.2hh cob X thoroughbred
 
my friend was feeding her 36 yr old cushings pony grass nuts.. i've never tried them so cant really say...she couldnt eat grass or hay, so she soaked grass nuts and happy hoof..
 
My cushings pony has lost weight recently and I've managed to plump him up a bit by increasing the amount of linseed meal he gets. It's made his coat shiny too and I'd rather feed him this rather than increase his time out on the currently lush grass! Add water it makes a good mash...no chewing required!
 
Thanks I will try that, if I can find any linseed mash. Who makes it? I live a long way from civilisation (mid Wales) so suppliers are few and far between
 
gaufron said:
Thanks I will try that, if I can find any linseed mash. Who makes it? I live a long way from civilisation (mid Wales) so suppliers are few and far between
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I get mine from Charnwood Milling. I think they deliver 'worldwide' so mid Wales should be easy! Their micronized linseed meal comes in 20kg bag I think, so lasts a long time!
 
If he's not being treated at all for the effects of 24/7 cortisol then sadly the result is a foregone conclusion. My 28 yr old has grown so suspicious of medication being hidden in his favourite foods that he now won't even take a mint from my hand. But he's on D&H Pasture mix and it's so gritty and crunchy that 2 Pergolide tablets broken in half and lobbed in with the mix aren't noticed! They have no taste that I could detect.
 
Your ponys Total fibre intake should be around 2-2.5% of his body weight I order to promote weight gain. If your pony is struggling with grass and hay then you may need to increase his feeds.

My old pony suffered with very bad teeth and was given hay replacers daily. She was a 14hh Anglo Arab. She was fed around 7kg daily in order for her to keep weight on.

It may be worth while adding another feed to her daily routine and increasing the amounts slightly. Adding micronised linseed would also be another great addition as oil weight for weight is 2.5 times higher in calories.

If you need any further help, please feel free to pm me. Its such a worrying time. Wishing you all the best for winter.
 
Our old boy was bordering skeletal despite copious amounts of soaked alfalfa and oils. we were advised to feed him balanced oldster with hifibre cubes made into a mash with boiling water then left to cool. He had 3 small fees a day. He blossomed over the winter and we have now cut his feed down as he was getting porky!
 
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