Hormonise for Cushings

ladyt25

ladyt25

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My 27 yo pony has recently been diagnosed with Cushings. Really the only indications are the coat not shedding so well and some weight loss when he usually lives on fresh air.

I am not overly keen on putting him on pergolide or the other veterinary treatment as I wouldn't say he is severe and feel it can be managed at the moment and I am looking at alternatives.

I have just ordered some hormonise as read some reviews on it and also searched for previous posts on here. I found some but they date back to last year and older.

Has anyone had their cushings horse on Hormonise (or any other herbal remedy with similar ingredients) for a sustained period and what, if any changes have you seen? So far most reviews seem to be positive but, having owned said pony for 19 years and he's always been slightly 'riggy' (although tests for this years ago were negative) I am a but concerned his riggy behaviour could get worse! He is the herd leader as it is although has allowed the youngest one (his prodigy I think!) steal his food etc over the past few months which is very unusual for him.

Any replies appreciated! :)
 
Hi, I cant comment on Hormonise , but I put my border line cushings horse on feedmark's C plus and then NAF Cushinaze and since his first test, his levels have come down slightly. He is is just agnus castus now. Cant say if its the supplements or not that have done this, but they certinatley havent done him any harm.

His coat is thick, but as he is not in work at the moment (due to a leg injury) he is not clipped and would normally be by now. His his coat has lost the wave too. I woudn't say his coat is any thicker than it should be considering his breed type and the fact he is out 24/7 unrugged.

I think agnus castus is good for riggy geldings as well as cushings. Good luck and I hope this helped.
 
i give my mare with cushings cushy life and its really worked wonders for her that chaste berry as well but it is a much stronger solution of 1:2 and it has saved her life due to how poor she was on pergolide
 
I feed chaste berry powder which is cheap at £10 for a kg to my cushings pony. He is great on it. A letter to a recent BHS magazine told of a pony fed chaste berry rather than pergolide and the pony's levels returned to normal on the chaste berry in a few months.
 
My 27 year old mare was diagnosed with Cushings about 10 years ago (She had Laminitis) and she has been on one tablet of Pergolide 250 Microgram (daily) since then. She has been fine ever since as is regularly hacked out.
 
I think its up to the individual horse, mine is borderline cushings, is on 1 tablet a day, his energy levels have gone up, his coat shed and his laminitis cleared up ( obviously i altered his diet, hi fi molasses free, bare paddock out fot the night, in on soaked hay in the day).
He was very grumpy with humans and other horses which was totally out of character for him and to ride was very lethargic....
I have heard that chaste berry ( agnus castus) works for some horses but eventually they have to go onto prascend..
 
Thanks for the replies. I thought Hormonise did have chaste berry in? I had read that the chaste berry powder wasn't maybe as palatable and, seeing as he can be a somewhat fussy eater - he is very suspicious of any changes and thinks we are surely poisoning him - I thought would give this a whirl.

I read some posts from last year about it sending some mares a bit loopy and I was a bit concerned it could send him back to overly riggy! Hmm, I guess time will tell.

How long did it take for people to notice any changes when feeding this or indeed the chaste berry?

He is not bad at all in my kind but the test was a figure over 100 (I didn't speak to the vet my mum did) which I believe is high. He has never had laminitis and his coat is not curly it's just he's always had the most fantastic coat and, up until last year that was unchanged. Then he just seemed to not lose it to the same degree and was left with 'fluff'. I put it down to the crappy weather last summer and him holding on to his coat as a result. This year though, although he lost a large amount of it he did not get his usually lovely coat hence the cushings alarm bells ringing!

I guess all I can do is give it a whirl. I didn't think it was too expensive - £18 for 1 litre so I figure cheaper then pergolide etc.
 
as a reading of 100 is high, you have a higher chance of him getting lammi, just because he hasnt had it before doesnt mean he is safe..i tried to put my mare on chaste berry, but she wouldnt even go close to her feed bowl even though i only put about a teaspoon in her feed..so i had to go on to prascend and it has changed her back to her old loony self. my main problem with it is the cost as my mare is on 3 tablets daily...but her quality of life is most important..the reason i put her on prascend was to try and avoid laminitis(she also has never had it, fingers and toes crossed!!!!!!!!) might be worth having a chat with your vet as this time of your is very dangerous for cushings horses regarding laminitis..
 
Have seen a very elderly pony make fantastic improvement this summer on agnus castus. New glossy coat (after shedding a coconut mat) ,weight gain and an improved topline. No blood tests done though so not scientific proof that it works.
 
harmonise does have chaste berry but it has quite a weak solution of it compared to others such as the one i use, the stuff i use works out about £20 a month, on pergolide it cost me double that, i found my mare picked up within 2/3 weeks she had her appetite back and she was so much happier in her self, and i have heard that chaste berry powder can be less palatable i havent tired it so dont know but i dont mind any problems with my mare having the liquid i use and she is very fussy with referance to the point about long term it not working there is new research showing that with other herbs as well this may now become a long term solution however currently the main understanding is that chaste works in early and mid stages but in very late stages it is likely you will need to move on to peroglide or perscend however the way i see it it buys time before you have to use that and its a case of quality of life over quantity in my opinion and the over side effect of pergolide which is that over long term use it can damage the liver of the horse which is likely to already be weakened due to laminitis whereas chaste berry helps to detox and cleanse the liver so improving function and reducing the chance of the laminitis bout i hope that helps here is the website for the cushy life product that i use is here -- http://www.equineherbals.com/ also if you weant more info or research the owner of the company james hart is very open to sending info and talking to you as i found he is happy to send articles etc
 
Thanks flame96. As I have bought it now I will give it a whirl and then maybe change him on to what you are talking about. I am realistic. At the end of the day he's 27 and no spring chicken but I want to ensure he is comfortable for as long as he has left. If it wasn't for his coat not looking quite right you wouldn't even think he's the age he is!

Another problem is he possibly has some arthritic changes in his spine/sacroiliac area as he's has problems with his movement over the last year (hence is now no longer ridden). After physio he's ok but it's been coming and going although various vets who have seen him said they couldn't find anything wrong. I can't really get a diagnosis of arthritic changes as most tests are unlikely to be conclusive, would be expensive and not really worth it as the treatment (pain relief) would not change. He is comfortable on 1 bute every couple of days so I am not overly concerned about him BUT am aware that could mask any signs of laminitisso do have to keep a keen eye on him!
 
Well, I started pony on his Hormonise today so we shall see how it goes and if there's any change at all. He ate his dinner with it in so that's good as he is highly suspicious on any new ingredients! :)

I will keep people posted if I notice any dramatic changes!
 
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