More 'oomph' for Cushing horse

[paddi22]

Was just hoping to get peoples advice on feeding a horse that was diagnosed with cushings a few months ago. I have them all on Equerry conditions mash currently, and the rest all look great but it doesn't seem to suit him. He isn't looking well on it, is harder to get muscle on and lacks spark. He used to be on oats and an oat balancer before he was diagnosed and was much happier in himself and looked 100%. I know the starch and sugar need to stay low, but is there any other feed people use that gives a bit more of a boost for competing or building up?

 

[Tiddlypom]

Extra protein.

I’ve been giving my two PPID mares whey protein isolate for the last few weeks, and it’s really helped to pep them up and improve their top lines. About 66g/day each.

Available from Forageplus and Progressive Earth. There’s also pea protein, which is cheaper but I haven’t tried it.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I would put him back onto what suited him previously. Once they are established on Prascend, Cushings horses are no more likely to suffer laminitis than any other horse.

 

[paddi22]

I would put him back onto what suited him previously. Once they are established on Prascend, Cushings horses are no more likely to suffer laminitis than any other horse.

I have to keep him barefoot due to a navicular issue, my worry is the hoof quality would suffer with a higher cereal feed? I'm new to it all so not sure if I'm being too cautious?

 

[Micky]

Low sugar and starch feeds below 10% combined..chop, micronised linseed, plenty of hay soaked or unsoaked, and as said whey protein is a good help building muscle and weight gain.. give it time for the prascend to work. Personally I would ditch any cereals.

 

[planete]

The fact he is on Prascend is unfortunately no guarantee he will not get laminitis or other problems associated with PPID, especially as hormone levels fluctuate with the seasons and it is very easy to miss a seasonal rise until the horse suddenly becomes symptomatic. PPID is also a progressive disease and increasing levels of Pergolide are usually needed as the horse gets older so keeping all the risk factors to a minimum is a good long term strategy. For very up to date knowledgeable information see the Equine PPID facebook group.

 

[paddy555]

To get him back into good condition I fed mine copra, micro linseed, grass or alfalfa pellets, a supplement (equimins for him) salt and 5000iu vit E per day. Dr K recommends this amount of vit e for PPID horses. There is an article about that on the FP articles section.

You can get whey protein isolate from bulk powders. It may be cheaper there than FP/PE.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I certainly wouldn't feed whey to a horse, they are not evolved to digest it.

If he doesn't have shoes, you would have an early warning about any foot problems. I have never fed a horse on oats but if he did well on that feed before the diagnosis, I really can't see the problem at least in the short term. I fed my Cushings horses on Agrobs haycobs and linseed. They did well on that regime.

 

[paddy555]

I certainly wouldn't feed whey to a horse, they are not evolved to digest it.


.

I cannot begin to remember how many gallons of goat's milk (high in whey) I fed to my horses on a daily basis over so many years. They did very well on it.

There is an article here about WPI if anyone is unfamiliar with it.

https://forageplus.co.uk/product/isolate-whey-protein-for-horses/