Obese Cushings pony?

[Horseperson432]

My pony (23) was diagnosed with Cushings at the start of winter. He is on pergoquin. I’ve had him for 10 years and he has always struggled to maintain weight through winter so I give him a good amount of food. It never dawned on me that starting him on medication could effect this- my old pony with Cushings developed weight loss FROM the tablets.
Anyway the pony has come out of winter fat and is getting fatter by the day. I’ve cut his food to a low cal balancer and handful of low cal chaff, he has limited turnout and the only “problem” is he has haylage. I give him as little as possible but he won’t eat hay at all and I can’t starve him.
He doesn’t even usually eat all his haylage, which isn’t too much in the first place.
He is on restricted work due to an injury (he was out of work all winter and is good to rehab now) but can only walk and a bit of trot for 25 mins a couple of times a week and it’s usually with little enthusiasm.
Turnout about 4 hours a day; not much grass but maybe ought to get a muzzle.
Other than that I am stuck. Any help/suggestions on how I can get weight off him?

 

[rabatsa]

Make his turnout time be on a narrow track round the field, it gives him a bit more work to eat. Run the lawn mower/strimmer over it first to reduce the amount of grass there is on the track. Feed barley straw instead of haylage or a only a little bit of haylage. He may not like it but few starve to death if that is all there is on offer. He likes his sweet cakes and thinks plain crispbreads are beneath him.

I keep donkeys and treat even the thinnest as if they are laminitic/EMS. This is one of those situations where you have to be cruel to be kind.

 

[TheMule]

I think standing still for 20hours a day eating Haylage is likely to be the top root cause of your problem- get him out, grazing muzzle on, and get him moving for his food