Top Spec Senior Balancer and cushings

Orchardbeck

Orchardbeck

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I've been having a big rethink about my 23yo's diet. Without too much detail she was always on a balancer with a bit of chaff or latterly speed beet. She was ill over Christmas and lost loads of weight which I have managed to sort with decent forage (haylage) plus feeding a lot of calm and condition. She now looks normal again, heading to her good doer status hence the rethink.

Having consulted all the nutritionists at the big feed companies, two have come back and recommended Top Spec senior balancer with dengie alfa a molasses free, taking the alfalfa out if she continues to put weight on with spring grass. This is based on the supplements I was adding to her feed.

I prefer to keep her on the slim side but she can be deceptive with a broad rib cage so the balancer option appeals to me, but the senior one is really expensive - is it worth the money?

They have also recommended I have her tested for cushings based on the info I gave them.

Does anyone feed this combo to cushings patients? And those who feed cushings drugs, how much do they cost?
 
I can't comment on the cushings side but I do feed the top spec senior balancer. It is quite expensive but for me I use it so that I don't have to buy a separate joint supplement so when I take that into account it works out good value for money. For me it cost just under a pound a day as a bag lasts 40 days and I buy it on line for 38 pound something a bag delivered. It has helped my mare with her movement and she is defiantly less stiff and also has improved her hooves and coat. If you don't need a joint supplement then I think there would be cheaper balances to use.
 
Hi

I have a recently diagnosed cushings lad. He used to be on baileys low cal balancer, hi-fi & Speedibeet with some soya oil He looked good on it

Since getting cushings, I got a breakdown for top spec balancer and the top spec senior. They were pretty much exactly the same, except something to help with their joints was higher. Seeing as Dizzy doesn't suffer with arthritis etc, I put him on the normal top spec balancer, hi-fi, speedibeet and cut out the soya oil. He looks fabulous on it, and the vets, farrier etc congratulated me on how well he looks :). I certainly didn't think the senior balancer was worth the extra£10. I also don't give him thd recommended amount either, so 1 bag is lasting ages

With his cushings medicine, prascend I get 60 tabs (2 months worth as he's on one a day) and it costs me £74 (inc p&p).

Hope that helps :)
 
My 28 year old boy had a lami attack about 8 years ago which led to testing for cushings, which he has pretty mildly, and has been controlled with very low dosage of prascend. Since this time he has been fed happy hoof and top spec anti lam, which is serving him very well. He's looking good coming out of this winter.
My old eventer with hock changes is on top spec senior and he's doing fine on this. My other 2 are on the top spec comprehensive, I could do with some shares in top spec!
 
I did get the senior one for my lot (all blimmin veterans or with problems) but I don't think I will again. I seem to recall that glucosamine is contra-indicated for Cushings or IR horses because it can increase the risk of laminitis - does anyone else know about this? My very old lady (33) who has Cushings was very stiff through her sacrum but is better and more active on Danilon, so it really isn't worth the risk of having glucosamine in her feed.
 
I put my old girl (29, low level Cushings) onto Sure Grow. It has all the nutrients you could possibly want plus low sugar and starch. Its way cheaper than other products. Well, we all turn back into babies when we get old, don't we!?!!
 
Thanks all, this is really useful info. Russianhorse, I'll pm you for the details and thanks for the info on Prascend - I'm waiting for my vet to call with advice about testing and costs etc.

Zangels, that is also useful to know that you have had success with it.

I do use Devils claw and a joint supplement at the moment, along with Equimins Advanced Complete, magnesium and micronized linseed on top of Calm and Condition and Alfa A non molassed and I reckon it would actually be cheaper to feed the balancer than all of these separate things, plus less hassle - especially if it has a joint supplement included.

If I could be bothered to work out how long these things lasted me I could work out the cost savings properly and I would know - something tells me my spreadsheet obsessed farmer husband will make me do this first...
 
If you get a break-down of the Top Spec I would be amazed it would come anywhere near the Equimins Advanced Concentrate - it is the highest spec I have found, and if your horse does have Cushings, you would be better to switch to the Equimins Advanced Concentrate Meta Balance as advised by the ECIR (Equine Cushings and Insulin Resistance Group). I bet the Equimins works out cheaper in a comparison too... I am sad and have compared it to all the vit/min and balancers I could get the breakdown for :o

I think your horses diet is pretty good - Micronised Linseed is fantastic and highly recommended for Cushings horses.

You shouldn't need to add additional Magnesium with the Equimins :)

If she does have Cushings, once started on Prascend you will notice a big improvement in her condition without having to change her diet :)
 
Orchardbeck, can't believe how similar your situation is to mine! I've got a 21 year old with suspected Cushing's (being tested next week). The suspicion arose after he dropped a lot of weight in December. Again, he's a big horse and very deep through girth, so it can be hard to see, although I can definitely tell.

We weren't sure if his weight loss was due to his dental problems or something like Cushing's - in the meantime I have been feeding a Cushing's friendly diet, as advised by vet hospital nutritionist. He's currently getting 2 scoops (dry weight) of speedibeet a day, along with a mug of microionised linseed and Dengie leisure balancer. This seems like a huge amount of feed to me, as he was previously a very good doer.

He has started to put on weight again too, so now just got to get the test done and see if there's grounds for medicating him.

Just really wanted to say hi and wish you luck from someone in a similar position! :D
 
My boy was diagnosed Cushings last April with an ACTH of 290.

He went on 1mg Prascend and was test in June at 500 :eek:.

He went up to 2mg and was tested in August at 172
banghead.gif
.

So we went up to 2.5mg and he tested at 95 in December.

He will be tested again in March.

This winter he has been getting daily turnout and stable at night with a 75l tub of haylage.

am feed of Fast Fibre, Speedibeet, Pro Balance +, mug of linseed meal, apple cider vinegar.
Separate bucket with Spiller's High Fibre Cubes (he won't have them wet in winter :rolleyes:).

pm feed of Fast Fibre, Speedibeet, Pro Balance +, mug of linseed meal, yea-sacc, 1000iu vit E.

Separate bucket of copra and oats in warm water.

Since the weather went mild, he has refused Fast Fibre and is getting unmolassed timothy chop instead.

In summer he will be out 24/7 with a bucket feed of Spiller's HFC, Pro Balance +, salt, mug of linseed meal, yea-sacc and fennel seeds.

There's before and after pics of when we hit a blip this winter
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=587967&highlight=copra
 
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