what are the treatment options for cushings?

mickeyfinn1

mickeyfinn1

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I think my horse has cushings however when I spoke to the vet today I was told it is going to cost me £200 to have him tested and then that the treatment was also very costly.

I was wondering if any of you can share your experiences of the treatments available and how effective they are.

thank you
 
Mine was tested through a blood test which including the vet visit was much cheaper than that. The tablets are prascend and it is cheaper to pay the vet for a prescription and then buy them online. They are effective on mine definitely worthwhile. By effective I mean she is in better shape than she was before her diagnosis
 
What makes you think he may have cushings? Has he had laminitis?

My cob has had 2 tests, both borderline, one a bit over, the second a bit under, and isn't showing any real symptoms except lethargy and holding onto his coat for a bit longer than normal.
Vet thinks its too early to start on drugs, so I started him on vitex agnus castus (monks pepper) and he does seem a bit more lively, so that might be worth a try depending on why you think he may have it.
 
My friends pony has cushings. At 23 we thought we would loose her, she started on pergolide and is still going strong at 28. They have recently re named them to prescend I think. She has 3 a day in her feed. It costs my friend about £120 a month I think.
 
There is only one treatment for Cushings and that's Prascend. When you say treatment, you mean prescribed by a vet? Or do you mean how can you manage a horse with Cushings?
YOu can manage their diet and eliminate as much sugar and starch from the feeds and treats and some people recommend adding monks pepper or agnus castus to the feed. This herb can help in the early stages but as the condition progresses, it becomes ineffective and then you need go onto the only treatment available.
The blood test measures the ACTH - can't tell you what that stands for but when I have it done on my gelding it costs me approximately £60.
Then the treatment - Prascend tablets - nowadays cost about 90p per 1mg tablet so it depends how many your horse would need to control the ACTH in the blood and keep it at normal levels.
Some horses only need half a tablet a day, some need several tablets per day to keep laminitis at bay.
I do know quite a few horses/ponies that obviously have Cushing, are showing most of the signs, but their owners just manage it by restricting grass at danger times and eliminating as much sugar from their diet as possible. You have to monitor them carefully for any signs of laminitis, especially autumn time as this is when the ACTH levels are at their highest.
Hope this helps, good luck
 
The test costs around £40 - the expensive part is the vet's visit. The people who make Prascend were doing a free voucher for the first test for a while, I think it has ended now but you could always ring them and ask. It seems to be something they do periodically now. I have two on half a tablet a day each. The tablets cost around 90p each if you buy them on line. Although they don't slow the actual nerve degeneration that causes Cushings, they do slow the overproduction of dopamine which is what leads to the symptoms, and it is likely that by doing that they slow the disease a little rather than just controlling the symptoms, so if you start Prascend early you may be able to keep the dosage lower for longer. I don't think there is any hard evidence for this yet but it makes physiological sense.
 
Highly recommend the facebook group for help, knowledge and support..EMS/PPID group...Andrea is a font of knowledge on there and very helpful :)
I got my Cushings test free as they had an offer on at Liphook, ask your vet to check if they are still doing it.
My prascend costs about £1.10 from the vet but as soloequestrian said, you can get then online for 90p. Also depends on how many tabs you are giving to your horse.
You may want to review his diet as well, Hi Fi Molasses free, salt, a good supplement/balancer ( dengie vits n mins) and soaked hay, restricted grazing, all to prevent Laminitis.
As for cost, its difficult, I'm up to 500 quid already but I really want to get my lad right again so we can go exploring the countryside! He has had a mild case of lamintis though and I've had to fork out for bute which is pricey when you buy in bulk!
Give the FB page a go...:)
 
Second Joining that Ems/Ppid group on Facebook..Andrea is very knowledgeable and will offer her advice to anyone who needs it..My old mare had Cushings but never had a Laminitic day in her life but she was a pig for getting Abscesses.
 
hollybear said:
What makes you think he may have cushings? Has he had laminitis?
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The only sign he is showing is holding onto his coat which is quite long, thick and dull. Other than that he doesn't really have any other symptoms. He dropped a little bit of weight but we seem to have got that sorted now he is showing no signs of lami or insulin resistance at all.
 
My old pony showed few signs- he held onto his winter coat longer than I liked and he lost some topline, I had a niggle it was cushings so I got him tested, his ACTH was in the 90's, my vet advised to give half a tablet a day but ill admit I went against that and just have him half a day and his ACTH came down to under 20. He looks really good now. The cost if diagnosis was just the vet call out fee. Contact the liphook hospital to see if they are still doing free tests.
 
hollybear said:
What makes you think he may have cushings? Has he had laminitis?

My cob has had 2 tests, both borderline, one a bit over, the second a bit under, and isn't showing any real symptoms except lethargy and holding onto his coat for a bit longer than normal.
Vet thinks its too early to start on drugs, so I started him on vitex agnus castus (monks pepper) and he does seem a bit more lively, so that might be worth a try depending on why you think he may have it.
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Can I ask where are you buying agnus castus from, not been able to get this as a powder
 
Natural horse supplies do it in powder form, beware, it has a bitter taste and may take a while for your horse to like it! :) The site shop is good, have ordered from them before.
 
asset2004 said:
Can I ask where are you buying agnus castus from, not been able to get this as a powder
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I can get it from my local feed merchant in seed form and then I grind it myself in a coffee grinder each day.
Originally, I fed the seeds whole, but not sure if they work as well like this, and as I grind fresh linseed everyday I just put the agnus castus in with that and grind both to a powder before feeding.
As above though, you can buy it powered from several places, progressive earth on ebay comes to mind. :)
 
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