What do you think of

[LadyRascasse]

my 23 yr old cushings pony? i think he is looking ok weight wise and could do with a bit more muscle

he moved yards yesterday and as you can see is soo stressed by the whole situation!

 

[monkeybum13]

23? He looks about 10!
What a pampered pony, oh and very stressed as you say

 

[BeckyX]

i think that he actually looks really good considering his condition! it can be pretty hard to keep the weight on but the stress doesn't seem to show!!

 

[LadyRascasse]

23? He looks about 10!
What a pampered pony, oh and very stressed as you say

aww thank you his is a very pampered prince (infact i was told to use it as his show name lol) i am so pleased with his weight at the moment as the cushings really gave him a pot belly and made him look very fat. I put him on NAF Cushinaze about 2/3 months ago and the transformation is amazing. I would recommend it for anyone who has problems with there cushings horse/ponies. he lives off thin air pretty much, handful of hifi senior NAF cushinaze, pink powder and a handful of mix (so he doesn't throw the feed round the floor)

 

[Puppy]

Interesting, do you not give him pergolide?

 

[LadyRascasse]

Interesting, do you not give him pergolide?

No, i have spoken to the vet and to NAF and they both agree that its better for him to be on the cushinaze at the moment. it really works for him. and i would rather not give him drugs unless i absolutely had to.

 

[Puppy]

No, i have spoken to the vet and to NAF and they both agree that its better for him to be on the cushinaze at the moment. it really works for him. and i would rather not give him drugs unless i absolutely had to.

May I ask your vet's reasoning behind that? Has your horse actually been blood tested for cushings or diagnosed by appearances alone?

The cushinaze product info doesn't give you much detail about it and just says:

Designed to support vitality, provide nutritional support of the pituitary gland and optimise gut function.


Feed when your Horse or Pony show signs of old age or coat and condition deteriorate.

I'm a bit unconvinced by the sound of it tbh

Sorry for all the questions, I have a relatively recently diagnosed cushings horse myself so rather curious

 

[LadyRascasse]

have pm'd you

 

[touchstone]

I think your horse looks fab!

There is a field study here which covers cushings horses being fed supplements:-
https://www.thieme-connect.de/ejournals/abstract/plantamedica/doi/10.1055/s-0029-1234507

I've started my mare on Chasteberry (vitex) as she is 17 and showing a few signs of cushings. Too early to tell if it will make any difference yet though.

 

[joeanne]

Have to say I agree with Puppy. At the 1st signs of cushings, mine was put onto pergolide.
The sooner that happens, the better the long term outlook is.
He does look bloody good for a 23 yr old though!

 

[Puppy]

Yep, got it Although you could have just answered on the thread

I have to say, I'm not convinced by treating cushings with a supplement, especially one with so little info available on it. I'm amazed that any good vet would be happy with that.

Also, with regards to price, and being very approximate:

Cushinaze - Approx £30 for 40 days = 75 pence per day
Pergolide - Approx £43 for 100 days (@ 1mg per day) = 43 pence per day

 

[spotty_pony]

He looks fantastic! I wouldn't have guessed he has cushings by looking at him!

 

[Ranyhyn]

Fantastic looking animal!

 

[touchstone]

I am not anti pergolide by any means, but there is good evidence that Vitex does work, the laminitis clinic did a three year study on cushingoid horses using it with good results:- http://www.laminitisclinic.org/Vitex.htm

You can also buy the herb quite cheaply at about £9 for two months supply.

If it works then I think I'd rather use it and resort to pergolide at a later date if needed.

 

[SmartieBean09]

I have no experience of Cushings but would say, regardless of certain supplements, something is obviously working for him beecause he looks tremendous!

Well Done.