Your experience of Pergolide (Cushing) pleeese!

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canteron

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After a summer of laminitus, abcesses, metformin and unhappy horse, we now have a positive test for cushings for my 19yr old retired cob.

The results are relative low, so am starting Pergolide tomorrow.

Would love to know how your horse got on with this drug ..... did it mean the horse could eventually resume a relatively normal 'retired' horse life - ie out 24/7 if weight strictly monitored, or did you find you still had to keep the horse in/off grass, etc.

Did the laminitus stop, or reduce, or no real impact.

Its a whole new world for me and I don't know anyone who has been through this .... the vets are lovely, but have never actually had a horse with cushings themselves (so don't always understand the work impact of what they are asking you to do!!)

Thanks to everyone who can help, all experiences welcome.
 
Hey! My 22 year old mare has very early stage cushings which was diagnosed in June. She had laminitis in November but our old vet didn't suggest cushings. It was our vet we got referee to for a misdiagnosed lameness( which turned out to be nothing) and he noticed she had a slightly fluffy coat and that she was holding onto it for abit. She's now been on the drugs since late June and they are fantastic! Shes on one every morning, they can be a pain for them to eat but I've found that a bit of honey on the drug makes her eat it happily. I havnt got much experience on the laminitis side since we * touch wood* havnt had any problems since last November. Her turned is limited to 4 hours a day now since the diagnosis but the grass isn't limited. Getting a grazing muzzle for winter though just to be on the safe side. We think that last years lammy was to do with her going out on frosty grass and on haylage. Now on soaked hay and later turn out. If you get the diagnosis early enough then it should return your horses life back to almost normal. With exception that you've just gotta keep an eye on it. However we got told that my ponies is that mild that if she was retired, like yours, that she wouldn't even be on the drugs yet it's only since she's still in full time work.
Before starting drug
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Now
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Best of luck and if you need any advice/ support just pM me. X
 
my old boy (20-something) has had a lovely year thanks to pergolide. the laminitis cleared and he is out 24/7 (with access to a large barn) with his old friend, and a younger pony. He often plays mouthing/chase games with the youngster, and seems to be very well in himself. He is on a reasonable (but not silly) amount of grass and has ad lib hay at night. I have found getting and keeping weight on him quite tricky, but he was never a good-doer at the best of times. He is adequate at the moment. He is a bit fluffy in coat, but his feet are fine.

Hardest things was getting the tablets down him - I tried to disguise them in everything but to no avail, and managed to put him off several foods in the process. Now I grind the tablets, wrap them in a tiny, thin bit of paper that our local baker uses to wrap bread in, and pop them into his mouth - then I do t-touches (I know, it's mad, but it works) around his lips and gums until I can see him relaxing and swallowing. If I can ease the paper out of his mouth I do, just leaving the grains of tablet on his tongue, but if I can't I don't worry, and he never seems the worse for it. I have found this the least stressful way of getting the meds down him.

I'm pleased he's had such a good year, if he showed signs of going downhill again and the tabs couldn't help I would call it a day quickly, as I feel he has had a good time now and would not want him to suffer. I was all for pts when he was at his worst and the vet encouraged me to try this, and I'm glad I did. Good luck with your horse.
 
Mine has been on it for about 10 months since going down with major league laminitis last year. Going on the drug was the turning point for her, she has been clear of laminitis (but the abscesses have continued sadly!)

Mine was quite depressed for the first 2 or 3 weeks going on the drug, but I was prepared for that (they sometimes call it the Pergolide Veil apparently!). But after that she perked up and has been fine and back to her old cheeky old self.

She has been turned out 24/7 all summer on a bare paddock, getting soaked hay twice a day and has been absolutely fine.

So, other than the cost of the drug, I would recommend it!
 
NB I use a pestle and mortar and grind the pills up, then add a little syrup and mix that up, add a titchy bit of warm water to make it runny and, finally, drizzle it over a handful of feed and she munches it up with huge enthusiasm!
 
I saw that thing about depression and yet my pony never actually got it...or appeared depressed before hand. She hasn't had any side effects. Weird.
 
My friends pony has been on it for probably 5 years now. The vet modifies the dose occasionally. She still has to keep a strict eye on what the pony eats and checks for a digital pulse every day, sometimes she has a flare up, and they run the blood tests again. Her pony has been able to have a decent retirement due to the drug.
 
Wow, what fabulous responses - thank you everyone for your generosity in replying.

The Reaper - what a gorgeous looking horse, the most beautiful kind eye, and thanks so much for the offer of PM'ing you.
Tess1 - I too have been toying with PTS, this horse was retired 6 years ago after a DDFT injury and I always promised myself that quality of life would be everything, so thats really reassuring.
Old Mare - Bare paddocks, we can do, and I would love it if we could get him to be out 24/7 with his friends, as essentially thats when he is happiest.

Everyone, OK prepared for the challenge of getting the drugs down him - I now actually feel quite excited about the future for this horse and luckily I have 2 relatively free weeks to cope with the grinding/chopping/disguising chore, if there is a good chance I will have a happy horse at the end of it, it will be worth it.

Just as a matter of curiosity, how long before the horse started responding?
 
BigRed said:
My friends pony has been on it for probably 5 years now. The vet modifies the dose occasionally. She still has to keep a strict eye on what the pony eats and checks for a digital pulse every day, sometimes she has a flare up, and they run the blood tests again. Her pony has been able to have a decent retirement due to the drug.
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Thanks for that too BigRed. That means that I mustn't get too complacent.
 
One of our horses has recently started on this drug, he had lami so we got the vet in and she tested him for insulin resistance and cushings, the 1st test showed he was IR so he was put on Metaformin, the Cushings test was boarder line, we continued with the metaformin and he was tested again and he came back normal, she the then reduced the Metaformin to see how he would go on a lower dose.

He was then retested and the tests came back high again, so he was put back on the higher dose, she then retested him for Cushings as he was boarder line on the previous test and it came back that he did indeed have Cushings, he's 12yrs old which was a bit devastating for us, but he's now on Parscent(thinks I've spelt that right) and he's bucked up no end..........infact he's back to his pain in the ass self! like when he was a youngster lol lol, it's great to know he's now feeling better in himself and enjoying life again, he was quite miserable for a while, I use a pestle and mortar to get 12 metaformin and one Parscent down his neck in the morning mixed with his brekky, and then 12 Metaformin in his tea in the evening, he eats it no problem.
 
ruby1512 said:
I use a pestle and mortar to get 12 metaformin and one Parscent down his neck in the morning mixed with his brekky, and then 12 Metaformin in his tea in the evening, he eats it no problem.
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Sorry to hear about your horse, and at 12 that is devastating, but hopefully the drug will give him many more happy useful years..

As for getting 12 Metformin and 1 parscent down a horse - thats almost a days work in itself?? My horse was on 35 Metformin for a while, which to be honest just became a complete lifestyle in itself (hence why only 1 Peroglide tables doesn't seem too bad!!).
 
Yes your right it does become a lifestyle lol lol what with the tablets and supps it looks like a crack house in our tackroom lol lol I'm expecting a raid from the drug squad shortly lol lol lol We also have a dog with epilepsy who has to have pills twice a day at 12 hour intervals so I am the pill queen! xx
 
Our pony has been on Pergolide (now on Prascend this has replaced pergolide) for about 5 years, she was 14 when she was diagnosed. It controlled her laminitis well although we have always monitored her grazing etc. Over the last few months she deteriorated and blood tests showed the dose she was on wasn't working, so she has now been increased to 2 a day (she's only 11.3 :eek:) but fingers crossed it is working . Frighteningly expensive though.
 
Can i ask OP, are you on Prascend or Pergolide.
I didn't think you could be prescribed Pergolide anymore?

I had to ask my vet for a Cushings test - looked at me like i was mad, but pony kept getting the odd bout of footiness (Lami).
We were diagnosed in March, and we currently on 1 prasend tablet a day (upped from 1/2 a tablet following 2nd blood test)
He will be having another blood test in November to make sure he doesn't need the dose adjusting again - I hope not, unless downwards.

He will take his tablet buried in a chunk of apple.
Sadly he has shoulder lameness, and is permanently on half a sachet of bute every other day. Getting that in him is a whole other ball game (i've recently moved from the paste to the powder to reduce costs).
I have found that he will eat the Bute in a tiny bit of mix with a scoop of NAF Pink powders - must like the taste, and on it to help his gut etc.
 
Yes you are right, it is Prascend (I don't think my vet likes to overburden me with too much information all at once).

She has advised half a day for the first week, while he gets used to it and then 1 a day and then re blood test.

Initial results already seem good. For the first time in a long while his eyes seem 'happy' which is a joy, as for the whole summer he has looked down and it isn't fair to him to be kept like that.

I am really going to give this my best shot and try and get him so he can live our 24/hours. I am in the process of making a 'paradise paddock' type enclosure in the hope that from November to February he can live out full time running around with his friends, but I may be too ambitious.

Milliemoo, I am on the same lines as you, I would almost advise anyone whose horse had more than one episode of lami to test for cushings as if it is undiagnosed it makes owners & horses life horrible.
 
Both my 29 and 26 year old are on Pergolide 250 microgram (which is still available from chesmists). They are still both ridden and are enjoying life.
 
My 23yo was diagnosed last August with Cushings and was on 1 pergolide and 20 metformin a day, re-tested and came down to 0.5 pergolide and 10 metformin, now back up to 1 pergolide but no metformin, my vet has advised to get tested in October to monitor for winter (the changing sugars in the grass as autumn comes in).
She's on 1 X 1mg pergolide, it was costing about £169 for 100 tablets from the vet, I got a presecription and got it from Tesco for £66 so a big difference getting from chemist.
Pergolide is a human drug for Parkinsons, but can be prescribed for horses with a private vets script (your vet is legally obliged to give you a prescription if you ask for it, although they probably will charge you for it), my vet encouraged me to get it from the chemist because it's a human medication they just can't source it competitivley.

Mine's has actually came back into work and now thinks it's a 3 years old and keeps taking off round the school with the kids attached and runs down the field in the morning like road runner, she does get restricted to the length of time out, but doesn't wear a muzzle.
With the snow we've been getting up here the last couple of years she's not been out much over the winter anyway.
I crush my pergolide table, but I'm phoning the vet to make sure that is ok as I know the prascend tablet shouldn't be crushed.
 
You are probably ok with 250microgram pergolide, but because there is now an equine version of the 1mg (prascend)as I understand it vets are not allowed to prescribe pergolide. The vets hands are tied, and feel that it could lead to less people being able to treat their horses as the prascend is far more expensive. It is costing me nearly £60 a month for our pony on prascend.:eek:
 
My lovely boy was on pergolide tablets for about four years. He was eighteen when he was first hit with a bout of laminintis, but his tests results came back very high so there was no doubt he had cushings. He was started on two tablets a day and the reduced to one and a half. He only ever had one bout of laminitis and I was able to bring him back into work and even carried on competing with him. I rode him nearly every day and he had full quality of life he was turned out all summer on restricted grazing and hay. Unfortunately the hard ground in the winter took it's toll and I had him put to sleep in january. We enjoyed four years together we would not have had it it wasn't for his medication. I miss him everyday, but now have two super connemara ponies to ride. Good luck with your horse hope it all goes well.
 
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