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need cushings help

1K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  Yogiwick 
#1 ·
24 yr old warmblood has cushings. Its time to switch to a cushings feed.. lliie low starch etc.. with low nsc I want to have a complete feed for a cushings horse and will still offer some hay to reduce ulcers..etc.. best feeds for cushings?
 
#2 ·
The complete feed should be hay.

As with any horse. Hay first.

Do test the hay so you know what you're dealing with. The problem with our horse is the low NSC "lousy" hay we give him just doesn't have the nutrients he needs so he drops weight.

So low NSC but as nice as possible while being that hay. I would talk to your vet to advise further than that.

If possible avoid typical grains but that's not always possible.

I would talk to your vet and do some googling. I have learned a lot through self research.
 
#3 ·
Low NSC doesn't necessarily mean lousy. And NSC isn't what you're l ooking for, you want to stay below 10%ESC and starch combined. As the base for everything else. Is the Cushings controlled with medication? If not, that would be the first priority. Then, the hay needs balancing. To make up for what's missing. Equine Cushing's and Insulin Resistance Group Inc. has all the necessary info on testing, diet etc.
 
#7 ·
Yes, medicine is the place to start.

Just want to specify no lousy hay does not equal "safe" and vice versa. Just what we have available for our horse is "lousy" (previous years first cutting, course, bleached, etc. Obviously NEVER moldy or bad in any way, just not tasty! lol). As I said in the next sentence you do want it as nice as possible while still meeting your horses needs.

To add- our horse always used to be a very easy keeper but that has changed drastically. It's partially from a drop in quality of hay for example but is also due to the Cushings/stress. This makes me more cautious to advise what I'm assuming is a large horse that is being worked to be put on a very strict diet, say of hay only. It just may not work for every horse.
 
#4 ·
It's good more people are starting to appreciate the importance of healthy diet BEFORE a horse is recognisably suffering. I believe all horses should be fed as 'laminitis prone' horses must.

Not at all meaning that as any kind of judgement on you or others Luke, as we all do the best we can with what we know, just that if the people who you learned from taught you 'it's time for "cushings/IR diet" to KEEP your horse healthy' ... I believe the vast majority of these type 'diseases' can be avoided with 'preventative medicine'.

Agree with Yogi on basic diet stuff. Low sugar/NSC grass hay, or if can't get that, soak & drain hay to leach out sugars before feeding. Whatever nutritional additions the horse may need to balance his diet. Especially salt & magnesium.

But 'Cushings' is not just about diet, not even necessarily about diet. But chronically high cortisol levels appear to be a(the?) huge factor. That is, chronic, long term stress, be that bodily/physical, or mental. Removing/reducing stress in the horse's environment is therefore an important factor. Dr Bruce Nock is another who has done a lot of work on this subject, if you want to look him up.
 
#5 ·
offer plenty of hay not some hay.

What desert and Loosie said on feeding.

Hay isn't just to feed for filling their tummies up. It's the major part of the diet. The concentrates are just insurance that enough vitamins and minerals are getting to the horse in decent proportions.

ECIR group is about the best info out there. Any article you trip across by Dr. Kellon is worth reading. I'm kinda drawing a blank at the moment...Eleanor I think her first name is??

I'm really thinking prevention is the key. All these insulin and metabolic problems seem to nearly parallel western civilization with its diabetes crisis and super sized sodas.
 
#8 ·
seem to nearly parallel western civilization with its diabetes crisis and super sized sodas.
I feel it's a bit more than 'seems to nearly'. And isn't it a coincidence that the animal side of the equation is mostly confined to domestic horses, dogs, cats... of the Western world...
 
#6 ·
We have a cushings pony. Only thing we changed was diet. And the change in her was huge.

Grass hay (free access to round bales) , ration balancer, and as of late beet pulp.

Vet was pushing the meds and after he seen her after we changed her diet asked where we got the meds site ce we didn't go through him. Didn't believe it was a diet only change. But he's also not our vet any more lol.
 
#10 ·
Have done a little research and we are doing what works for us right now.

We do want him on the lean side anyways due to these issues. Right now he's pretty good, lean but not skinny.

I will keep that in mind as it was my understanding that second cut is far worse. Thanks for the info!

I pretty much just wanted to point out that some horses, for various reasons, do need more than just hay, which makes it tricky when dealing with metabolic issues.
 
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