My Horse had been on the Prascend which caused him to lose his appetite. Vet says he can go on half a pill once it comes back, but it’s been over a week. Vet said( thru FB PM)- Vitamin B Complex helps. I do NOT want to do injections, i’m squeemish and no help around. So is there a pelleted B complex, or something other than the injectable?
Is there another type of appetite stimulant? I thought i remembered giving my horse Vitamin B12 years ago for appetite. but now i can’t remember…
B vitamin injections work better because the hind gut of older, (Cushing’s?) horses tend to be inefficient at absorbing many vitamins. The feed supplements just get thrown away in the poop.
Is it known why Prascend makes horses loose their appetite?
Can someone do injections for you? It’s really easy.
Some folks have said Licorice and/or Fenugreek encourage horses to eat.
Did you type that correctly? Usually the protocol is to reduce the Prascend until the appetite comes back, then start slowly increasing the dose until you’re back where you want to be.
Fenugreek and licorice are sometimes used to increase appetite as either a top-dress of the food, or as a mix-in.
Ultra Cruz makes a pelleted B vitamin supplement.
My VET told me to STOP the prascend until his appetite comes back, then give half a pill for a week, if he continues to eat, and then at week 2, add the second half of the pill to the evening meals. So he would get half a pill per meal at that point.
No one can help me, as I said. we have a guy who feeds, turns out and cleans stalls ( only 2 horses use stalls here) And he knows very little about horses. I would have to give the injections.
I did some research, and Prascend is a dopamine receptor agonist. They do cause nausea.
Prescend reco’s reducing, or stopping for 2-3 days if a horse stops eating. The appetite should come back fairly quickly.
How long has your horse been off the Prascend and is his appetite coming back at all?
Has his reluctance to eat been going on long enough that he could have developed ulcers? There is a thread about Abler paste curing ulcer with scopes as proof.
Can the another boarder, a trainer, or the vet give a B-12 shot and see if it perks the horse up? It does not need to be done repeatedly if there is not a deficiency.
Jingling!
It was not clear to me that you had already stopped the Prascend, sorry, that’s why I clarified with what is the usual protocol. I’ve also heard it very commonly to start with 1/4 pill and work up in 1/4 increments.
A week isn’t a long time, depending on how long he was on the meds to begin with.
If he can have some alfalfa, try some alfalfa “tea” - soak a cup of alf pellets in a gallon of water and see if he will drink that. If so, you can use that to entice him to get back on his regular feed, even if it means adding small bits of his food to this tea until he’s up to where he should be.
He pretty much lost his appetite on June 2nd around there. It seemed like a long time to me, but my vet said sometimes their appetite can be off for 2 weeks or a little longer. In his life before cushings, he was an air fern. He could survive on nothing and still be chunky, so seeing him like this is very upsetting to me. I will try whatever i can. Tonight I added shredded carrot to his dinner. He ate about 1/3 of what I had given him. If it is Nausea, I can understand. Just hate that it is taking so long.
I think I will start up with 1/4 pill once his appetite comes back. That seems better than a half a pill. He began the Prascend about May 13.
As previously suggested, oral B-complex vitamin supplementation may help appetite, as well as fenugreek, fennel, or mint.
Apple cider vinegar sometimes helps. Try a couple of tablespoons mixed into grain ration.
My horse likes mint tea. Literally. Take a couple bags of peppermint tea, rip open into 8qt bucket of warm water. It’s something I will use when I’m having trouble getting him to drink water at a new place. Or in winter for a treat (summer, he likes diluted lemon-lime Gatorade). You might try making a soupy meal with that. Fenugreek and fennel seeds you can buy in some spice sections of the health food stores (fennel you can find just about anywhere, but not everyone may sell fenugreek).
Horse started Prascend May 13, 2017, and by June 2, 2017 has lost weight and his appetite? That’s only 20 days! :eek:
Have you joined the Cushings group (on Yahoo I think?) They may be able to shed some light on this, they have loads of experience. This is their new site https://ecir.groups.io/g/main
Pepto Bismol helps nausea. It can be given to horses @ 5cc (by mouth) per 100 lbs. with nausea, An average size, 1000 lb horse would take 50cc
I believe they can take the chewable tablets @ 2 per 100lbs. Or may be Tums?
The cheapest I have found fennel seed (also helps with gas and nausea) and fenugreek locally is Whole Food’s bulk spice area. I would buy a a couple tablespoons of each to see if horse amenable before ordering bulk quantities. Don’t let the price scare you @ $26.00/lb that’s less than a dime a Tbs.
Hope your guy starts eating asap and none of this is needed.
Thanks. He is still eating only 1/3 of what he should. I am worried that the Prascend is going to do more harm than good. I am going to talk to my vet about options.
I agree with Ghazzu, pretty much as always. My main go-to, first try is Papaya. Have yet to have a horse balk at it. Most are still licking their bucket long after the feed is gone. It can be had in large cans pureed. Or I take a fresh one, cut it up a bit and grind in blender, food processor.
Its a B-1, not B 12. There is an appetite booster also available. OP - if interested, please send me a PM.
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