My horse has just been taking Prascend a month. First week @ .5mg and after that upped to his prescribed dose of 1mg. First of all this horse is close to 200 lbs below what he used to weigh, 700 lbs now compared to 880 in his younger years. He is a small 14 hh QH. He has always been a chow hound. So now after taking the Prascend he still devours his 6lbs TC SR (split in morn/even feed). I feed that first and then 2 hours later, feed him soaked alfalfa cubes. He will eat Bermuda hay but spits ALL back out.
He started out on this diet, before Prascend, eating his TC SR (3lbs per feeding) followed by 5lbs soaked Alf Cubes. Now a month after taking 1mg Prascend, he will eat all the feeding amt of his TC SR but only eats about a pound of the cubes (again 2 hours after TC). To me, thatâs a major reduction in his eating per day and Iâm thankful he is still eating his TC SR well.
I know decreased appetite is normal in the beginning with Prascend, I would think it would effect his total eating in general, not just the cubes when he appeared to love them before Prascend. Has anyone else experienced this? I do know I can increase his TC SR since he needs the weight, but dang thatâs expensive. I love this horse, have had him a long time but Cushings/IR is a very expensive ailment to treat for a pasture horse and a retired, fixed income owner. Any suggestions from all you experienced folks?
When I started giving my pony Prascend he wouldnât eat his grain very well but devoured his hay. One thing that helped was giving him his grain and then the dose of Prascend. Can you feed him his cubes first. Or switch the cubes to a really high quality alfalfa hay - preferably Western alfalfa. Mine like that even better than cubes. Harder to store but same nutrition.
Thank you, good to know yours had a preference of what he was going to eat. I thought not eating after beginning Prascend meant they didnât eat much of anything. He is fed in the morning, feed and then 2 hours later the soaked cubes. He is given his Prascend tablet at noon, then late afternoon his last feed. Then his soaked cubes around 7pm. So the timing of the med âprobablyâ doesnât make a difference but IDK.
I am in Texas, coastal bermuda country so I donât know much about baled alfalfa except the horror of blister beetle horror. But may check out local sources to see where they obtain. My horse quids every bite he eats if I give him Bermuda hay but he may eat the softer leaves of quality baled alfalfa.
When my horse started Prascend he was off his hard feed but ate his hay fine. He acted more like his hard feed tasted revolting than that he was uninterested in it. It wore off within a few weeks and heâs back to eating everything in sight.
Thank you, so good to know that yours started eating again after a few weeks. I have read that but from just âgeneralâ articles on the internet so nice to hear that from someone who actually experienced it. It is so hard to watch your thin horse not eat thier feed from âyouâ gave him, thatâs supposed to help him.
Same here; my pony will eat hay just fine but can be picky with his grain. Not sure why but itâs not uncommon. Can you give him a flake of alfalfa instead of cubes?
When is the last time he had his teeth floated? If heâs quidding his hay and not finishing his cubes that suggests more of a mouth/tooth issue. Smell his breath - a foul odour could indicate an infection in tooth, gum or sinus.
Mine went off his grain but not his hay. It was persistent enough that I took him off Prascend, got him eating again, then started the Prascend again. I think I did a half pill every other day the second time.
I suspect a mouth issue in your case. Remember too that Cushings horses often have reduced ability to fight off infection so youâll want the vet out ASAP if he has bad breath.
Good luck!
He was thoroughly checked by the vet a month ago, when first time testing for Cushings was done. This vet has always been the one to float his teeth. Vet said he doesnât have many teeth left, he didnât see any sharp points AND this horse now has a low heart rate with an arythmia so he doesnât want to sedate him. However, when he is next tested to see if the Prascend dose is correct, I am going to talk to the vet about floating with no sedation. I donât know if thatâs possible, but this horse is the easiest horse to do anything with, so worth a try. Teeth are very important, I know.
Ok well, thatâs a whole lot of new information.
A horse without many teeth? YeahâŠdifferent issues, different solutions. Sounds like the easiest solution is increasing the senior feed. Or, consider other options â beet pulp, soaked hay stretcher or alfalfa pellets?
Mine get manually floated without sedation.
Iâd try soaking alfalfa pellets and see if he can handle it better than the cubes. I might even mix the TC and pellets.
But do smell his breath. Mouth infections can develop very quickly.
Thank you, yes, Iâve smelled his breath, no odor. I would just feel I have done my best for this good boy if I can get his teeth floated as best they can be. I feel he is a strong candidate for no sedation. Have to convince my vet or try to find an equine dentist somewhere in the DFW Metroplex.
https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/messages Here you go join this group and they can help you with your horse. Some of the best help youâll find is in this group.
My mare has been on Prascend for years and her lack of appetite while on it has never changed or gotten better. She will eat grass but not hay or feed. So the last couple of years we only give her the meds May-October, otherwise she would be a skeleton in short order.
My mare never really lost her appetite but definitely seemed to become a little more picky when it comes to hay. Sheâll graze on grass all day, and still gets excited for her grain, but if the hay isnât to her liking youâll find a pile of it still uneaten in her stall the next morning. Sheâs also slower with eating her grain - instead of always devouring it in one go sheâll take a while going back and forth to it (though she is pretty up there in age so her old lady teeth probably have an effect on this as well).
our old boy has a noticeably reduced appetite on only a tiny dose and if he doesnt pick up soon we have decided not to medicate and let him have a happy 12-18 months then pts when the cushings catches up. he has never ever been a poor doer or picky eater and now he is both, plus a little depressed in himself 
sad to see.
i will say he doesnt suffer lami or any outward symptoms of it and his levels are very very low.
