Favorite feed for Senior PPID horse?

[Nevada10]

I’m struggling to find the right combination of low NSC with calories for my 22 year old horse with Cushings. He’s a BCS 4-5 right now, which is too thin. I don’t want him fat, but I don’t want to see his ribs either. He is in light work. He hasn’t been tested for IR, but has foundered twice. He is on Prascend. What have you successfully used on horses like him?

I had him on a lite feed of a while but he stopped eating it. Recently switched to Nutrena Topline Balance, alfalfa pellets, Flax and Ultimate Finish 100. Thinking about adding in beet plup, but if there’s an easier solution, I’d prefer that.

[Showbizz]

We use TC Sr. Lower in NSC than what you’re currently using.

[Garnet_Z]

My 20-ish year old horse with Cushing’s disease eats Hoffman’s BalancIR Ration pellets. He stopped wanting to eat pellets at the start of summer (he still ate hay), but adding some hemp oil to the pellets got him to eat them again. It had to be hemp oil - I tried to add flax oil to his feed a while ago and he would not touch anything with any amount of flax oil. He only needs a couple spoons of the hemp oil in his food to induce him to eat it.

The oil itself can help with weight gain too. Flax oil is good if your horse will eat it.

[JB]

@Nevada10

I’m struggling to find the right combination of low NSC with calories for my 22 year old horse with Cushings. He’s a BCS 4-5 right now, which is too thin. I don’t want him fat, but I don’t want to see his ribs either. He is in light work. He hasn’t been tested for IR, but has foundered twice. He is on Prascend. What have you successfully used on horses like him?

I had him on a lite feed of a while but he stopped eating it. Recently switched to Nutrena Topline Balance, alfalfa pellets, Flax and Ultimate Finish 100. Thinking about adding in beet plup, but if there’s an easier solution, I’d prefer that.

Nothing wrong with the Empower Balance. How much alf pellets? Beet pulp can be good, but it’s a low calorie:volume feed, so isn’t the best choice for horses who need more calories in a shorter time.

Another option is just adding in a couple pounds of something like TC Sr in addition to the balancer.

@Showbizz

We use TC Sr. Lower in NSC than what you’re currently using.

But on an as-fed amount (fed at least at the minimally recommended rate), TC Sr is providing more NSCs than any ration balancer or LIte feed.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

I feed TC Sr to mine, but at less than the nutritionally complete amount. I use the ration balancer to supplement.

[Popsy]

LMF Low NSC is what I feed and it’s on the approved list by ECIR.

[RhythmNCruise]

I have a 22-year old gelding who has never been tested for IR or Cushings, but shows some definite signs of it and was pretty much the poster child for IR in his younger “air fern” days. He took a turn in 2016 and started having trouble digesting hay, had chronic diarrhea, and his shedding routine got out of whack along with a poor looking coat. He just looked run-down and old. I could write a book on the nutritional journey and list of issues he’s had since then, but I’ll spare you that and say that I believe I’ve found the best thing for him in Manna Pro’s Renew Gold SENIOR. He’s been on it for about two months now, and OMG. He looks ten years younger. His haircoat is so slick and shiny he looks wet. He has a glow to him now that I have never seen, and the diarrhea has completely stopped.

The other thing is that he has an old injury on a hind leg from when he was a 2-year old, and it has given him chronic issues with swelling and cellulitis for 20 years. Now, with his diet of nothing but alfalfa or alfalfa/grass hay pellets (cubes in winter when pasture is gone), Omega Horseshine, and Renew Gold Senior…that leg is as skinny and tight as it has ever been. Even when he was younger and being worked and shown and had it wrapped daily, it never looked so tight.

I’m a firm believer that one of the things that triggered issues in him was soy. Corn and oats too, of course, but he had trouble with ration balancers and that had to be the soy.

Anyway, all of this to say, I really recommend cutting it back to high quality forage (bagged or baled) and plenty of good fats. I think the Renew Gold Senior adds to this recipe by providing support for hind gut health that makes it easier for the horse to get nutritional value from his forage. I wish I had a picture of my horse in June and one now so I could show you the amazing difference.

Good luck!

[Coreene]

Hygain Zero

[Nevada10]

Thanks everyone.

JB - 4# alfalfa pellets. I picked up TC Senior last week and he’s now getting 3# of that and 1# balancer… plus flax and UF 100 (4 scoops). He has low NSC orchard grass hay and doesn’t get grass.

[S1969]

@RhythmNCruise

I have a 22-year old gelding who has never been tested for IR or Cushings, but shows some definite signs of it…

Good luck!

So why haven’t you tested him for IR and/or Cushings if he shows signs and you could write a book about the issues you’ve had over the last couple of years?

[S1969]

@Nevada10

I’m struggling to find the right combination of low NSC with calories for my 22 year old horse with Cushings. He’s a BCS 4-5 right now, which is too thin. I don’t want him fat, but I don’t want to see his ribs either. He is in light work. He hasn’t been tested for IR, but has foundered twice. He is on Prascend. What have you successfully used on horses like him?

I had him on a lite feed of a while but he stopped eating it. Recently switched to Nutrena Topline Balance, alfalfa pellets, Flax and Ultimate Finish 100. Thinking about adding in beet plup, but if there’s an easier solution, I’d prefer that.

How much hay does he get? Does he eat it well?

Since you’re trying TS Senior I’d stick with that for a couple of weeks. It’s generally considered a great, low NSC feed and most horses like it.

[Bugs_s_Mom]

One of the horses where I board was diagnosed PPID last year and has been on TC Senior and Prascend for over 6 months now. He lost a lot of weight and was not doing well prior to testing so he gets a boatload of grain BUT has not had any issues. His levels were checked again (not sure which test they used) this spring and have improved with that combination, He looks amazing and has filled out well. I highly recommend the TC senior as it is low NSC and seems to be doing very well for the horse at my barn. He also previously foundered when he was younger and has not had issues even with 6# of TC Senior daily. He was previously on Nutrena ProForce Senior and did not do well on that.

[DinkyDonk]

First cutting mixed grass hay, alfalfa pellets, beet pulp (thoroughly soaked and triple rinsed), Mega Cell vit/min pellets, Diamond V Yeast, loose white salt, flax, Tri-Amino. KISS method–easy to adjust by season.

[freshman]

He’s an older horse and already developed laminitis several times. Good grief. Give him a break and save his life. Or at least his quality of life. Do some metabolic testing and put him on an appropriate dose of prascend.

Get him on an appropriate dose of medication and go from there. Otherwise, and perhaps no matter what, just give him as much of soaked equine senior as it takes for him to gain to an appropriate body weight. Triple crown brand is great, most other senior types are fine, but please do make sure it is a relatively low NSC complete feed and just ask if you are unsure. Beware the hay. As unknown hay. And grass. Learn his triggers. His foot pain is life or death. Treat it as such.