How long did you treat your horse's cushings

[MustangSavvy]

I will treat my gelding with PPID the rest of his life, however long that may be. He was diagnosed in October and is doing fantastic on medications. His coat is shedding out (he was clipped), he is loosing weight and has more energy. He is 19 now.

PPID is a condition that requires long term management but it is manageable. I don’t think you are wrong in your thinking though and I would treat him while he is comfortable and then let him go, especially a horse that has other chronic health issues.

[Laurierace]

You should be doing at least one fecal test per year just to make sure your program is still working. I tested my cushing’s horse’s blood once per year too to make sure his dose of prascend was still adequate as his disease progressed. You may have to simply adjust his dose a little to get him back on track.

[Bluey]

Our now 21 year old has been on Prascend 4 1/2 years.
As long as he is doing fine, he is on one pill a day.
If he starts getting sluggish, we cut it to half for two-three weeks, then back to one and we are good to go.
Mostly in the early winter and mid summer we may adjust it like that, only have done that twice in all these years.

Our vets also check his blood for all and everything once a year.

Each horse has to be treated however works for that horse at that time.
Cushings is not a disease that is stable, the hormones that regulate homeostasis are not working right consistently, so we have to keep on top of helping the horse along when it doesn’t feel good.

Our gelding has one failsafe indication, his sheath starts swelling a bit when he needs more medication, as fluids start to pool in the lower parts of his body.
We immediately cut back his food and may add half a Prascend pill until the swelling is resolved a few days later.

[findthedistance]

@Ljf141

Hello, I know that this is an old post, but I am in need of some advice. My quarter pony gelding is 28 years old and has had Cushing’s for about 8 years and possibly longer due to the fact that he foundered severely in his late teens. It has been easily managed until this year. He has gained a heavy pot belly and slowed down a lot. I know he is old, but what are some other things I can do for him. He wears a grazing muzzle when out on pasture, he gets clipped up, and next to no grain. His hair is falling out in patches leaving almost no hair in its place.I recently had someone tell me that their horse had strongyles even hen they were on a routine deworming program. Should I have his manure checked?

Time for a vet visit. From the information here, I’m guessing my vet would do a physical exam, run a CBC & chemistry, and re-test ACTH. A fecal is likely also in order. You might have a parasite issue, you might have under-treated Cushing’s, or you might have something totally unrelated going on. A significant change in condition, especially in an aged horse, is worth a vet call.