I normally don't like to push my feeding program, but I have a 22 year old mare with cushings that has a constant battle to keep weight on. My vet and I have worked together and done TONS of research, I've had a nutritionist come out to the farm and do analysis and all.. so I feel like I can chime in on this one.
Get him off the all stock. I don't mean to be mean, but any feed that you can feed to goats, cows, pigs, llamas, sheep, and rabbits is no good for a horse. Their digestive system is very different than all of those animals. A healthy young horse that can hold weight on air will do fine on it I suppose, but these old guys, ESPECIALLY when you throw Cushings and IR into the mix need special help.
The key to an underweight Cushings/IR horse is low sugar, low starch, high fiber, and high fat. If you have a Southern States or similar place around you, get a hay analysis done on your hay. If it's not low starch/sugars then switch just him to one of the bagged safe forages hays that Triple Crown, Seminole or Nutrena make. I feed every horse on my property Triple Crown Senior in various amounts. It has very very low starch/sugars and 10% fat. It's beet pulp, alfalfa and rice bran based, no fillers, and guaranteed % on every bag. Nothing gets wasted, so while it costs more per bag, you actually feed less than you would cheaper feeds. Break his meals up, feed him 3-4 times a day. My 28 year old stallion gets 1 scoop 4 times a day. My young easy keepers get 1/2 scoop twice a day. My shetland gets a handful or two twice a day. It has a complete vitamin package, so you literally need no supplements with it. Senior feeds are the first feeds a horse coming out of colic surgery gets, for a reason. It's super easy on the gut.
I'd also hit him with a dose of probios prior to switching feeds. That will help the healthy gut bacteria grow and help him get more from his feed. Check his teeth, I'm sure at his age they are probably worn. He may not be chewing his feed enough to digest it properly. You can always soak alfalfa cubes and beet pulp if he can't eat hay well. I also don't feed mine hay after they get grain. Hay pushes the feed through the gut faster than it needs to move for proper absorption. Mine get hay between feedings, or before feedings.
If your vet hasn't checked his levels lately, I'd do that too. Now is a good time of year for good readings (winter is generally useless). His pergolide dose may need adjusted. If you give him liquid pergolide switch to capsules. A recent study showed that the liquid does not give you consistent doses. We break open the capsules, add a little veggie oil to make the powder stick to the pelleted feed and she never refuses it.
Sadly, once they drop weight its VERY hard to get it back on. I've found stalling more and turning out for a few hours at a time helps some, keeps mine from burning the calories right back off.
Make any feed changes slow, so you don't have a founder on your hands, which is also common with these diseases. I'd highly suggest joining the yahoo IR/Cushings group, although be forewarned, its a LOT to take in at first.
Hope that helps some, feel free to shoot me a message if I can help any!
This is all great advice. I'd add that oil is your friend, especially for older guys with not so great teeth. Oils are pure fat, so it won't affect the IR. Corn oil is ok; we LOVE Uckele's Cocosoya oil, or Rice Bran Oil (though the Cocosoya is more palatable). There are feeding directions on the containers of each, which I've doubled with no ill effects. Certainly, start with a little and work your way up.
The only thing you have to watch with oil is loose stools. We use oil on anyone that needs an extra shine or an extra few pounds, but my Cushings mare and one other older one will get very very loose stool if I go above like 1/4 a cup a day. Just start oil slowly, and increase until you see changes in stool. Generally a good way to gauge what they can handle. :)
Get him off the all stock. I don't mean to be mean, but any feed that you can feed to goats, cows, pigs, llamas, sheep, and rabbits is no good for a horse. Their digestive system is very different than all of those animals. A healthy young horse that can hold weight on air will do fine on it I suppose, but these old guys, ESPECIALLY when you throw Cushings and IR into the mix need special help.
The key to an underweight Cushings/IR horse is low sugar, low starch, high fiber, and high fat. If you have a Southern States or similar place around you, get a hay analysis done on your hay. If it's not low starch/sugars then switch just him to one of the bagged safe forages hays that Triple Crown, Seminole or Nutrena make. I feed every horse on my property Triple Crown Senior in various amounts. It has very very low starch/sugars and 10% fat. It's beet pulp, alfalfa and rice bran based, no fillers, and guaranteed % on every bag. Nothing gets wasted, so while it costs more per bag, you actually feed less than you would cheaper feeds. Break his meals up, feed him 3-4 times a day. My 28 year old stallion gets 1 scoop 4 times a day. My young easy keepers get 1/2 scoop twice a day. My shetland gets a handful or two twice a day. It has a complete vitamin package, so you literally need no supplements with it. Senior feeds are the first feeds a horse coming out of colic surgery gets, for a reason. It's super easy on the gut.
I'd also hit him with a dose of probios prior to switching feeds. That will help the healthy gut bacteria grow and help him get more from his feed. Check his teeth, I'm sure at his age they are probably worn. He may not be chewing his feed enough to digest it properly. You can always soak alfalfa cubes and beet pulp if he can't eat hay well. I also don't feed mine hay after they get grain. Hay pushes the feed through the gut faster than it needs to move for proper absorption. Mine get hay between feedings, or before feedings.
If your vet hasn't checked his levels lately, I'd do that too. Now is a good time of year for good readings (winter is generally useless). His pergolide dose may need adjusted. If you give him liquid pergolide switch to capsules. A recent study showed that the liquid does not give you consistent doses. We break open the capsules, add a little veggie oil to make the powder stick to the pelleted feed and she never refuses it.
Sadly, once they drop weight its VERY hard to get it back on. I've found stalling more and turning out for a few hours at a time helps some, keeps mine from burning the calories right back off.
Make any feed changes slow, so you don't have a founder on your hands, which is also common with these diseases. I'd highly suggest joining the yahoo IR/Cushings group, although be forewarned, its a LOT to take in at first.
Hope that helps some, feel free to shoot me a message if I can help any!
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