Cushings is more often found in the veteran and because more horses are living longer it is now becoming quite a common occurrence. The cause is a benign tumour which develops in the pituitary gland and leads to an imbalance in the hormonal system. Eventually this leads to the development of diabetes insipidus.

Traditional treatment has been very limited and because the patients are elderly, things have been left to take their course. The hormonal imbalance is, however, readily improved and simple herbal treatment has proved very effective allowing many veterans to continue to make their contribution to the equine world effectively.

PEGASUS HEALTH PRODUCTS THAT CAN HELP

Agnus Castus (also known as Monks Pepper or Chaste Tree Berry) - is very effective as a hormonal balancer in cases of equine Cushings disease. Much research by the Laminitis Trust has been undertaken as Cushings nearly always results in laminitis and can be referred to on their website.

LAMINITIS

As described above equine Cushings disease nearly always results in laminitis which is severe inflammation of the sensitive laminae surrounding the hoof. It is a very painful condition heralded by the horse taking weight of the effected feet, usually the front, by almost sitting on the hind quarters leaving the fore feet sticking out in front and immediate action is required to save the unfortunate horse or pony. No rich grass or cereal rations may be given, but good quality hay or haylage in moderate quantities and some broad bran in which to give the health supplements is recommended. Your vet will prescribe anti-inflammatories, analgesics and dietary changes. Some Alternative Therapies suggest the use of powerful detox agents to clear the liver of the toxins which cause the disease and measures to clear the gut of the fermenting matter which is giving off the toxins. Other measures are more for comfort, but this is an important aspect for the horse - ice cold foot baths, cold hosing and only minimal movement. The farrier can also help by cutting back the effected feet as much as possible.

As avoidance is better than any cure, it is vital that the laminitis prone horse or pony is never given unrestricted access to rich grazing. In the spring and sometimes the autumn grass is very lush and it is often better to keep such a horse stabled with hay to eat in controlled amounts. A few minutes a day on a lead rope should do no harm provided no more than 10 or 15 minutes grazing is allowed.

Where the owner has control over the pasture it is a good idea to have the grasses looked at by a qualified person who can tell which species are present. If there is a great deal of Perennial rye grass (Loloium perenne) and Italian rye grass (Lolium multiflorum) then one of the causes of the problem have been found for these grasses are very high in fructans. Fructans are sugars in the grass which horses find difficult to digest in large quantities and it is these which give rise to the toxins in the gut.

If it is possible to have the pasture treated and re-seeded with more suitable grass species such as Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) and Timothy (Pleum pratense) as these are both low in fructans, this will go a long way to helping the problem long term.

PEGASUS PRODUCTS THAT CAN HELP Agnus castus - (chaste tree or months pepper) as for Cushings

LiveAid Liquid in acute phases & Powder longer term – a powerful herbal detox for the liver

NatureBute - Boswellia serrata - a powerful herbal analgesic and anti-inflammatory

Milk Thistle - a good herb to detox the liver

HoofExpress - a herbal formula with calcium,magnesium,potassium & biotin all from herbs

SandAway - pure Psylluim husks to gently clear the gut fast while LiveAid detoxes the liver