Optimal Diet for Cushing's Disease

Optimal Diet for Cushing’s Disease

This horse has the typical Cushing’s appearance of a shaggy, unevenly shed out coat and muscle wasting.

Q: My senior horse has Cushing’s disease. Can you recommend some optimal diet plans?

A: It is not uncommon for an older horse to develop pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction or PPID, most often referred to as Cushing’s disease. Aside from their tendency to sport a long and shaggy hair coat

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that sheds unevenly, horses with this malfunction of the pituitary gland often display muscle wasting along their toplines and hindquarters, yet they may have a potbelly appearance.

The goal in feeding a horse with Cushing’s, is to limit the intake of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) feeds, such as the sugars and starches found in grains. In many cases, feeds that are labeled as “senior” feeds are also high in NSC content and should be avoided when feeding a horse with Cushing’s disease.

The objective is to feed a diet that has less than 10 to 20 percent of total digestible energy (the combination of sugars and starch, or NSCs). High-fiber components, such as these found in hay, hay cubes, pasture, and beet pulp, should constitute the main portion of a senior horse’s diet. Most horses will eat between 1½ to 2 percent of their body weight per day in forage. (For example, a 1000-pound horse should be fed 15 to 20 pounds of hay per day.) It is important to recognize that some hays may contain high levels of NSC, depending on the species of grass and when and how it was harvested. Older horses often have dentition problems, too, so provide good quality hay and feed that is easy to chew.

This horse is overly shaggy and furry, and has the pot-bellied appearance of a typical Cushing’s horse.

In general, you’ll want to avoid all grain and/or feed with molasses, this includes eliminating treats, horse cookies and candies since they are high in sugars.

If more calories are needed to maintain body condition, then in addition to feeding good quality forage, substitute high-fat supplements (oil and/or stabilized rice bran) for grain.

A Cushing’s horse also benefits from the effects of medication like pergolide, which can reduce the clinical signs and secondary effects of the pituitary malfunction. This medication facilitates the horse’s best use of a Cushing’s “diet.”

View Comments

Stacey says:
September 20, 2007 at 2:57 pm
very well written and informative, thank you!
Billy says:
September 25, 2007 at 3:59 pm
cheese?
judy says:
December 12, 2007 at 2:15 am
Great article
j. says:
January 13, 2008 at 8:01 pm
good article. we have a horse who might have cushings and this was very informitive.
Cathal says:
October 19, 2008 at 1:28 pm
fairly good but i have a cushings horse who is doing well i give perolite but i also give some blue seal beet pulp pellets i soak them, also chaste tree powder. i find she does well and during the winter i give bran and some flax seed ground up. i also use a farrier who does natural shoeing.
meranda says:
August 21, 2009 at 10:23 am
great advice
Katie says:
October 30, 2009 at 9:48 am
good tips
Lisa says:
November 29, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Where do you get the medicine? I need it right away. My guy isn't doing well.
Maria says:
January 10, 2010 at 8:54 am
I had guessed my horse had cushings 2 years ago but the vet tested her blood and said she had lime dicease, and then she had lamanitist. I gave her her med with malasas. She was loosing weight like crazy and had diaria. So I told the vet and said I was going to put her on senior feed(has malasas). When I told him she still had diaria he came to see her and he said she had cushings. He never told me there was a diet restriction. Anyway, she still has diaria and I did change her diet because of you direction. What can I do to stop the diaria?
Charlene says:
March 20, 2010 at 8:16 am
Very Helpful information. I was wondering about feeding apples or carrots as treats insread of the ones not recommended. Can anyone answer this question?