Arthur on Pergolide

I thought I'd try to journal Arthur's progress as a Cushing's horse. He did beautifully out in the pasture this winter, but as the spring grass came in and I started keeping him off of the grass, he started to get laminitic/ouchy feet. I may have left him out on the pasture a few days too long, but keeping him off the grass was not doing the trick, and it had worked well last year. He has a 48' x 36' paddock attached to the stall that is all dirt. He also was not wanting to eat as much hay as he used to - I ran out of my winter supply, and the quality of hay the feed store had was just pitiful. I have since found a better supply of hay that he likes, and also adjusted his feed to include supplemental salt, magnesium, and vitamin E. I also have started driving to get Ontario Dehydrated Timothy Balance Cubes that are specifically formulated to be a balanced, complete hay cube, designed for Cushings/IR horses. Arthur loves them, but I have to adjust everything slowly. But the biggest change I have made is to finally put Arthur on Pergolide. It seemed we were able to control everything with diet last year, but the diet was not working this spring, so I finally made the commitment to keep him on Pergolide for the rest of his life. He has been on the Pergolide for a whole week now, and is doing SO much better. He is finally comfortable on his feet again - moving around so much more. Although he seems a little "dopey" after his evening dosage, overall he seems much brighter and more energetic. I guess I am learning that you really have to focus on the whole picture when it comes to Cushings - both the diet and the medication, good trims, etc. When one part is off, you end up with an uncomfortable pony. I am relieved to say that Arthur is again comfortable, bright, and eating well, and I love that little pony so much.