Cushings | Horse Racing Free Tips

Are There Any Disadvantages To Popular PPID Treatment?

Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID or Cushing's disease) is a disease that affects many older horses, but it can often be controlled with the use of a medication called Pergolide.

In other parts of the world, Pergolide is used in human medicine to combat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, restless leg syndrome, and hyperprolactinemia. Side effects can include fibrotic lesions of the atrioventricular valves in the heart.

Dr. Heidrun Gehlen, from the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the Free University of Berlin, gathered a team of scientists to determine whether the same effects would be seen in horses.

The scientists examined 23 horses between 19 and 30 years old, all of which had been diagnosed with PPID using the ACTH adrenocorticotrophin hormone test. The treatment group comprised 12 horses that had been receiving Pergolide for between 14 days and 6 years, while 11 other horses in the control group received no Pergolide.

The researchers performed an echocardiographic exam on all horses, and found that each was free of cardiovascular disease; no valve defects were found.

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Follow-up exams were then given to nine horses in the treatment group and five in the control group between three and eight months later. The findings were the same: use of Pergolide did not affect ventricular function or cause valve disease in horses.

Does Your Horse Have Cushing’s? Researchers Need To Hear From You

Scientists at the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center and the University College Dublin have partnered to create a large-scale, 12-month study to determine if blue light can be used to help horses suffering from pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID or Cushing's Disease).

Dr. Barbara Anne Murphy, head of equine science at the School of Agriculture and Food Science at University College Dublin, and Dr. Amanda Adams of the Gluck Center are looking for horses to take part in the study to determine if exposure to blue light would minimize the development of the long, thick haircoat that is a hallmark of horses with PPID. Each participant will receive an Equilume light mask for their participation, whether their horse wears the mask or is a control horse.

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Owners or managers of horses with diagnosed PPID and that have a long, curly hair coat are invited to complete a short questionnaire by October 22 to see if they are eligible to participate. Medicated and unmedicated horses can apply.

The study will require monthly hair sample collection, as well as the completion of bi-monthly questionnaires and the provision of images.

Click here to complete the questionnaire

Ask the Expert: Fall Grazing

Owners and caretakers of metabolically challenges horses are often aware of the health hazards ingesting lots of fresh, spring grass can bring on their charges, but grazing horses on lush pastures in the fall is fraught with its own set of perils.

Frost damaged pastures can have higher concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates, leading to an increase in the potential for founder and colic, especially in horses diagnosed with or prone to obesity, laminitis, Cushings disease and Equine Metabolic Syndrome. To help prevent these health issues, at-risk horse owners should wait up to a week before turning horses back onto a pasture after a killing frost. Subsequent frosts are not a concern as the pasture plants were killed during the ﬁrst frost.

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Why do nonstructural carbohydrates increase during the fall? During the day, plants carry out the process of photosynthesis. In this process, they make carbohydrates as an energy source for the plant. A second process, respiration, is carried out when the plants use up the carbohydrates they produce during the night for energy. Plant respiration slows down when temperatures are near freezing. As a result, the plants hold their carbohydrates overnight. Freezing can stop respiration and lock the carbohydrates in the plant for over a week. Thus, plants tend to contain more carbohydrates in colder temperatures or after a frost. Often, horses will prefer forages after a frost due to the higher carbohydrates levels.

Beloved Son Of Secretariat Passes At 30

The great Secretariat had just four of his progeny alive and well in the beginning of 2020. That number would be down to three by 2021. The youngest of his offspring, Secret of the Sea (later dubbed “Strider”), was one of the last foals born in Secretariat's final crop in 1990. Bred by Darley Stud, Strider wasn't destined for the greatness of his father, finishing his career with just one win in nine starts.

Strider was retired by trainer Clint Goodrich and kept as his personal horse, living in Montana and then Colorado, where he came to be owned by racing fans Linda and Scott Riba in 2011.

The couple enjoyed nearly nine years with Strider, but in 2019 his health began to fail. The gelding was diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome, a condition common in older horses that causes hormonal imbalances, which affect every facet of their lives, from their hair coat quality to their hooves.

Though Cushing's disease is sometimes manageable, it is incurable. Strider developed other problems after his Cushing's diagnosis and was euthanized on Dec. 12 due to struggles with his hoof health. He was 30 years old.

Read more at Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

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