Managing and Monitoring Senior Horses With PPID

Managing horses with PPID is an ongoing commitment and requires careful veterinary observation. By monitoring both clinical signs and endocrine values, many affected horses can return to athletic function and/or maintain a good quality of life.
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senior horses with ppid
Managing horses with PPID is an ongoing commitment and requires careful veterinary observation. By monitoring both clinical signs and endocrine values, many affected horses can return to athletic function and/or maintain a good quality of life. | Photo: iStock
Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) affects more than 20% of horses 15 and older, with prevalence increasing with each year of age. It’s no wonder this equine population is becoming an increasingly large focus of equine practice, said one U.K. veterinarian

Cathy McGowan, BVSc, Dipl. VetClinStud, MACVSc, PhD, Dipl. EIM, ECEIM, FHEA, MRCVS, reviewed how to treat and manage aged horses with PPID, in particular those with concurrent laminitis, at the 2018 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 1-5 in San Francisco, California.

Management of the condition needs to begin at the time of diagnosis, starting with the practitioner fully explaining treatment options to the owner, said McGowan, head of the equine clinical science department and director of veterinary postgraduate education at the University of Liverpool Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital.

Evidence suggests that more than three-quarters of horses that receive the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved PPID treatment—pergolide (marketed as Prascend)—experience significant clinical improvements, even long-term. So, she said veterinarians should encourage owners to use the FDA-approved product rather than , she said, as the compounded drugs’ efficacy and stability are questionable

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Clair Thunes, PhD, is an equine nutritionist who owns Clarity Equine Nutrition, based in Gilbert, Arizona. She works as a consultant with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses and provides services to select companies. As a nutritionist she works with all equids, from WEG competitors to Miniature donkeys and everything in between. Born in England, she earned her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University, in Scotland, and her master’s and doctorate in nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Growing up, she competed in a wide array of disciplines and was an active member of the U.K. Pony Club. Today, she serves as the district commissioner for the Salt River Pony Club.

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