Does Your Horse Have PPID?​

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, formerly known as equine Cushing’s disease) is the most common endocrine disorder of older equids. It affects 20-30% of horses over age 15, though veterinarians have diagnosed it in horses younger than 10. The disease develops when the neurons in the hypothalamus at the base of the brain deteriorate and fail to regulate the pituitary gland’s par intermedia. As a result, the pars intermedia produces excess levels of various hormones that cause the classic clinical signs of PPID shown here.