Equine Cushing's Disease Analysis

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Equine Cushing’s disease is technically known as pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction or PPID. It is a hormonal disease typically seen in middle-aged and senior horses and ponies. This disease develops when the pituitary gland begins uncontrolled production of ACTH, and other hormones. This unregulated hormone production leads to high cortisol levels. The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain. It is regulated by a substance called dopamine, and produces a variety of hormones that are distributed through the horse’s body by the bloodstream. These hormones play a vital role in controlling and maintaining a variety of bodily functions. Horses with PPID don’t produce enough dopamine. This means that their pituitary gland …show more content…
When laminitis does appear, treatments such as corrective shoeing and anti-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications play a major role in managing Cushing’s disease. You vet and farrier will need to work together to keep the horse comfortable. Two drugs are currently recommended for treating PPID. Pergolide is considered the gold standard treatment. It is given in a dose of 0.5 to 2 mg total for an adult horse daily. Pergolide is a dopamine agonist acting to restore inhibition to the par intermedia, thereby decreasing the production of hormones such as ACTH. Cyproheptadine has also been used to treat PPID. It is administered in a dose of 0.25 mg/kg daily. Cyproheptadine is an antihistamine which may help decrease ACTH secretion, but it hasn’t proven to be as effective as Pergolide for controlling the disease. It may be recommended in combination with Pergolide in advanced cases of PPID. In addition, Trilostane is also being tested and researched as a possible form of treatment. Supportive care is a very important part in caring for a horse with Cushing’s disease and enhancing the quality of life a horse with PPID. Supportive care includes aggressive treatment of sole abscess, corrective shoeing to help reduce the risk of laminitis, NSAIDs for pain, regular grooming and body clipping of unnecessary hair to minimize infections and help maintain the health of the horse’s skin and coat, monitoring of basal hormone levels (ACTH) to ensure appropriate treatment levels, ensuring proper nutrition based on the horses body condition, screening/monitoring for insulin resistance to prevent laminitis, and regular dental care to avoid possible tooth loss. Laminitis is probably the most severe potential consequence of Equine Cushing’s
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