Recognising Cushing's & PPID

All yard staff responsible for older horses.

• ◆Identify early and late-stage clinical signs
• ◆Understand ACTH testing and seasonal variation
• ◆Support pergolide management and side-effect monitoring
• ◆Adapt feeding and clipping routines

1. 01.

   The hormonal picture

   Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction explained without jargon.

   • ·Where the pituitary sits and what it does, in plain language
   • ·How dopamine loss drives PPID and why pergolide replaces it
   • ·ACTH, cortisol and the equine stress axis
   • ·Why PPID often coexists with Equine Metabolic Syndrome
2. 02.

   Clinical signs

   Coat changes, muscle loss, drinking, laminitis, lethargy.

   • ·Early signs in the under-15s that yards routinely miss
   • ·The classic hypertrichosis presentation and its mimics
   • ·Recurrent abscesses, laminitis flare and immune compromise
   • ·Behavioural lethargy vs. clinical depression — telling them apart
3. 03.

   Living with PPID

   Daily medication, body clipping, dental, dietary considerations.

   • ·Pergolide dosing schedules and how to handle initial inappetence
   • ·Body clipping regimes through the year
   • ·Dental care priorities for the PPID horse
   • ·Feeding low-NSC: how to read a forage analysis

List any of your residents over 15 and note coat, drinking and lameness observations from the last 3 months.

Short open-book quiz at the end of the session and a written case discussion submitted within 14 days.

• §Equine Endocrinology Group 'Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of PPID' (2021 update)
• §McGowan et al., 'Prevalence, risk factors and clinical signs of PPID in aged horses' (Equine Vet J, 2013)
• §BEVA pergolide prescribing guidance