Episode Description
A shaggy coat and a creaky stride don’t have to signal the end of the road. We unpack new primary-care evidence on pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) showing that diagnosed horses can live as long as matched controls, even as they experience more medical events along the way. That insight changes how we talk with owners: from doom to diligence, and from a single prescription to a complete, daily management plan.
We sit down with researchers Drs. Emma Stapley and François René-Bertin to break down what PPID really is—and why it’s not the same as “Cushing’s” in people or dogs. You’ll hear how they built a robust control group by matching age, breed type, and even owner to cut through referral bias. We dig into the laminitis connection, the role of insulin dysregulation, and why the oral sugar test is your best entry point. From there, we move into practical monitoring: post-meal insulin checks, seasonally aware testing, and how owners who give pergolide daily often catch subtle changes earlier.
Treatment is more than pergolide. We map the full-care toolkit: low-NSC diets tailored to the individual horse, ration balancers that avoid unnecessary starch, exercise that builds muscle without overloading feet, and farriery that supports comfort and function. Body condition is a quiet lever with outsized effects; holding a steady, moderate score can rival medication in shaping outcomes. We also surface often-missed comorbidities—slow wound healing, hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis, and dental issues like EOTRH—and explore emerging questions around calcium and vitamin D that may link neuroendocrine change to oral health.
If you work with senior horses, manage a barn, or simply love a hairy retiree who still wants a job, this conversation gives you a clear, evidence-based playbook. Subscribe, share the episode with your barn friends, and leave a review to help more horse owners find science-backed guidance. What PPID myth have you struggled to debunk? Tell us after you listen.
JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.08.0533
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