Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), also known as equine Cushing’s disease, affects up to 30% of horses over the age of 15. This disease brings many challenges with senior horse care to both horse owners and veterinarians. Pergolide is considered the gold standard of treatment for horses with PPID. However, this medication has variable efficacy, and many horses experience adverse effects to this treatment. 

The Equine Genetics and Genomics Laboratory at the University of Minnesota along with the University of Florida are conducting a study to determine how the genetics of individual horses with PPID affect pergolide treatment response. A collaborative effort between horse owners, researchers, and veterinarians will help us answer these important questions and guide future recommendations for treating affected horses.  

If you have a horse being treated for PPID, please consider enrolling them in our ongoing pergolide genetic risk study!

How You Can Help

We are currently seeking horses to enroll in our study, that meet the following criteria:

  1. Over the age of 15 at time of PPID diagnosis.
  2. Diagnosis made by a veterinarian and diagnosis included bloodwork.
  3. Horse has/had a clinical sign consistent with PPID (e.g., long, shaggy hair coat; muscle atrophy; changes in mentation; or recurrent infections).
  4. Horse has been on pergolide therapy for a minimum of 6 months and has had recheck blood values (including ACTH, TRH stim, or dexamethasone suppression blood work)

Participation includes completing an online survey about your horses, uploading photos and/or medical records, and sending mane/tail hair roots or a blood sample from your horses to our lab to collect DNA.

If you or someone you know has a horse that fits these criteria, please consider enrolling in this study to advance our understanding of the genetics associated with PPID risk and pergolide response.  More information about PPID and this study can be found at https://z.umn.edu/pergolidestudy. You can also follow our facebook page (University of Minnesota Equine Genetics and Genomics Laboratory) or email us at eggl-ppidstudy@umn.edu for more information or if you have any questions about enrollment.  

Further Reading

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