Researchers look at prevalence of Cushing's disease

A horse with Cushing's - or PPID (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction) - showing its winter coat still present in summer. © Dr Dianne McFarlane

Cushing's disease is one of the most commonly diagnosed endocrine disorders of horses, especially as the equine population continues to age.

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine hope to establish just how common it is through a 16-question survey aimed at equine vets.

"Our objective is to determine the true prevalence of Cushing's disease worldwide, because, until now, previous surveys were only based in the United States," said Dr James Carmalt, an equine surgeon and associate professor in the university's Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences.

Carmalt is also a PhD student in equine neurophysiology through the veterinary college's Department of Veterinary Pathology. He and his graduate supervisor, veterinary pathologist Dr Andrew Allen, are beginning to explore a new treatment methodology for equine Cushing's disease.

Carmalt and his colleagues at the veterinary college will use practitioners' responses to the brief survey to determine the incidence of the disease and the most common treatment protocols being used by practitioners in countries around the world.

They also want to evaluate the need for developing new treatment methods.

"Right now, the only available treatment for Cushing's disease requires daily dosing of medications for the rest of the horse's life.

"It's onerous, time consuming and a huge management challenge," says Carmalt, who urges horse owners to inform their veterinarians about the survey.

"If the responses from this survey reflect our impression that practitioners need a new option to offer their clients, our ultimate goal is to develop a one-time treatment for the disease so daily medications for Cushing's disease become unnecessary."

As part of the survey, practitioners can also provide their email addresses if they wish to receive a copy of the survey results.