I am getting things out a bit ahead of schedule this week and publishing this week’s podcast episode today!
Right now in the northern hemisphere we are at the height of the seasonal rise of ACTH, a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. This is great – it helps horses to grow a winter coat and prepare them for the seasonal changes that come this time of year. Problems arise, however, when the horse’s pituitary gland isn’t functioning correctly – which happens in horses with undiagnosed or improperly controlled PPID (commonly known as Cushing’s). This hormone can cause a whole lot of problems through late summer and fall, and even lead to laminitis and founder in some horses.
I have seen some owners struggling with this this year and felt it was important to re-post a previous episode from a few years ago with Dr. Jaini Clougher and Dr. Kathleen Gustafson on Managing the Metabolic Horse. This time of year can be difficult, but education is key to helping our horses thrive even after a history of laminitis, or a difficult metabolic diagnosis!
How have your horses been doing this fall? Have you seen any “unexpected” laminitic cases?
