Five years of Talking About Laminitis confirms more signs which should alert us to PPID in our horses!
The hugely popular ‘Talk About Laminitis’ (TAL) initiative is now in its fifth consecutive year. Launched to raise awareness of the link between laminitis and Cushing’s disease, more recently termed Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), the scheme has gathered data from over 36,000 equids tested for PPID since 20121.
Research from the initiative has revealed that nearly 60% of horses, ponies and donkeys tested had PPID, with the median age of diagnosis being 18 years of age. However, perhaps surprisingly, the data also shows that it is still important to keep PPID in mind in horses under the age of 15 (if there are suspicious signs) as over 40% of horses between 10 and 15 years of age tested positive. The most significant clinical signs associated with PPID were: laminitis, long or excessive hair growth, muscle wastage and periorbital fat (fat deposits over the eyes)1.
“The extensive data from over 36,000 equids tested for PPID in the last four years has provided us with a valuable insight into the horses, ponies and donkeys most susceptible to PPID and the clinical signs associated with it,”
PPID is now the sixth most common condition diagnosed in equines in the UK (NEHS 2015) and as it is a progressive disease, it is important that diagnosed cases are monitored regularly.
“Both owners and veterinary surgeons play an important role in monitoring cases and assessing their response to treatment. That’s why the next phase of the TAL initiative has been to introduce TAL Care & Connect.”
TAL Care and Connect was introduced in 2015 to support owners faced with the lifelong management of PPID in their horse. This complimentary web-based service provides a secure site for ACTH test results to be stored alongside owner diary entries so that a horse’s PPID history can be viewed at a glance. The site sends automatic reminders to owners when a monitoring test may be appropriate and contains additional resources such as a downloadable owner’s guide to PPID and the ability to submit questions about the disease. Care and Connect membership will automatically be offered to horse owners who take advantage of the free* TAL ACTH testing scheme and is also available to all owners of previously diagnosed PPID cases.
The 2016 Talk About Laminitis disease awareness initiative, supported by Redwings, The British Horse Society and World Horse Welfare, will run from the beginning of June until the end of October 2016 offering free ACTH laboratory tests* to horse owners who have suspicions of PPID in their horses. Horse owners can find out more and obtain their free ACTH voucher code at www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk.
“We are supportive of anything that encourages more awareness of PPID and laminitis. The Talk About Laminitis initiative continues to do sterling work in awareness-raising but also crucially in increasing the information we have about the disease and related conditions. The new Care and Connect service is a great support to owners and we would encourage anyone concerned about their horse possibly having PPID to take advantage of the free ACTH test – the sooner you know for sure, the sooner you can work with your vet to manage the condition.”
“We cannot stress enough to horse-owners the importance of regular monitoring. Our welfare officers are only too often responding to cases where chronic laminitis is suspected. We encourage all horse owners, who are concerned about PPID in their horses, to take up this fantastic complimentary offer.”
“PPID (Cushing’s disease) is a significant risk factor for developing the devastating disease of laminitis, but thanks to this initiative, more cases can be identified early and provided with more treatment options and support for both horses and their owners. If they haven’t already done so, I’d urge horse owners to take advantage of the free ACTH test and support offered by the scheme.”
For further information please contact your local vet.
* Cost of laboratory test
References:
- Boehringer Ingelheim internal data: TAL data analysis 2016
The ‘Talk About Laminitis’ disease awareness initiative is a campaign supported by Boehringer Ingelheim Limited, Vetmedica. Produced by the makers of Prascend®. Further information available from Boehringer Ingelheim Limited, Vetmedica, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YS, UK. Date of preparation: March 2016. AHD 9166. Use Medicines Responsibly (www.noah.co.uk/responsible)
About Boehringer Ingelheim
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim operates globally with 146 affiliates and a total of more than 47,700 employees. The focus of the family-owned company, founded in 1885, is researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine. Social responsibility is an important element of the corporate culture at Boehringer Ingelheim. This includes worldwide involvement in social projects, such as the initiative “Making more Health” and caring for the employees. Respect, equal opportunities and reconciling career and family form the foundation of the mutual cooperation. In everything it does, the company focuses on environmental protection and sustainability. In 2014, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 13.3 billion euros. R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.9 per cent of its net sales.
For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com.
