Cushing’s Disease and Laminitis–Not Just Old Horses

Researchers recently revealed that Cushing’s disease is a major contributing factor to laminitis among horses in a primary care veterinary practice, and that the median age of laminitic Cushing’s horses was 15 1/2 years–disproving tha

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Researchers recently revealed that Cushing’s disease is a major contributing factor to laminitis among horses in a primary care veterinary practice, and that the median age of laminitic Cushing’s horses was 15 1/2 years–disproving that this problem is just an “old-horse” disease. Along with his co-authors, Mark T. Donaldson, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, a field service veterinarian at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, also said that some horses with laminitis might have Cushing’s, also called pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, without displaying conspicuous characteristics typically associated with the disorder.






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Courtesy Mark T. Donaldson, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM


A Cushing’s horse with bulging supraorbital fossas, or excess fat over the eyes. Click here to see other common features of Cushing’s horses.


Cushing’s disease is caused by degeneration of the hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons, which are those in the hypothalamus (which controls metabolism by exerting influence on the pituitary gland) using dopamine as their neurotransmitter. The pituitary and adrenal glands in turn produce abnormal amounts of hormones that play a vital role in regulating metabolism and inflammatory and immune responses

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Written by:

Stephanie L. Church, Editorial Director, grew up riding and caring for her family’s horses in Central Virginia and received a B.A. in journalism and equestrian studies from Averett University. She joined The Horse in 1999 and has led the editorial team since 2010. A 4-H and Pony Club graduate, she enjoys dressage, eventing, and trail riding with her former graded-stakes-winning Thoroughbred gelding, It Happened Again (“Happy”). Stephanie and Happy are based in Lexington, Kentucky.

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