Many of you are familiar with Equine Cushings Disease (PPID) and already are treating your affected horses with Pergolide. Equine Cushings Disease is a disorder of the pituitary gland that affects the endocrine (hormonal) system. It is slowly progressive, and puts affected horses at risk for laminitis (founder) and recurrent infections. As the disease progresses, affected horses typically have long, shaggy hair coats (hirsutism) that do not shed out in the summer time, drink and urinate excessively (PU/PD), and exhibit loss of muscles tone along their neck and back. Unfortunately, these clinical signs vary from horse to horse, making early diagnosis of the problem challenging. The best way to test for Equine Cushings Disease is by measuring Adrenocorticotropin Hormone (ACTH) in your horse’s blood.

Pergolide, which stimulates production of dopamine in the brain, has long been an effective management tool to treat PPID. There has been no FDA approved product for years, and so compounding pharmacies, which purchase and prepare non-approved chemical formulations of drugs, have been the only source of pergolide. The price and quality of these preparations vary significantly. Unfortunately in an effort to economize, many horses are receiving less expensive pergolide formulations that may not contain accurate or stable amounts of pergolide.

An FDA approved pergolide formulation, Prascend, is now available. The cost is higher than some compounded formulations, but the concentration and stability of the drug is guaranteed. If you have a horse on pergolide, or suspect that your horse may have Equine Cushings Syndrome, please contact me so that we can discuss the best diagnostic and treatment plan for your horse. Go to our HighDesertEquine facebook page to find a link to more information on Prascend.