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| New ad promo and publicity from Boehringer-Ingelheim Vetmedica perhaps oversimplifies grass laminitis. But it might get the attention of horse owners. |
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| Whirling Dervishes |
So recent research published in the United Kingdom passed before my laminitis-loaded eyes and might have kept on going except that I thought that what Boehringer-Ingelheim is doing there to promote their newly-patented formulation of pergolide, marketed as Prascend, should be of interest to Hoof Blog readers. Prascend has also been introduced in the United States.
And what's interesting is not what the researchers are telling the horseowners--it's what the horseowners are telling the researchers. In a sense, they told them quite clearly that they don't have the latest information.
Whenever there’s a survey of horse owners about laminitis, my ears are up. And they’re up today.
The survey by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica revealed that over three-quarters of horse owners in Great Britain believe that laminitis in the spring is most commonly caused by access to lush pasture, especially if the horse or pony is overweight. The survey was answered by 222 horse owners.
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| This is what we think of as a "Cushings horse". The high prevalence of positive tests for Cushings syndrome (also known as PPID) is revealing that many horses with positive tests do not show the typical signs. (photo by Dr Christian A. Bingold, used with permission) |
In response to these findings, Boehringer launched a 'Talk About Laminitis' initiative to help raise horse owner awareness of endocrinopathic laminitis, and identify the 90% of laminitis cases that are--according to Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica's information--the result of an underlying endocrinopathic condition--namely Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) or Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS).
In other words, evidence now suggests that 9 out of 10 horses and ponies with laminitis have an endocrine disease at the root of the problem. The grass, of course, triggers the laminitis but the endocrine levels are the deciding factor.
Last fall, nearly 1,000 horses and ponies were tested for PPID, approximately 75% of which were found to be suffering from the disease.
According to Boehringer-Ingelheim, in the past, research into the cause of laminitis focused on the role of simple sugars (fructans) in lush grass. It was proposed that eating excessive amounts of fructans could disrupt fermentation in the hindgut, resulting in laminitis.
However recent research evaluating grass intake in grazing horses and ponies has shed doubt on this theory. The average daily consumption of fructans in grazing horses and ponies is considerably lower than the levels required to cause laminitis experimentally, according to Boehringer-Ingelheim.
(The reference for this statement was linked to an article by Dodson and Horrell nutritionist Teresa Hollands, "Obesity and laminitis: minimising the impact of nutrition", published in the Laminitis Awareness 2010 Proceedings.)
Instead, when horses and ponies with an underlying hormonal disease graze and ingest soluble carbohydrates such as fructans, the result is abnormally high levels of the hormone insulin.
Insulin, of course, is the hormone responsible for moving carbohydrates from the blood into the tissues. There is very good evidence that high levels of circulating insulin results in laminitis in horses and ponies with PPID and/or EMS. In normal horses (without an underlying hormonal disease), grazing pasture is unlikely to cause laminitis.
During the public awareness campaign, which runs throughout April and May, Boehringer is teaming up with the Liphook Equine Hospital laboratory to provide free laboratory fees for ACTH blood tests to detect PPID in British horses. To participate in the scheme, veterinarians can download a voucher from www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk. They will then simply attach that voucher to the ACTH sample submission form, and the ACTH laboratory fees will be free of charge.
"If you are not checking for PPID and EMS in horses and ponies with laminitis, you are not getting to the real cause of the problem," says Andy Durham of the Liphook Equine Hospital.
The launch of the Talk About Laminitis initiative in Britain follows the enormous success of Prascend's Talk about Cushing's last autumn, which saw nearly 1,000 horses and ponies being tested for PPID, approximately 75% of which were found to be suffering from the disease.
For further information on Talk About Laminitis or Prascend®, the first licensed product for the treatment of PPID, please visit www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk.
Note: Prascend is sold by Boehringer-Ingelheim in the United States as well as in Europe. However, the programs and survey described in this article are relevant only for horse owners in Great Britain.
© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.
(The reference for this statement was linked to an article by Dodson and Horrell nutritionist Teresa Hollands, "Obesity and laminitis: minimising the impact of nutrition", published in the Laminitis Awareness 2010 Proceedings.)
Instead, when horses and ponies with an underlying hormonal disease graze and ingest soluble carbohydrates such as fructans, the result is abnormally high levels of the hormone insulin.
Insulin, of course, is the hormone responsible for moving carbohydrates from the blood into the tissues. There is very good evidence that high levels of circulating insulin results in laminitis in horses and ponies with PPID and/or EMS. In normal horses (without an underlying hormonal disease), grazing pasture is unlikely to cause laminitis.
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| Horse owners surveyed thought that the spring grass caused laminitis. |
"If you are not checking for PPID and EMS in horses and ponies with laminitis, you are not getting to the real cause of the problem," says Andy Durham of the Liphook Equine Hospital.
The launch of the Talk About Laminitis initiative in Britain follows the enormous success of Prascend's Talk about Cushing's last autumn, which saw nearly 1,000 horses and ponies being tested for PPID, approximately 75% of which were found to be suffering from the disease.
For further information on Talk About Laminitis or Prascend®, the first licensed product for the treatment of PPID, please visit www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk.
Note: Prascend is sold by Boehringer-Ingelheim in the United States as well as in Europe. However, the programs and survey described in this article are relevant only for horse owners in Great Britain.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
