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PPID quality of life tool to be developed
Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction can cause laminitis.
RVC to undertake three-year project.

Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) have announced a project to develop a new tool to assess the quality of life of horses and ponies with Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID).

A hormone disorder that affects the pituitary gland of horses, PPID often causes the animals to develop laminitis, leading to extreme pain, instability of the pedal bone within the hoof capsule and in some cases, euthanasia. 

As well as these, PPID can also cause weight loss, behavioural changes and lethargy. 

Owing to the potential negative impact of PPID symptoms on an equine's quality of life, researchers are will develop an assessment tool to assist veterinary professionals and equine owners in making informed decisions about care.

Professor Nicola Menzies-Gow, of the RVC, said: “This is an exciting project that will hopefully allow development of a tool that can be used to objectively assess the quality of life of horses and ponies with PPID and determine which aspects of the disease and its treatment have the greatest impact on this.”

Set to be developed over the course of three years, the tool will be created first by interviewing equine veterinary surgeons and owners of equines with PPID to ascertain which aspects of the disorder appear to impact quality of life the most.

The data and information gathered from this will be used to develop a questionnaire for a larger number of horse owners, and following this, the question-based tool will be created.

For the remaining two years of the study, the tool will be used to assess 140 horses and ponies newly diagnosed with PPID. These equines will be followed over the two-year period to see how quality of life is impacted, and whether the drug pergolide improves this. 

Ultimately, the study aims to determine the effect of pergolide on the quality of life of equines diagnosed with PPID, and to assist veterinary professionals and owners in decision-making regarding treatments or euthanasia. 

The research will be led by Nicola Menzies-Gow, Professor of Equine Medicine at the RVC, Christine Nicol, Professor of Animal Welfare at the RVC, Dr Edd Knowles and Dr Imogen Schofield from CVS.

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.