The Care About Cushing’s website is a great resource for owners and enables you to record and keep track of your horse’s progress.
Other useful resources include these two checklists to help you identify whether your animal is at risk of endocrinopathic laminitis or PPID itself. If, after completing either of these checklists, you believe that testing your horse for PPID is worthwhile we are still able to offer vouchers to cover the laboratory fees of your animal’s initial blood test.
EMS is the second endocrine disease contributing to laminitis in the equine population. This syndrome is subject to much ongoing research so the depth of our understanding of it, specifically regarding its diagnosis and management, is changing day by day. Although it feels like there is a huge focus on PPID, the Talk About Laminitis website provides some information regarding this syndrome and the role it plays in laminitis, and more information on the very complicated topic of insulin resistance can be found at The Laminitis Site.
Very simply, EMS is characterised by a triad of factors:
Obesity may be generalised, or regional, with the persistent of stubborn fat in focal areas. This may include bulging of the supraorbital fat pads, the crest; shoulder; behind the withers; on the back, behind the saddle or around the tail head.
Testing for EMS involves a number of different blood tests depending on the clinical presentation of the pony and what we are trying to determine from the test itself. To discuss EMS, testing and management in more detail, please ring one our vets who will help you.
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