Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), commonly called equine Cushings disease, has important seasonal dynamics with autumn being the highest-risk period for diagnostic and treatment challenges.
PPID welfare impact accumulates over years as the disease progresses: early signs including hypertrichosis (failure to shed coat), muscle wasting, and polydipsia are welfare concerns in their own right, while the risk of laminitis represents a looming threat of acute severe pain. The autumn ACTH surge creates a management minefield - horses on stable pergolide doses through spring and summer may decompensate in autumn, developing laminitis before owners realize their medication is insufficient. Uncontrolled PPID accelerates the condition and increases laminitis risk. The disease disproportionately affects older horses whose owners may attribute signs to normal aging rather than treatable disease, delaying diagnosis. Good PPID management extends comfortable life significantly - horses on well-controlled pergolide can live many more comfortable years than those with uncontrolled disease.