Cushing’s disease or Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) is one of the most prevalent medical conditions in middle-aged or senior horses. It is characterized by abnormally high cortisol levels in the body. The clinical signs of Cushing’s disease are well studied, but how does it impact the equine immune system?
Cushing’s disease affects the equine immune system in that
- Elevated levels of cortisol and other hormones weaken the immune system
- Lower amounts of white blood cells exist in the blood
- They are more prone to infections than horses without the disease
Increasing awareness of the limited knowledge of the immune effects of Cushing’s disease will help owners care for their ailing horses and improve their quality of life. Continue below to learn more about its impacts on immune function, and how you can give your horse a much-needed immunity boost.
What Are The Immune Effects of Cushing’s Disease?
According to a study by Miller et al., horses with Cushing’s or PPID experience changes in the immune system’s base functioning. Horses with Cushing’s disease have lower white blood cell and absolute lymphocyte blood counts than horses without. This decrease in immunity makes them more prone to disease.
PPID horses also have lower chemical messenger levels. This means they have fewer proteins that help immune cells do their job. The decrease of the cytokine IFN gamma weakens the body’s potential to create an immune response. Horses are more prone to bacterial infection by R. equi and E. coli, for example.
Horses with Cushing’s also face lower production of neutrophils, which negatively impacts their ability to produce certain immune responses crucial for innate immunity
How To Provide Immune Support to Cushing’s Disease Horses
New scientific work indicates that supplementing Cushing’s or PPID horses with vitamin E can improve their immune response and reduce the incidence of sickness. Vitamin E already works throughout the body as an antioxidant.
When a horse has PPID, their hypothalamus and pituitary gland do not communicate well. The pituitary becomes overactive and produces an excess of hormones like cortisol. As stated above, the excess of hormones weakens the immune system by causing decreased production of disease-fighting cells and proteins.
Providing antioxidants like vitamin E helps slow aging and delay the progression of age-related conditions like PPID because these horses have damaged antioxidant pathways. They do not produce enough antioxidants on their own.
It is also a good idea to keep your Cushing’s horses away from unknown horses when traveling and avoid sharing feed buckets and other supplies when possible to avoid possible contact with pathogens. The more secure your horse is, the better their health will be.
Supplementing your horse’s diet with BioPro Armour is the best way to ensure their immune system gets the boost they need, whether they have Cushing’s disease or otherwise. It is full of thymic proteins that help immune cells recognize pathogens faster, providing support when needed and protecting them from further disease. Try it today and see the difference it makes for your horse!
We are running a Christmas sale from December 24th to January 2nd, so it’s the perfect time to give your horse the gift of improved immune health. Save 25% on BioPro Armour and the rest of our immune-boosting products (excluding nebulizers) using code healthy2025 at checkout. All of us at BioPro Armour wish you a Merry Christmas!
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