Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons^™

Effects Of Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (Ppid), Season, And Pasture Diet On Blood Adrenocorticotropic Hormone And Metabolite Concentrations In Horses., Sarah Beth Elliott

Masters Theses

Studies described in this thesis were performed to investigate associations among season, diet, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) and blood concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), insulin, glucose, and leptin in horses. In the first study, higher ACTH concentrations were detected in horses affected with PPID. A seasonal increase in plasma ACTH concentration was detected in the late summer and early fall, but PPID did not affect the timing or duration of this increase. Pasture grazing raised glucose and insulin concentrations with a peak in September, at the same time that horses had higher ACTH concentrations, and this convergence of risk …