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How can PED make a Difference?

If you've ever owned a horse experiencing laminitis, especially repeated laminitis, you'll know there tends to be one thought, "This needs to be stopped asap".

The problem is that no-one seems to know the answer.

Researchers at PED believe that laminitis is caused by a body imbalance that can be put right. This concerns the relationship of certain chemicals, called biogenic amines, or neurohormones, and may be caused by an immediate situation (e.g. too much grass) or a progressive, cumulative development over time (e.g. Cushing's disease).

The important thing is to know what imbalance might be present in each individual horse order to select the most effective treatment. We can now do this from a small blood sample, sent to our lab.

As many people know, susceptibility to laminitis tends to increase as a horse becomes older. The same tests may be used to monitor your horse, to have an objective way to look at how his/her management, feeding and other routines are affecting the body internally. Your vet can take the blood sample during a routine visit, e.g. before inoculations are given, to keep costs down. The sample needs to be collected first thing in the morning.

To access this service from PED, contact your vet and ask to schedule a visit for a blood sample to be taken for a PED® BAR™ (biogenic amine ratio) test.

It may take considerable time and TLC to achieve, but it is possible to give many horses diagnosed with Cushing's disease (and associated laminitis) a very good quality of life.

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