(December 2, 2008 Stillwater, OK) – In collaboration with OSU, Elanco Animal Health, a Division of Eli Lilly and Company, is seeking horses afflicted with Equine Cushing’s Disease also known as Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (ECD/PPID) to participate in a research study. OSU is recruiting cases of ECD/PPID to document the efficacy and safety of pergolide in support of FDA approval. An FDA approved pergolide product for horses afflicted with ECD will assure the access to and the uniformity and quality of a pergolide therapy for horses in the United States.

Horses nearing 15 to 20 years of age or older that have not shed out well in the spring for the past one or two years are possibly developing ECD/PPID. Additional signs can include increased water consumption and urination, loss of muscle over the top line, and possibly concurrent development of abnormal fat deposits, such as crested neck and/or a bulge of fat over each eye. Another sign is unexplained laminitis (founder) and recurrent or chronic infections. If one or more of these signs is noted in an aged horse, then the horse may be a candidate for the study. To be included in this study, horses should not have been treated with medications or dietary supplements recommended for ECD/PPID within 60 days of study pergolide treatment initiation.

If you want to donate a horse for this study, please contact Dr. Dianne McFarlane, Physiological Sciences, Oklahoma State University, at (405) 744-2072 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . These horses would not be returned to owners at the end of the study and would be University-owned animals after donation.

The Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is one of 28 veterinary colleges in the United States and is fully accredited by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The center’s Boren Veterinary Medial Teaching Hospital is open to the public and provides routine and specialized care for small and large animals. It also offers 24 hour emergency care and is certified by the American Animal Hospital Association. For more information, visit www.cvhs.okstate.edu or call (405) 744-7000.

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