Figure 1. A horse with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction showing characteristic hypertrichosis, loss of muscling along the topline and pendulous abdomen.

Management of the older horse

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction is one of the most common diseases seen in older horses, and increasing age is the primary risk factor for this disease. Affected horses have a mean age of 21...

Figure 1. Emotions of the owner on receiving bad news and the approach in communicating these emotions.

The role of the equine veterinarian in end-of-life phase of geriatric horses

If an animal is faced with severe illness or another problem that could result in death, the owner may turn to a veterinarian for advice. The veterinarian is requested to have a part in the...

Figure 1. Aged pony with marked hypertrichosis, consistent with advanced pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, which is a common comorbidity in older animals affected by other chronic conditions.

Assessing quality of life in older horses

Quality of life assessment is well established in human medicine, with a large number of published generic and disease-specific measurement scales (Bowling, 2001). For example, different QoL...