Demographics, Management, Preventive Health Care and Disease in Aged Horses

Prevalence of owner‐reported ocular problems and veterinary ocular findings in a population of horses aged ≥15 years

“…Although the exact proportion of horses and ponies aged ≥15 years in the equine population remains unknown, it has been estimated at 25–29% and evidence suggests that this section of the population is increasing . Many old horses continue to have a useful working life so knowledge of diseases affecting them is essential to be able to provide adequate preventive or therapeutic measures to maximise their athletic career and quality of life.…”

Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction: current understanding and recommendations from the Australian and New Zealand Equine Endocrine Group

“…Although Australian horse population demographic information is limited, one study reported that one‐third of horses in Queensland were ≥ 15 years of age,, and in an earlier owner questionnaire survey, 18.9% of horses were 16 years of age or older . These findings are similar to equine demographics described for populations in the United Kingdom and North America (reviewed by Ireland, 2016) and, collectively, suggest PPID will be encountered with increasing frequency, given the prevalence of the condition in older animals. In support of this assumption, a greater than 10‐fold increase in annual PPID admissions, in comparison with total, was reported to occur over a 12‐year period (1993–2004) at university hospitals in North America …”

“…Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is the most common endocrinopathy of aged horses . There is considerable awareness of this disease among veterinarians and horse owners, in keeping with increased interest in geriatric welfare and health care . Although Australian horse population demographic information is limited, one study reported that one‐third of horses in Queensland were ≥ 15 years of age,, and in an earlier owner questionnaire survey, 18.9% of horses were 16 years of age or older .…”

Clinical findings associated with development of postoperative reflux and short‐term survival after small intestinal surgery in geriatric and mature nongeriatric horses

“…We chose the definition of geriatric as ≥16 years for 2 reasons, bimodal distribution of age data and the definition used previously in the literature. 2,3 The age at which an animal becomes "old" is the age at which there is 25% survivorship 22 ; in horses, this is estimated to be at 15 years. 23,24 Our incidence of POR after SI surgery (65%) was somewhat higher than the rate reported previously (30%-51%).…”

“…Eighty-three horses met the inclusion criteria. The geriatric group included 44 horses ranging in age from 16 to 30 years (median 19.5 [IQR 17.25,22]), and the mature group included 39 horses ranging in age from 2 to 15 years (11 [8,12]…”