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Home / Equine Research Bank / Can Vet J / Inappropriate lactation in a 15-year-old thoroughbred mare.
The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne2019; 60(4); 430-433;

Inappropriate lactation in a 15-year-old thoroughbred mare.

Abstract: A 15-year-old thoroughbred non-pregnant mare was presented with ongoing inappropriate lactation. The most likely cause, equine Cushing's disease, was ruled out through biochemical testing. Milk cytology and bacterial culture showed no evidence of mastitis or neoplasia. Idiopathic inappropriate lactation was diagnosed and treatment with pergolide was recommended. Lactation inappropriée chez une jument Pur-sang âgée de 15 ans. Une jument Pur-sang non gravide âgée de 15 ans a été présentée avec une lactation continue inappropriée. La cause la plus probable, la maladie de Cushing, a été éliminée par des tests biochimiques. Une cytologie du lait et une culture bactérienne n’ont pas indiqué de mammite ou de néoplasie. La lactation inappropriée idiopathique a été diagnostiquée et le traitement à la pergolide a été recommandé.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).
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Publication Date: 2019-04-18 PubMed ID: 30992600PubMed Central: PMC6417605
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Summary

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A non-pregnant thoroughbred mare was found to be inappropriately lactating. After ruling out usual causes, the veterinarian diagnosed the mare with idiopathic inappropriate lactation and recommended pergolide treatment.

Details on the Case

  • A non-pregnant thoroughbred mare of 15 years old was observed to be lactating inappropriately. This phenomenon merited investigation as ongoing lactation in non-pregnant horses is abnormal and can indicate underlying health issues.

Investigations

  • The mare’s healthcare team initially suspected equine Cushing’s disease, which is a common condition in older horses associated with pituitary gland dysfunction that can cause inappropriate lactation. However, this potential cause was ruled out through biochemical tests.
  • Further investigations were carried out to identify the cause of the abnormal lactation. Specifically, milk cytology was conducted to examine the cellular structure of the milk. In conjunction with this, a bacterial culture was also performed. These tests can detect abnormal cell growth or bacterial invasion that may point to conditions like mastitis (inflammation of mammary gland) or neoplasia (the presence of a tumor), both of which can cause undue lactation. However, both tests returned no evidence of such conditions.

Diagnosis and Treatment Recommendation

  • Following these results, the mare was diagnosed with idiopathic inappropriate lactation. “Idiopathic” here means that the reason for the lactation could not be ascertained. It’s essentially an unexplained or unknown cause, despite the veterinarians’ best efforts to diagnose it.
  • The treatment recommended for this mare was pergolide. Pergolide is a medication primarily used to manage symptoms of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (also known as Cushing’s disease). Despite Cushing’s being ruled out, the medication can still help in controlling inappropriate lactation by modifying the hormone levels, thereby proving beneficial for this case.

Cite This Article

APA
To T. (2019). Inappropriate lactation in a 15-year-old thoroughbred mare. Can Vet J, 60(4), 430-433.

Publication

The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne
ISSN: 0008-5286
NlmUniqueID: 0004653
Country: Canada
Language: English
Volume: 60
Issue: 4
Pages: 430-433

Researcher Affiliations

To, Tracy
  • Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Female
  • Horse Diseases
  • Horses
  • Humans
  • Lactation
  • Mastitis / veterinary
  • Milk

References

This article includes 20 references
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