Laboratory diagnosis of the endocrine causes of laminitis

Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and/or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) are identified in most horses with laminitis. In some cases of laminitis, a diagnosis of EMS or PPID is obvious from clinical signs but in others laboratory testing can be helpful to confirm the diagnosis, assess laminitis risk and monitor treatment responses. Laboratory methods for assessing PPID and EMS have their limitations but recent clinical research from a number of groups has resulted in advances — this article aims to summarise recent developments and how they can be applied in practice.