Does Cushing's Shorten Lifespan?

Hello Summarians!

As the year comes to a close, it is often a good time to reflect on successes and setbacks.

First, thank you for all your support of VetSummary. It truly is not possible without all of you.

We do have some changes that will be happening in 2026, and I look forward to sharing them with you in the future.

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Nail Stickers And Bacterial Infection

Research in human medicine has clearly shown that fingernail characteristics influence bacterial load, with longer nails and artificial nail enhancements consistently associated with increased microbial contamination, while intact nail polish alone generally is not. Comparable data in veterinary medicine have been sparse, despite the unique occupational exposures veterinary professionals face, including frequent contact with multiple animal species and zoonotic pathogens. 

This study addressed that gap by evaluating nail stickers, a newer cosmetic accessory that has not previously been investigated. Veterinary personnel with nails maintained at ≤ 2 mm participated in a controlled, longitudinal design modeled after prior surgical scrub studies. Bacterial load and aerobic bacterial species were assessed at baseline (day 0), immediately after application of nail stickers (day 7), and after one full week of wear (day 14), following standardized surgical scrub procedures. 

The findings demonstrated that bacterial load increased significantly after one week of wearing nail stickers, even after thorough surgical scrubbing with chlorhexidine. Although the overall composition of aerobic bacterial species did not differ significantly across time points, there was a notable, time-dependent increase in the abundance of Staphylococcus epidermidis. This organism is particularly relevant because of its strong biofilm-forming capacity and its role in implant-associated infections. The increase is biologically plausible given the adhesive composition of the nail stickers, which likely provides a surface that facilitates bacterial adhesion and retention. Visual inspection of removed stickers revealed debris accumulation along the edges, supporting the hypothesis that adhesive interfaces act as bacterial reservoirs. 

Other clinically important bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, were also cultured, albeit infrequently. While statistical comparisons were limited by low counts, their presence is concerning given their pathogenic potential, zoonotic relevance, and association with antimicrobial resistance in veterinary and human healthcare settings. The relatively low recovery of S aureus compared with S epidermidis may reflect differences in bacterial surface hydrophobicity and adhesion to polyurethane-based materials. 

Tsao, N., Morrison, B., Kwong, G. P., & Atilla, A. (2025). The effect of nail sticker use on hand surface bacterial counts after surgical scrubbing. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.07.0491 

Bottom line — It is an increased risk.

Effect Of PPID On The Lifespan Of Horses

This study examined lifetime medical events and outcomes in horses and ponies diagnosed with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) in a primary care setting to better understand how PPID, distinct from aging alone, influences comorbidities and euthanasia decisions. Although PPID is common in older horses and associated with many clinical abnormalities, age itself is also a major risk factor for numerous diseases, making it difficult to disentangle the effects of PPID from normal aging. 

The results showed that horses diagnosed with PPID were not euthanized at a younger age than age-matched controls and did not experience a higher rate of medical events per year overall. Reasons for euthanasia did not differ between groups, and decisions often reflected age and quality-of-life considerations rather than PPID status alone. The shorter interval between diagnosis and euthanasia compared with prior referral-based studies likely reflected older age at diagnosis and increased testing of horses with existing comorbidities in primary care practice, particularly in more recent years as awareness of PPID has grown. 

Despite similar overall medical event rates, horses with PPID were more likely to be treated with NSAIDs and more likely to experience specific conditions, including hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis, poor wound healing, and dental disease such as missing teeth and equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis. PPID showed a stronger association with insulin dysregulation and laminitis than could be explained by age alone, and recurrence of laminitis was not more frequent once it occurred, suggesting that pergolide alone may be insufficient and that targeted management of insulin dysregulation is necessary. Poor wound healing in PPID horses was consistent with known alterations in cortisol metabolism that can impair inflammatory and proliferative phases of tissue repair. The increased frequency of dental disease supported growing evidence of a link between PPID and oral pathology, potentially involving altered calcium metabolism, vitamin D status, or glucocorticoid effects. 

In contrast, PPID was not associated with higher rates of corneal ulcers, tendinopathies, subsolar abscesses, or bacterial infections, nor with increased antimicrobial use. These findings suggest that while PPID may increase individual susceptibility, age and other environmental or management factors likely dominate overall disease frequency in older horses. 

The study had important limitations, including the inability to determine whether medical events preceded or followed PPID onset, reliance on owner-reported histories, variable diagnostic certainty for PPID and controls, and a relatively small sample size that limited the detection of uncommon conditions. Changes in diagnostic practices over time likely influenced case identification, and the lack of data on disease control prevented comparison between well-managed and poorly controlled PPID. 

Overall, in a largely treated primary care population, horses diagnosed with PPID experienced more total lifetime medical events and were more likely to receive NSAIDs and develop laminitis, impaired wound healing, and dental disease, but they were not euthanized earlier and did not suffer more frequent adverse events overall. Clinicians should manage comorbidities such as insulin dysregulation, laminitis, dental disease, and inflammatory conditions on an individualized, multimodal basis rather than attributing them solely to PPID. 

Stapley, E., Gillespie-Harmon, C., Waxman, S., Farr, A., & Bertin, F. (2025). Horses diagnosed with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction do not have shorter life expectancies but experience more medical events during their lifetime. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.08.0533 

Bottom line — Increased medical issues but not decreased lifespan.

New Therapeutic GI Diet For Dogs

This study evaluates a therapeutic gastrointestinal diet for dogs and shows that combining highly digestible ingredients with functional additives can beneficially influence digestive health. Dogs with gastrointestinal disorders commonly suffer from impaired digestion, dysbiosis, and inflammation, making diets with high palatability, energy density, and nutrient digestibility especially important. The tested diet, formulated with highly digestible protein sources, readily digestible fats, soluble fibers, prebiotics, and functional oils, demonstrated superior nutrient and energy digestibility, reduced fecal output, increased fecal dry matter, and improved fecal characteristics, including lower fecal pH. 

Importantly, the diet rapidly modulated the fecal microbiota, with detectable changes as early as three days after dietary transition and progressive differentiation over 30 days. These changes included increased abundance of beneficial genera such as Turicibacter and Faecalibacterium and reduced abundance of Streptococcus, patterns associated with microbial eubiosis. Correspondingly, fecal fermentative profiles shifted toward higher butyrate concentrations, a metabolite with well-established anti-inflammatory effects in the intestine, likely driven by enhanced microbial fermentation of soluble fibers and prebiotics. Although markers of protein fermentation also increased, these changes did not appear detrimental and may reflect higher protein intake rather than impaired intestinal function. 

The test diet was also more palatable than the control, an important clinical consideration for dogs with gastrointestinal disease who are at risk of reduced food intake and weight loss. Overall, the findings suggest that this therapeutic gastrointestinal diet supports digestive efficiency, beneficially modulates the microbiome and its metabolites, and may aid recovery of gastrointestinal function. While results are promising, further studies in diverse breeds and in dogs with naturally occurring gastrointestinal disease are needed to confirm clinical relevance. 

Santos, L. N. A., Souza, R. B. M. S., Fernandes, E. L., Lima, L. S., Silva, H. L., Volpe, L. M., Oliveira, S. G., & Félix, A. P. (2025). A therapeutic gastrointestinal diet improves nutrient digestibility and modulates fecal microbiota and metabolites in dogs. American Journal of Veterinary Research https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.25.09.0346 

Bottom line — Shows promise.

Just putting things in perspective …