South African Equine Veterinary Association Congress 2015 Protea Hotel Stellenbosch
Secondary infections develop very easily (chorioptic mange and/or bacterial
infections)
Pigmented and non-pigmented skin of lower legs are affected
Treatment of the infections (pastern dermatitis) not successful because of underlying
poor perfusion, lymphedema, hyperkeratosis and heavy feathering are perfect
conditions for repetitive infections with both chorioptic mange as well as bacterial
infections
Clipping of feathers
Treatment of skin infection and chorioptes
Washing and drying of the legs on a routine basis is essential
Wettable sulfur powder (“flowers of sulfur”) vineyard supply/ local nursery
Mix with mineral oil, apply to ulcerated and/or affected areas of skin daily
Daily exercise to increase circulation
Manual lymph drainage
Bandaging with short stretch bandage
Equine Sarcoids
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Most common skin tumor of the horse
Diagnosed in > 1 year old horses, usually 3-6 years
Risk of occurrence increases until ~15 y then declines
Appaloosas , Arabians, Quarter Horses at higher risk
Thoroughbreds and Standard horses at lower risk
Donkeys also develop sarcoids
Linked to bovine papilloma virus; found in 90% of sarcoids but not (always) in normal
horse skin
Clinical Signs
•
•
•
•
One single lesion versus thousands, different types
Lesions may be static for years then suddenly expand
Rarely self cure, but horses that had regressing lesions will develop no further
sarcoids!
Non-metastatic but aggressive locally
• Occult Form:
•
•
•
hairless area, circular, thick , flaky hyperkeratotic skin ,
small nodules
most commonly arise around mouth, eyes, neck and other relatively hairless
areas (medial forearm and thigh)
• Verrucose (warty) :
•
•
•
•
wart-like, alopecic, scaly
Most often arise on the face, body and sheath area
Slow growing but can get large
Often bordered by skin with increased thickness (occult )
• Nodular:
•
•
•
•
Firm, well-defined movable SQ nodules
With cutaneous involvement or not
Affect eyelid, sheath, groin area
May have up to several hundred !!
• Fibroblastic:
88