[Verrucous pastern dermatitis syndrome in heavy draught horses. Part II: Clinical findings].

The study investigates verrucous pastern dermatitis, a skin condition affecting the feet of heavy draught horses. It documents the condition’s clinical characteristics, associated anatomical features, and potential influences such as hygiene, feed, and age.

Research Objective and Process

• The study aimed to examine the skin condition verrucous pastern dermatitis in heavy draught horses. The investigation considered the clinical severity of the disease, prevalence of specific anatomical features, and potential impacts of housing, feeding, and grooming conditions.
• Data was gathered via physical examination of 37 horses and punch biopsies of both healthy and diseased skin. Anecdotal information on housing conditions and feeding was also collected. All data was considered in relation to the severity of verrucous pastern dermatitis.

Clinical Findings

• The research identified four different forms of the disease, categorized by the type of lesions or scales seen on the affected horse’s skin. These categories ranged from basic scaling to rugged, verrucous skin lesions.
• No connection was found between the severity of verrucous pastern dermatitis and factors such as sex, breed, workload, breeding usage, the condition of the horse’s hair, the presence of white markings on the feet, or infestation by Chorioptes skin mites.

Influences on Dermatitis Severity

• Several correlations with the severity of the disease were identified. Feed, specifically the quantity of maize and oats, was shown to have some impact on the condition’s severity.
• Statistical analysis revealed significant links between the severity of the condition and the horse’s age, the grooming condition of its hooves, and the mean cannon (the large bone in the horse’s lower leg) circumference.
• The presence and prevalence of fetlock tufts of hair (“feathering”), chestnuts (small, horny patches on the horse’s legs), ergots (small, horny growths on the lower part of the horse’s legs), and anatomically normal bulges in the pastern region were also found to increase significantly with the clinical severity of the disease.
• Hygienic conditions, both in the stables and on the ground where the horses were kept outdoors, were found to have an impact on the severity of the dermatitis, underscoring the importance of a clean environment for managing this skin condition.