ASSESSMENT OF SKINFOLD THICKNESS AS A FACTOR RELATED TO CHRONIC PROGRESSIVE LYMPHOEDEMA IN BELGIAN DRAUGHT HORSES

摘要

For decades, disfigurement of the lower limbs has been present in the Belgian draught horse population. However, only in 2003 the term chronic progressive lymphoedema (CPL) was assigned to this condition, also seen in other heavy feathered draught horse breeds as Shire and Clydesdale (De Cock et al, 2003). Although the exact cause is not yet identified, it is primarily a disorder of the lymph system (De Cock et al., 2006b). Clinical symptoms start at early age and mostly deteriorate through life, often ending with severe disability which frequently justifies euthanasia (De Cock et al., 200; Ferraro 2003). Clinical signs are highly variable and CPL progression is unpredictable. Initially, the lower limbs present increasing skin thickness and hyperkeratosis, with one or two skinfolds predominantly in the rear pastern region. Progressively, enlargement becomes firm and is associated with lesions wich can affect the entire lower limb(s): (thick) skinfolds, marked dermatitis, scaling, nodular fibrosis and ulcerations (De Cock et al., 2009). Clinical signs and dermatological changes show great resemblance to human chronic lymphoedema (Harwood and Mortimer, 19953 De Cock et al., 2003). Treatment will only slow down the formation or progression of lesions. Skin biopts of affected draught horses show dermal anomalies, both in distal limb and neck compared to non affected breeds, which demonstrates that CPL is a generalised disease with major skin alterations (De Cock et at, 2006a; De Cock et al., 2009). Prominence of anatomical structures as fetlock tufts of hairs and factors as age and sex are related to the severity of CPL skin lesions (De Cock et al, 2003; Geburek et al, 2005).