Ventral Midline (Belly) Dermatitis and Onchocerciasis

Ventral Midline (Belly) Dermatitis and Onchocerciasis in Horses

by Robert N. Oglesby DVM

Introduction

Introduction » Clinical Signs » Diagnosis » What is Hypersensitivity? » Treatment » More Info & Discussions

Skin irritation along the belly and ventral midline is a common event in horses and has two common causes: Onchocerca infection hypersensitivity and fly bite irritation. Onchocerca is a common parasite of horses and used to be a common cause of skin irritation and bumps in horses. This article deals with the differential diagnosis of these two conditions and the treatment and prevention of ventral midline dermatitis.

Clinical Signs

Introduction » Clinical Signs » Diagnosis » What is Hypersensitivity? » Treatment » More Info & Discussions

Ventral midline dermatitis is seen as irritation of the skin along the belly of the horse. However the particular lesions present, their distribution other than the ventral midline, and history may help with the differential diagnosis:
  • Itchyness (pruritus)
  • Alopecia (hair loss)
  • Skin erosions, ulcers (sores), and crusts (dried plaques of serum)
  • Bumps, thickening of the skin (wheals), or in severe cases a generalized swelling along the ventral midline
  • With chronic irritation there may be a mottled loss of skin pigment (depigmentation).

Diagnosis

Introduction » Clinical Signs » Diagnosis » What is Hypersensitivity? » Diagnosis » Treatment » More Info & Discussions

                       
To read more on this topic become a member of Horseadvice.com! Your membership gets you instant access to this and over 600 equine articles on our site. Other benefits of your membership include participation in our discussion boards and access to our one button PubMed search tool for each topic.

Horseadvice.com educates you to be a more knowledgeable horse owner which leads to healthier horses and save you money, we guarantee it. Come Join Us!
Viewing topic 1 (of 1 total)
Viewing topic 1 (of 1 total)
  • You must be logged in to create new topics.