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Ventral Midline (Belly) Dermatitis and Onchocerciasis
Ventral Midline (Belly) Dermatitis and Onchocerciasis in Horses
Introduction
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
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
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