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CASE REPORT article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Parasitology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1427400

Case Report: Successful Treatment of Chorioptic Mange in Two Belgian Draft Horse Foals with Topical Ivermectin

Provisionally accepted
Marieke Brys Marieke Brys 1*Stien Den Hondt Stien Den Hondt 2Veronique Saey Veronique Saey 1Edwin Claerebout Edwin Claerebout 3Koen Chiers Koen Chiers 1
  • 1 Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
  • 2 DAP Stien Den Hondt, 2500 Lier, Belgium
  • 3 Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Various draft horse breeds, especially breeds with abundant feathering on the lower limbs, are known to be susceptible to chorioptic mange. Clinical signs of chorioptic mange encompass intense pruritus leading to self-mutilation and hair loss, thickening of the epidermis, and the formation of hyperkeratotic crusts and scabs. Despite the frequent occurrence and high impact of this condition, treatment options are limited, with a conspicuous absence of registered products formulated for equines, and especially foals. This limited availability of approved products highlights the necessity for alternative approaches to effectively address chorioptic mange in draft horse populations, given the severity of the clinical signs and their negative impact on the well-being of infested horses. Methods: Two 9-months old Belgian draft horse foals with clinical signs of severe pruritus and skin scaling on the distal legs were included. Both horses tested positive for living mites by means of superficial skin scrapings. Topical treatment with ivermectin at a dose of 1 mg/kg body weight was applied twice with one week interval, directly onto the distal legs of the horses. Results: In both cases, the mites were morphologically identified as Chorioptes bovis. Negative scrapings were obtained 7 days after the second treatment. Pruritus resolved in both horses within two days after the first treatment. Clinical signs consisting of skin scaling and crusting in the pastern region had resolved as well at one week and 3 weeks after the second treatment respectively. Conclusion: This case report presents the first successful treatment of two clinical cases of chorioptic mange in Belgian draft horse foals with 1 mg/kg topical ivermectin, applied directly onto the distal legs.

    Keywords: Belgian Draft Horse, Chorioptes bovis, Ivermectin, Treatment, Mange

    Received: 03 May 2024; Accepted: 01 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Brys, Den Hondt, Saey, Claerebout and Chiers. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Marieke Brys, Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium

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