Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Immersion Foot Syndrome in 6 Equids Exposed to Hurricane Floodwaters.
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Taylor, Brianne M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This report discusses a condition similar to immersion foot syndrome, which is when skin damage occurs due to prolonged exposure to water, observed in six animals—five horses and one donkey—after they were exposed to floodwaters during Hurricane Harvey. After examining the animals that had died, veterinarians found skin damage below a clear "water line" on their bodies. In five of the animals, further tests showed significant skin inflammation and damage due to poor blood flow. The severity of the skin issues worsened from the belly area down to the legs, especially in those that had been affected for a longer time. Recognizing this condition early can help manage the animals better and reduce health problems.
Abstract
Prolonged exposure to water, known as immersion foot syndrome in humans, is a phenomenon first described in soldiers during World War I and characterized by dermal ischemic necrosis. In this report, we describe the pathologic findings of a condition resembling immersion foot syndrome in 5 horses and 1 donkey with prolonged floodwater exposure during Hurricane Harvey. At necropsy, all animals had dermal defects ventral to a sharply demarcated "water line" along the lateral trunk. In 5 animals, histologic examination revealed moderate to severe perivascular dermatitis with vasculitis and coagulative necrosis consistent with ischemia. The severity of the lesions progressed from ventral trunk to distal limbs and became more pronounced in the chronic cases. The pathophysiology of immersion foot syndrome is multifactorial and results from changes in the dermal microvasculature leading to thrombosis and ischemia. Prompt recognition of this disease may lead to appropriate patient management and decreased morbidity.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32081085/