Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmatis (DSLD)

DSLD Video

My dear friend, Margie, has a thoroughbred mare that she hand fed from birth. Sadly her mare has been diagnosed with Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmatis (DSLD) and is only 8 years of age. The following information is an opening quote from an excellent article on the web. If you have a horse with this problem please follow the link for all the information that you may need to understand this diagnoses. There are other supporting links, as well. The picture is a visual of Maddie's leg so that you can see how DSLD may manifest

"Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis (DSLD) is a debilitating disorder thought to be limited to suspensory ligaments of Peruvian Pasos, Peruvian Paso crosses, Arabians, American Saddlebreds, American Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, and some European breeds. It frequently leads to persistent, incurable lameness and need to euthanize affected horses. The pathogenesis remains unclear, though the disease appears to run in families. Treatment and prevention are empirical and supportive, and not effective in halting the progression of the disease. Presently, the presumptive diagnosis of DSLD is obtained from patient signalment and history, clinical examination, and ultrasonographic examination of clinically affected horses, and is confirmed at post mortem examination. Presently, there are no reliable methods of diagnosing DSLD in asymptomatic horses. The goal of this study was to characterize and define the disorder in terms of tissue involvement at the macroscopic and microscopic levels." Veterinary Research on DSLD

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