This disease, which has only been known for a few years and is feared by warmblood breeders, is a hereditary genetic defect that leads to connective tissue weakness in newborn foals. It is estimated that WFFS has existed for 170 years and affects approximately nine to eleven percent of all warmbloods.
The disease is caused by a genetic defect, but due to its specific inheritance pattern, it occurs only rarely. In adult horses, a distinction is made between WFFS carriers and non-carriers. Only if both parents are WFFS carriers is there a 25% risk that the foal will develop WFFS. If only one parent is a carrier, the genetic defect can be passed on to the offspring, but the disease will not develop. This is known as autosomal recessive (= hidden) inheritance.
Due to this inheritance pattern and the prevalence of the genetic defect, the disease is very rare. In addition, the majority of affected foals do not survive birth. It is assumed that many foals with WFFS are absorbed by the mother while still in the womb. If the affected foals are born, they are usually very weak and show little attempt to stand up.
Typical symptoms include extreme fragility of the skin and hypermobility of the joints. Due to the weakness of the connective tissue, the skin is not properly connected to the underlying tissue, causing it to detach even without external influence. Normal contact, especially in the area of the joints, causes skin injuries, which in turn provide an entry point for infectious agents. WFFS carriers do not become ill themselves, but can pass the genetic defect on to their offspring.
Overview of the inheritance of the WFFS genetic defect
Genotype = hereditary trait; phenotype = appearance
Your veterinarian can usually make a diagnosis fairly quickly based on the characteristic clinical symptoms of the sick foal. However, only a special genetic test can determine which animals are WFFS carriers. Blood or hair from the animal in question is required for this laboratory test.
There is no treatment for this disease. Foals that contract the disease are not viable and must therefore usually be euthanized within the first few hours of life.
Due to the incurable nature of the disease, the prognosis for affected foals is poor. WFFS carriers are clinically healthy and can be used as riding horses without restriction. There is only one restriction on their use for breeding.
With the help of a genetic test available since 2013, it is possible to successfully prevent sick foals from being born and the genetic defect from spreading further. Most German and European warmblood breeding associations reacted very quickly when the disease became known and tested all stallions. Since 2019, testing of all stallions used for breeding and publication of the results has been required by law. Warmblood breeders are advised to also test their broodmares to prevent the disease from spreading further and to avoid breeding sick foals. The mating of two WFFS carriers must be avoided.
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