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Canker

6K views 8 replies 2 participants last post by  lovetoride 
#1 ·
Has anyone had luck with completly curing a hoof canker. I have heard success stories and read other articles that indicate it can't be cured. I am wonding if there were truly successes or enough time had not passed to be sure it would not reaccure.
 
#3 ·
Thank you for the info. This is the horses second surgery to remove the canker. Unfortunatly the condition was misdiagnosed for the first surgery as the biopsy came back inconclusive. My concern is how do we tell if it is completly gone and if it will reaccure.

I am considering buying this horse as he is wonderful and a perfect horse for me. I have invested two years with him working him through his past abuse and helping care for his feet. He is very connected to me and trusts me completely. So it is not something I want to walk away from. But I can not take on a horse that will have huge medical bills.
 
#4 ·
I really haven't had to deal with true canker, aside from one horse that was recently diagnosed just before I went on maternity leave.
This is one area I'm glad to say I don't have much dealing with.

The one case I came across that I mentioned, is a young draft cross that was severly mal-nourished and had a multitude of hoof problems as well as other issues in his body. He's doing well, his feet just stay rotten, though. With constant attention, he's not lame. I'm currently not working on him, since I'm 8 months pregnant. I believe the owner has great luck with frequent apple cider vinegar soaks (about once a week) and he's staying comfortable and in work (ground work /manners training) . When she skips the soaks, he starts to have trouble again (that's what I meant about his feet staying rotten since it always comes back). But this horse was just pulled from bad circumstances last summer, so it's not been quite a year, either. (and yes, this is all with a vet's attention, as well)

This horse had in the beginning, been foundered, as well, and I believe he's an extreme case of ANYTHING you can think of from skin problems to loose stools. Metabolic issues I'm sure aren't helping anything.

I think it's a good sign that I haven't really HAD to deal with canker, and I'm sure it's not any more or less common here in KS than anywhere else. So I would think with proper care it can be managed if not cured.

A good dry (as possible) environment helps keep a lot of hoof problems away. Exercise is good medicine for hooves if the horse is not in severe pain by stimulating circulation and blood is what brings antibodies and nutrition to damaged tissues. Diet, low sugar, high fiber is always healthier than high grain diets, so that could be a factor, as well. Also, none of my clients shoe their horses, since I'm a "barefoot trimmer" . Maybe this is why I don't have to deal with canker? Not sure. I just know that once the horses are barefoot and adjusted, there are fewer and fewer problems I see of any kind.

That being said, as far as buying a horse with a problem you aren't sure about is a very personal desicion. Only you know what you are prepared to accept and remember there is a chance he'll be an expensive horse to own with little riding time. But, once he's recovered from surgeries he may be fine, but are you willing to wait out the recovery time?

Me, personally, I'm not afraid to take on a horse with hoof issues, but I get free hoof care, so to speak. Paying for the upkeep could be daunting for anybody, and I can't decide for you.
 
#5 ·
Thank you for the information. Based on what you have said looks like he has a lot going for him. He is very healty in good weight and does not get alot of grain and dispite his hoof problems is showing dappling in his coat. I believe that when he was in his abusive situation not a lot of hoof care was going on. He is a large draft cross 17.3H and I think he was abused because his handlers were afraid of him or thought it is appropriate to get that tough with a large horse. The poor guy is actually a kind and gentle sole and wants only to please.

Shoes are a problem with him. The Canker destablized his heal so shoes were necessary to keep him sound for me to try excercise for him. Turn out was difficult because he could only get out when the ground was bone dry. He developed infection under his shoe along the wall so I had to remove them so I could try and keep it from spreading then he could not get exercise. All and all very frustrating. I had to keep his stall so dry that it became dusty. This was not very good either. Way too many problems for such a nice kind animal to endure.
 
#6 ·
Hmmm, actually, doesn't sound as bad as I envisioned at first. How big is his hoof, btw?

There are hoof boots, but it's hard to find a size to fit a large draft or draft cross. However, there are hoof "slippers" that are just a covering that you could use to keep dirt out of his foot. Or if nothing else, you could duct tape the bottom for exercise. It's a pain in the rear to tape up, but worth it if it helps.

Truely, if you COULD get boots that fit, you could medicate that foot and exercise and not worry about dirt like you do now. Plus, you can put supportive foam pads in to re-distribute pressure to other areas so it won't aggrevate the area. Boots are expensive intially, but in the long run are a lot cheaper than special shoes. Plus, they won't trap an infection underneath as they are removable.

A lot of times a shoe that's intended to help support one part of the hoof, can bruise another and bruises can lead to abscesses, sometimes referred to as canker, so it might not be as bad as you think. Just like I refer to laminitis as f ounder, the term canker can sometimes not quite accurate.

Has anybody used CleanTrax or White Lightening on him? It's a strong treatment that works by vapor action (has a special boot that seals the foot in for the soak time). The vapor goes up into little cracks and such and kills all the little nasties you can't even see. It works really well for persistant white line disease, thrush or abscesses and fungus without having to remove entire sections of hoof wall. Just clean the foot well before you soak. It's more expensive than say iodine, but might be just what he needs.

If you would like, just email me and I can give you a link and you can price it.

ambermohr@barefoothooves.net
 
#7 ·
I would be interested in finding more about a hoof slipper. He does have very large feet. At one point I started looking in to hoof boots but stopped when the final conclusion was that he had a canker.

It is definatly a canker or something very similar as we have been fighting it for two years. Most of his frog ,heal and along one side of each of his hoof's walls was involved. His sole was also soft in spots indicating the infection was there as well. When I took over his care after his first surgery I made sure his stall was cleaned 3 times a day and his foot was treated twice a day. Unfortunatly that was not enough for the canker. Yes clean trax was tried along with most other conventional treatments and some others (actually sugardine helped alot). The treatment being used now has been compounded utalizing a medicine that is used to to treat mastitise (sp) in cows. We have not used this before so hopefully this will do the trick.
 
#8 ·
Wow, I really wish I could offer you more information about what his long term will be like. I'm stumped on this one, other than to say I'd keep up the work.

The hoof slipper I've seen in different catalogs. It runs about $45 and I think you could get hold of the manufacturer if you needed a bigger size. It's basically a leather soled sock, if you will. Just a barrier, but to keep dirt out so you can at least get your boy moving around instead of in a stall.

One performance horse I trim had foundered just before I started working on her, and we the owner put that slipper on her for turnout and loved it. It was just enough protection (it was a mild founder).

I would like to keep in touch with you about the canker, if that would be okay with you, since I've not had experience with it. I might be able to learn enough to help another horse one day.
 
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