Horse Care Issues: Hoof Canker

Most of you haven’t heard of hoof canker.  And even few of you, I bet, have seen it firsthand.   But it’s an interesting condition which does not always have to end euthanasia.

Hoof canker may appear differently in different horses. When the bad area is trimmed or picked out, it may bleed.

Canker isn’t so common.   You may never see it.  But it’s good to at least be aware of, on the off chance one day you find a strange case of “thrush” that does not respond to thrush treatment.

If left unchecked, canker replaces healthy foot tissue with diseased, keratinized tissue.   With enough time, it can go up into the corium and coffin bone.   It can appear as wet, squishy, sometimes cooked-cauliflower looking.   It may bleed, especially when a hoof pick is used.   There may be a distinctive smell with it, which smells different than thrush.   It is not “cancer” though you may see a very fast growth of diseased tissue.

Experts really can’t agree on what it is, nor is there universal agreement on a cure.    Some horses probably can’t be cured.  If you are looking at canker, expect this isn’t going to be a quick or easy fix.   Your vet may suggest one or more of the following:  surgery, topical and/or oral medications, steroids, hoof treatments, special shoes, or cryogenics.

I’ve had the fortune to treat two cases.   The outcome of one, Spongey the Belgian, was a cure in a few months.  He healed back to soundness and is still doing great.  The other – not so good.  Eeyore the Percheron arrived in bad shape.  He was euthanized when the extent of the infection in all feet was realized.  The infection had reached the coffin bone.

Behavior of the horse needs to be a factor in deciding treatment type.   Canker hurts.  Having caustic chemicals burning the open wound or having repeated surgery will hurt even more.    Will the horse, physically and emotionally, tolerate treatment?  Will the pain cause him to act out defensively, preventing further treatment?   Could he reach a breaking point where he can’t take any more pain and may lash out at the handler, possibly hurting you or the vet?   Sedation helps, but it doesn’t make all horses safe.   Some horses tolerate treatment well.   But not all of them.

If you’re going to treat, don’t do it halfway, because it’s just a waste of time.  Be prepared to commit to a long-term (months to a year or more) process.   Treatment may only be a few hundred dollars, though some have reported spending thousands.

There are plenty of good resources.   Start with your vet’s evaluation.  Get a second opinion if their advice isn’t working.    Online some vets have put up canker info pages, such as Dr. O’Grady’s.    Because of how much was learned from the two horses at Equihab, I set up an email list where anyone can share their canker experiences.    Definitely research your options.  Watch out for quacky cures that claim to cure without any objective proof.   Use common sense.    And good luck!