Shay
Well-Known Member
It appears my beloved old pony has canker. We've been treating what we thought was deep sulcus thrush for about 12 weeks, it would clear intermittantly and then return. To say I am devastated is an understatement. He's an old boy - he's 29 - but semi retired and in good health. Cushings test negative (I have him checked every year). Out during the day - fields are dry - in at night. No other health problems. He isn't lame with it - but doesn't particularly like his heels being poked.
I've doubled his bed with deep fluffy shavings to keep it as dry as possible. His shoes are coming off on monday - hopefully he'll cope OK. We pick out and treat twice daily.
Vet has given me a receipe for a home made solution of iodine, surgical spirit and metrodinazole so we're trying that for a bit to see how we go. Using a needleless syringe to get the solution right into the soft bits. I did try Artimud a few weeks ago but packing the sulcus seemed to make things worse - I assume now that perhaps I didn't have it clean enough. I did have a good response from Kevin Bacon's hoof solution when we thought it was thrush but it kept breaking through.
I am horrified, devastated, motified - all the expletives you like - to have put him in any way at risk. I really need to hear some positive outcomes. Any other suggestions? I'm looking into herbal supplements to boost immunity. We're dry right now but once the winter mud comes would hoof boots keep the mud out? or just give the canker a warm wet place to be? Keeping him in isn't a hardship - he thinks room service is actually quite nice - and he can have a leg stretch / roll in the surfaced schools.
Reading through - horrified as I am I do recognise that actually it isn't very bad in him. His heels are soft and there is a small weepy bit at the top. There is cream cheese like ick in the sulcus when we pick out. Vet has not (yet) suggested having to operate. I'm hoping to get this under control long before that. I know I have to be a bit patient and not switch treatments all the time - but I'm just desperate to help him!
Please be kind - you can't make me feel any worse!
I've doubled his bed with deep fluffy shavings to keep it as dry as possible. His shoes are coming off on monday - hopefully he'll cope OK. We pick out and treat twice daily.
Vet has given me a receipe for a home made solution of iodine, surgical spirit and metrodinazole so we're trying that for a bit to see how we go. Using a needleless syringe to get the solution right into the soft bits. I did try Artimud a few weeks ago but packing the sulcus seemed to make things worse - I assume now that perhaps I didn't have it clean enough. I did have a good response from Kevin Bacon's hoof solution when we thought it was thrush but it kept breaking through.
I am horrified, devastated, motified - all the expletives you like - to have put him in any way at risk. I really need to hear some positive outcomes. Any other suggestions? I'm looking into herbal supplements to boost immunity. We're dry right now but once the winter mud comes would hoof boots keep the mud out? or just give the canker a warm wet place to be? Keeping him in isn't a hardship - he thinks room service is actually quite nice - and he can have a leg stretch / roll in the surfaced schools.
Reading through - horrified as I am I do recognise that actually it isn't very bad in him. His heels are soft and there is a small weepy bit at the top. There is cream cheese like ick in the sulcus when we pick out. Vet has not (yet) suggested having to operate. I'm hoping to get this under control long before that. I know I have to be a bit patient and not switch treatments all the time - but I'm just desperate to help him!
Please be kind - you can't make me feel any worse!
