Coronary band dystrophy

[Tegan]

Hi

Does anyone have any experience of this condition and it's management. I know that it is an auto immune problem and that we need to manage it rather than being able to cure it. Currently we are treating it with Zorac gel which is a human treatment for psoriasis. This got rid if it for 6 months but it is now back and we are using the gel again which (fingers crossed) seems to be going well.

I am interested in any ones experiences in managing this condition.

Thanks
Tegan

 

[Tegan]

Bumped. I know it is rare but surely someone has had experience of this.

 

[Archiepoo]

hi a friend of mine had a horse they thought had this but it turned out it was selenium poisoning .

 

[Tegan]

Thanks for your reply. I have had a look at a couple of pictures of selenium poisoning and his feet don't look like them. Pictures of my horses feet have been sent to an expert at Liverpool university so I am pretty confident in the diagnosis. However I will ask our vet whether he thinks we should blood test for selenium poisoning.

Was your friends horse new to her or had a change in diet? We have had our boy 5 years with no significant change in diet or grazing (only change is hay supplier).

Thanks
Tegan

 

[Archiepoo]

yes my friends horse was new to her ,she had her about 3 months before she started having problems ,originally they thought it may may been pemphigus ,but after a year of trying to get a skin sample to test positive ,they decided to look elsewhere and it was just by chance they did a selenium test. she had been giving lots of supplements to build the horse up in case it was a deficiency and had over dosed on selenium http://www.hoofcare.com/article_pdf/HoofcarePemphigusKnot7D4CD.pdf

 

[Tegan]

Thanks. I had a look at that article when we were first looking into what could be wrong with him. It is scary stuff. The vets think it is coronary band dystrophy rather than pemphigus as he doesn't have any lesions. As there are no lesions it is not possible to do a biopsy. He is a 17yr old cob so unfortunately just the type to have coronary band dystrophy. He is on 1 scoop hi fi and 1/2 scoop Dodson and Horrell pasture mix twice a day plus the recommended level of Formula 4 Feet and Synequin. Out 24/7 on bare grazing and has 2 sections of hay am and 2 pm. I don't think this would be particularly high in selenium but willing to be corrected?

Tegan

 

[Archiepoo]

no i agree with you theres nothing to worry about with ur feed ,but selenium is also in the soil and grass so overdose can come from hay or grass. might be worth seeing if ur vet thinks its worth a blood test. its difficult when ur searching for a diagnosis and no one can put their finger on it. does the horse have any lameness or any other symptoms?

 

[Tegan]

Thanks. Will definitely talk to our vet about doing a blood test. No other symptoms. It is purely the feet. He is fit and well in himself and out and about doing local comps, sponsored rides etc. Even last year when his feet were at their worst and we had to have his back shoes taken off he was still out and about doing dressage and lightly hacking in hoof boots. (he has to be kept in work due to arthritis).

Was your friends horse ok in the end?

 

[NataliePlayer]

Hi do you still have this cob? Have you had any joy with treatment? I work with a shire that has this, its acute and he suffers a lot from it. would love to compare info and treatments tested etc x

 

[Tegan]

Hi Natalie. Sorry for the late reply. Yes, we still have him and are still battling with his feet. They seem to stabilise in the winter and flare up again in the summer.

We manage him with regular trimming/ shoeing (every 4 1/2 weeks at the moment), feeding formula 4 feet, applying keratex white line disinfectant every time he is shod and trying to keep his feet moist with a hoof dressing called Shur hoof. However, despite all this his feet are not looking good at the moment. How do you treat the shire you work with?

 

[STRIKER]

I have just heard that BioPlus is very good for the immune system esp with sweet itch and its only 1 capsule a week, you could try it. Good results on dogs who suffer from flea bite and apparently its to do with the immune system, i am going to get some for the new mini who has sweet itch.

i dont believe in moisturisers eg oils for feet, it should be natural as in from the dew on the grass, or a quick cold hose in very dry weather only.

 

[NataliePlayer]

Hi Natalie. Sorry for the late reply. Yes, we still have him and are still battling with his feet. They seem to stabilise in the winter and flare up again in the summer.

We manage him with regular trimming/ shoeing (every 4 1/2 weeks at the moment), feeding formula 4 feet, applying keratex white line disinfectant every time he is shod and trying to keep his feet moist with a hoof dressing called Shur hoof. However, despite all this his feet are not looking good at the moment. How do you treat the shire you work with?

Aw its so sad isn't it. Well im afraid this lad isnt doing too good, he is 19 and suffered since birth
It has now got so bad, before it was just unpleasant looking, then abscesses started, now how ever he has also been diagnosed with verrucous dermatitis and its horrid, he chews them raw at times, they have to be kept clean and dry, but he hates any water or products being applied, so he had spent winter on box rest. vets have advised on a few occasions since the start of last winter that euthanasia was the kindest option. In the summer months he isnt too bad but is getting fly strike on a regular basis. over winter he was put on prednidale steroids and we have to sneakily apply fucidin to any sore areas. I havent been at work for a few weeks due to injury but apparantly they are now using a new product to flush the maggots out He has regular trips to the vet to have feathers clipped and for a thorough clean under sedation. I shall try and attach some pics soon. If your boy is in early stages I have heard that GWF immune aid is supposed to help, this boys owners havent tried it though, they have said they tried biotin in the past and it made it worse, i keep meaning to confirm this with the farrier. he also has clover hoof so not sure if this affects the rest in any way xx

 

[NataliePlayer]

I have just heard that BioPlus is very good for the immune system esp with sweet itch and its only 1 capsule a week, you could try it. Good results on dogs who suffer from flea bite and apparently its to do with the immune system, i am going to get some for the new mini who has sweet itch.

i dont believe in moisturisers eg oils for feet, it should be natural as in from the dew on the grass, or a quick cold hose in very dry weather only.

Unfortunately neither of these conditions are in any way normal or natural and and treatment for it goes way and beyond any normal and natural horse care methods, even natural environmental elements can trigger severe symptoms. its very complicated, from what i have researched over the past 15 months, there is little known on its true cause let alone a treatment/cure. Most seems to be on a trial and error basis. it is said to be an autoimmune disorder tho and im a firm believer in healing from the inside out, rather than lotions and potions which can just as easily hinder as they can help. Bacteria is a big issue though so antibacterial cleansers and oils do need to be applied. I did send off the details for a medical research thing, will have to look it up, but i didn't get a reply.

 

[STRIKER]

Surely BioPlus is from the inside out..... I ouldnt think at this stage you have anything to lose to try, but thats up to you, hope you manage to calm it down

 

[Tegan]

Hi. Sorry to hear about your boy at work. Mine is 18 and it is only in the last year or so we have been having these problems. He doesn't have problems with abcesses or fly strike thank goodness. It is severely affecting the quality of his hooves though. It is so frustrating as he is in great condition in every other way competing up to elementary dressage and 3ft SJ and cross country but we are now limited in what we can do by the condition of his feet.

I think the Zorac definitely helped but mine did not have any open wounds so don't know whether it would be suitable in your case. Might be worth talking to the vet about it though.

I think the next step for us would be steroids but trying to avoid this due to the laminitis risk. I will look into the immune supplements and have a chat to our vet about them.

Let's keep in touch as it is so difficult to find information on this condition.

Tegan

 

[STRIKER]

Causes Selenium toxicity, also chorioptic mange,

 

[Ellen Durow]

Hi do you still have this cob? Have you had any joy with treatment? I work with a shire that has this, its acute and he suffers a lot from it. would love to compare info and treatments tested etc x

I took on an elderly cob when she retired from a riding school. She had been treated by the vet for most of her working life for chronic thrush. When she came to me I had the vet and the farrier on the case but with very little result and then a friend came across some photos in her vet book that were the same as my mares. The vet agreed with us. He seemingly knew about it but had never actually seen a case. We tried everything that he could throw at it and everything worked wonderfully for 3 weeks and then stopped working. We even had experimental stuff from Liverpool university! In the end we sent for the vet to put her to sleep as she was so poorly but he persuaded us to try steroids which he thought would only be a temporary help but might give her 3 months in the sun. As it happened she did well on them and lived well and happily for a further five years. We were lucky with her because the tests the vet did when she was diagnosed showed that her liver wasn't affected which would have been a death sentence. At her worst she had terrible sores on her legs and face, frequent colic, had an appalling dandruff-type skin condition and was chronically lame. As part of the treatment we clipped her legs and hogged her mane and she was shod with egg-bars She was kept on the steroids and the vet helped us reduced the dose gradually to the lowest effective dose. She lived in and went out to grass every day as colic was another of her problems although this seemed to clear up with the steroids .
At the time she had it Derek Knottenbelt (sp?) was doing research into Coronet Band Dystrophy so it might help you to look up the results if they are on-line. Or you could write to him, I suppose.

 

[chloekg]

Hello everyone,
Just wondering if anyone had any advice regarding Coronary Band Dystrophy, my horse is a welsh section c and had his biopsy's today but it is more than likely that it is that condition, he has been on the highest dose of steroids for 10 days and antibiotics and bute!!! my vet said if she doesn't see an improvement in a week it may be time to call It a day as he is in too much pain and if the steroids don't work there is nothing more I can do but this is the last thing I want as he is only 12. I am unable to shoe him due to his fear of the farrier.. Please anyone have any suggestions...??????

 

[Mudfukkle]

Hello everyone,
Just wondering if anyone had any advice regarding Coronary Band Dystrophy, my horse is a welsh section c and had his biopsy's today but it is more than likely that it is that condition, he has been on the highest dose of steroids for 10 days and antibiotics and bute!!! my vet said if she doesn't see an improvement in a week it may be time to call It a day as he is in too much pain and if the steroids don't work there is nothing more I can do but this is the last thing I want as he is only 12. I am unable to shoe him due to his fear of the farrier.. Please anyone have any suggestions...??????

Hi yes I have, (I may have replied to you on FB?) my mare got this when she went down with sudden onset Cushings and metabolic syndrome. I spoke to Roger at Trinity Consultants and he told me that only Coal tar will help to cure this. It's so hard to get hold of nowadays because it's supposed to cause cancer? But you can get some products on line. Try and get the highest % you can. Also speak to Roger at Trinity Consultants he helped me so much. I hope you horse gets better soon.x

 

[andrew123]

Anybody.
I have a Clydesdale X which I have had since she was born 2001 always been a good doer, a perfect family horse, easy in temperament, easy to look after and always a pleasure to be around. Then in spring of this year she suddenly went lame on her rear legs rocking from one to the other. Day two I called in the vet who advised keeping her in and restricting food, basically laminitus treatment. He bandaged her feet to raise her heels.After 6weeks of a strict feeding regime, painkillers ,regular visits by the vet and farrier to monitor her, she came sound and the vet was of the opinion that it was probably something metabolic. Without a blood test it was all experience and guess work.
Then after about 3mths. I noticed a ridge quite severe at the top of the hoof, between the coronary band and hoof wall as though she might slough the hoof and it is severly mis-shaped I immediately got the farrier out and he said it wasn't something he had seen before but the hoof itself was OK.
This morning as I was picking out her feet I noticed on her front feet that the hoof wall seems to be shrinking and the coronary band bigger than I remember.
My question is to all the people whose horses have or had coronary dystrophy, does what I am experiencing sound familiar?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I have no experience of coronary dystrophy but I would advise a TRH (PPID/Cushings) test, don't bother with the free ACTH as false negs are not uncommon. My Draft mare had various sking and hoof problems prior to being diagnosed with PPID. Prascend sorted her out as soon as it was in her system.

 

[mandyroberts]

Hi

Does anyone have any experience of this condition and it's management. I know that it is an auto immune problem and that we need to manage it rather than being able to cure it. Currently we are treating it with Zorac gel which is a human treatment for psoriasis. This got rid if it for 6 months but it is now back and we are using the gel again which (fingers crossed) seems to be going well.

I am interested in any ones experiences in managing this condition.

Thanks
Tegan

Have you any pictures?

 

[Blue-Eyes]

Hi. Sorry to hear about your boy at work. Mine is 18 and it is only in the last year or so we have been having these problems. He doesn't have problems with abcesses or fly strike thank goodness. It is severely affecting the quality of his hooves though. It is so frustrating as he is in great condition in every other way competing up to elementary dressage and 3ft SJ and cross country but we are now limited in what we can do by the condition of his feet.

I think the Zorac definitely helped but mine did not have any open wounds so don't know whether it would be suitable in your case. Might be worth talking to the vet about it though.

I think the next step for us would be steroids but trying to avoid this due to the laminitis risk. I will look into the immune supplements and have a chat to our vet about them.

Let's keep in touch as it is so difficult to find information on this condition.

Tegan

I am considering buying a horse who has been diagnosed with this condition. He has never been lame. The condition was diagnosed in its early stage last November. It is just confined to coronary band. It is being managed by regular removal of scaly growth on coronary band and application of barrier creme such as sudocrem. The horse is 7 years. I have been trying to get information on this so I can understand how it may develop and if it can be maintained by correct management. But despite valient efforts on my part I have not found a vet or farrier who has any knowledge of this and there is very little online. I came across your post and wondered how the condition developed with your horse?

 

[saddlesore]

I am considering buying a horse who has been diagnosed with this condition. He has never been lame. The condition was diagnosed in its early stage last November. It is just confined to coronary band. It is being managed by regular removal of scaly growth on coronary band and application of barrier creme such as sudocrem. The horse is 7 years. I have been trying to get information on this so I can understand how it may develop and if it can be maintained by correct management. But despite valient efforts on my part I have not found a vet or farrier who has any knowledge of this and there is very little online. I came across your post and wondered how the condition developed with your horse?

Have a look at the chronic progressive lymphodema page, there’s info about it on there.

 

[Blue-Eyes]

Have a look at the chronic progressive lymphodema page, there’s info about it on there.

Will do. Many thanks