Posted by amclaughlin52 on May 26, 2003 at 07:24:21:
Hi - my best friend Copy, TWH gelding, will be 20 this year and we've been fighting some type type of fungal/bacterial (not sure) growth between his heel bulbs. It's pink in color, about the size of a big marble and oozes a milky white substance that smells bad when you push on it or try to clean around it. The first week we soaked twice a day with epsom salt and wrapped with a epsom poultice with no change. The second week we tried Coppertox, no change. I had the vet out, he'd never seen anything like it. He suggested treating it with formaline and powdered Tetracycline dissolved into water and used as a spray and not wrapping it. I alternated one in the morning, and one in the evening. After a couple of days it started to shrink. We kept up the treatment until his heel appeared normal. The next time it was muddy out it started coming out again. I sprayed it with the Formaline and overnight it shrunk again. It's been several weeks and we've had a lot of rain again. When we rode yesterday I noticed it is back again and really big this time. His heel is not tender, except right where this growth is, and he is not lame. I think it needs to be removed and cauterized and then have a biopsy to see what the heck it is and treat it accordingly. Has anyone ever seen this type of thing and how did you treat it? Thanks so much, Annette