Cancer of the foot

[Christina]

I have a Shire mare that for 2 years now has been struggling to be sound. Over the years I have heard many things about this mare and in the 9 years before I got her I assumed that she lived a less than charmed life.

Regardless, I love her and no matter what her story would have been she needed a home and I'd have bought her anyway, just to give her peace of mind.

An interesting thing came about last week from a new farrier who trimmed this mare some years ago. She had cancer of the frog, back left, and from his story it was a pretty involved treatment. He told me that if she were his mare he would treat her frogs with formaldehyde every few months for a week at a time. Has anyone ever heard of this??? She has many foot problems and ringbone and the normal farrier (who was recently injured) has been doing various different things to help her find her highest comfort level.........while the fill-in farrier was trimming her front feet and cleaning the frogs he said that they look similar to what that back one did those years ago and hence his suggestion.

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Gary Hill]

Thrush acts like cancer, it eats away at healthy tissue. Good husbandry is important to keeping horses feet sound. Good Luck! Gary

[Rick Burten]

Are you sure your farrier was not referring to canker? this is a much different pathology , in prevelent in draft horses and is very difficult to remediate.

Did you ask the farrier what the effect of pouring formaldehyde on the foot would be, and why?

If it is indeed either cancer or canker, that treatment will be much less than effective.

For some really good information on canker go to www.equipodiatry.com and in the articles section of the site there is a paper on canker and a treatment protocol.

[Christina]

That farrier said that she has suffered from many different ailments and that canker was one but that she did have cancer. She had a biopsy done and thats what it showed. They had a specialist come out and together they cut it out, literally....that it took them 5 hours to do this work. He said that when they were done that her foot looked like it was mangled. They drilled a hole in her foot for drainage..... and her healing took quite awhile. Good husbandry is certainly something that she has been lacking for a long time before we got her. That is why I could not leave her where she was, the look about her was saying to just let me die. He said that she was always sick when he worked on her, I've been asked if she was line bred because of all her problems.

The formeldyhyde kills bad cells??? He did tell me but I don't remember...thats why I asked you guys......seems theres other ways to cleanse a foot and different (better) products to do it.

Today, and for the last 2 years, she has a best mare friend and 2 stallions to flirt with and has boots she wears when going out to protect her flat soles from bruising until we can get her straightened out and her healthy yearling as her neighbor...feed, feed and more feed....! She probably thinks she is in heaven...she pretty much runs the barn and loves it. I just want to make sure that any past problems she has had would get dealt with swiftly and there are no future problems. This cancer thing really bothered me..........I guess I will not go that formeldyhyde route and just keep doing what I've been doing.......seems to be working for her.

Thanks.