Sarcoids
1. A dollop of vaseline over it or Sudocrem. Don't put anything on it that says things like "aids skin healing". Big no-nos are tea tree products or anything with aloe vera in it. That's because you don't want anything to aid the growth of cancer cells. If it gets bigger you may need to do something about it. Please please consult your vet. Liverpool Cream (only through vets) has a good success rate but if the sarcoid is in an area on soft tissue such as around eye or on penis etc then Liverpool Cream may not be appropriate. Other options include BCG injections, freezing, surgery. But be aware that any "interference" with a sarcoid can kick off a growth spurt. By and large sarcoids do not spread but flies are thought to be responsible for the appearance of new sites. Don't ever use Camrosa or anything that you wouldn't be happy to slap on your own skin if you had a skin cancer. There will always be someone trying to sell you some witchcraft option but ignore them. The problem is that bog standard warts, lumps and bumps can be mistaken for a true sarcoid. Warts etc usually drop off themselves so people think their amazing self help stuff (eg toothpaste!) has got rid of a sarcoid when in truth all it's done is make it harder for the horse's own body to get rid of a wart. Do be aware that the occasional sarcoid can turn nasty and be life threatening. I'd recommend reading Prof Derek Knottenbelt's (Liverpool University) definitive guide to sarcoids.
2. http://www.liv.ac.uk/sarcoids/introduction/
3. My mare had a sarcoid on her neck about 2 inches in diameter. We used the cream. It took a little while to go but she didn't seem fazed by it, and she was only left with a small scar.
4. Hi, My horse had 3 small sarcoids which were treated with Liverpool Cream successfully nearly two years ago with very little scarring so from my experience would definitely recommend
5. I have spent around £500 on sarcoids on my 7 y.o. gelding over the past two years. I tried Forest Farmacy sarcoid powder for a year which didnt help much... it slowed the growth down of the ones he had but they never dissapeared or fell off. Then i have been using Global herbs SarcX for a year (spent £300 on powder) which has worked similar to forest pharmacy. The sarcoids have not grown much apart from one on his eye which has got quite big but they have not gone. Tried Xterra Cream last summer which helped some of them to go but its so expensive £100 for a tiny amount. Wouldnt use Camrossa as it encourages growth/healing which is not what you want as you want to kill the sarcoid source. My vet has sent images to liverpool and we are currently waiting for response as the eye area is quite fragile for the strong cream. Oh and if the sarcoids are golf ball like on the inside of his back legs we put lamb castration on them and the sarcoids fell off but make sure you put antiseptic on it daily and better to do it in winter rather than summer (flies). One vet recommended the bands but the other said it is too dangerous
6 . I am currently using global herbs Sarcex powder and cream, I have tied off two so far using plaiting thread and feeding the powder and using cream they have both successfully died and fallen off and healed as though they were never there! Both were about the size of a 10p, the third on her back leg has stopped growing now and we are waiting to see what happens with it. I have gone thro 2 tubs and they recommend 6 at least to stop them coming back permanently
7. I have been treating one of my boys sarciods with blood root oitment and it has worked well but I had also put him on Milk thistle and the smaller sarciods he has under his sheath area (not treated with blood root) have all gone! I am not sure if this is because of the Milk thistle or they have just gone naturally. It might be worth a try as they do say to try and treat from the inside out as Milk thistle is a detox so it might have been that which worked
8. I've treated 2 horses and a donk with Bloodroot ointment and it's worked. They've shriveled to a thick scab and fell off. It's not cheap, I paid 120euro for a small tub (which I dropped a spilled ) Ive used a castration band on another one the donk had on his sheath. It fell off after a couple of weeks. No scar.
Here a pic of the banded sarcoid on the Donk, silver spray to keep the flies off.
2. http://www.liv.ac.uk/sarcoids/introduction/
3. My mare had a sarcoid on her neck about 2 inches in diameter. We used the cream. It took a little while to go but she didn't seem fazed by it, and she was only left with a small scar.
4. Hi, My horse had 3 small sarcoids which were treated with Liverpool Cream successfully nearly two years ago with very little scarring so from my experience would definitely recommend
5. I have spent around £500 on sarcoids on my 7 y.o. gelding over the past two years. I tried Forest Farmacy sarcoid powder for a year which didnt help much... it slowed the growth down of the ones he had but they never dissapeared or fell off. Then i have been using Global herbs SarcX for a year (spent £300 on powder) which has worked similar to forest pharmacy. The sarcoids have not grown much apart from one on his eye which has got quite big but they have not gone. Tried Xterra Cream last summer which helped some of them to go but its so expensive £100 for a tiny amount. Wouldnt use Camrossa as it encourages growth/healing which is not what you want as you want to kill the sarcoid source. My vet has sent images to liverpool and we are currently waiting for response as the eye area is quite fragile for the strong cream. Oh and if the sarcoids are golf ball like on the inside of his back legs we put lamb castration on them and the sarcoids fell off but make sure you put antiseptic on it daily and better to do it in winter rather than summer (flies). One vet recommended the bands but the other said it is too dangerous
6 . I am currently using global herbs Sarcex powder and cream, I have tied off two so far using plaiting thread and feeding the powder and using cream they have both successfully died and fallen off and healed as though they were never there! Both were about the size of a 10p, the third on her back leg has stopped growing now and we are waiting to see what happens with it. I have gone thro 2 tubs and they recommend 6 at least to stop them coming back permanently
7. I have been treating one of my boys sarciods with blood root oitment and it has worked well but I had also put him on Milk thistle and the smaller sarciods he has under his sheath area (not treated with blood root) have all gone! I am not sure if this is because of the Milk thistle or they have just gone naturally. It might be worth a try as they do say to try and treat from the inside out as Milk thistle is a detox so it might have been that which worked
8. I've treated 2 horses and a donk with Bloodroot ointment and it's worked. They've shriveled to a thick scab and fell off. It's not cheap, I paid 120euro for a small tub (which I dropped a spilled ) Ive used a castration band on another one the donk had on his sheath. It fell off after a couple of weeks. No scar.
Here a pic of the banded sarcoid on the Donk, silver spray to keep the flies off.
Sarcoptes(mange)
- Clip out and wash with Seleen shampoo. Leave the shampoo on for 10 minutes before rinsing.
- Dectomax injection - 2 intramuscular injections 14 days apart
- oral norodine for 14 days to treat secondary bacterial infection
- treat environment with insecticide. Clear out all bedding and disinfect stable with Virkon. Wash rugs etc in hot water.
Seedy toe:
Caused by separation of the lamina from thetoe in the foot. Caused by grit working its way up leaving a hollow of dead matter. Blacksmith with find it and when taped , sounds hollow.
HORSE OWNERS COMMENT
1:
When a mare we owned had it we had to scrub it clean with salt water then spray with Iodine. It worked and the cut away area has to be exposed to fresh air to kill the seedy toe.
We repeated this twice to three times daily. Farrier did tell us to keep her in for a week in a clean stable to keep her out of the mud
2:
The black cacky stuff can be cleaned out and then the gap sprayed with apple cider vinegar twice a day. Other people use Clean Trax or similar products but I've found apple cider vinegar just as effective.
Seedy toe is just another name for white line disease and is triggered by inflammation and then decay of some of the laminae in the hoof. This creates a weakness, dead tissue material and a gap where the bacteria and fungii can invade. The initial inflammation is almost always caused by diet related toxins - i.e too much sugar in the diet, either fromgrass or hard feed. So have a look at his diet. Other causes of inflammation of the laminae are illness/drug treatment/chemical wormers.
3:
It could be a sign that the toes are getting too long, this can create mechanical leverage on the hoof wall which separates the white line & an opportunistic infection can get in. My mare had seedy toe when her shoes came off, I treated the infection & her trimmer took her toes back and put a big roll on them to take the pressure off the white line. She was also put on a high fibre, forage only diet. I thought that once the white line had separated you had a hole & just had to wait for it to grow out but the separation did seem to close up. She sometimes gets a touch of separation and infection if I let her walls get too long (diet will be playing a major part too because this only happens when the grass is growing) & the way to address this is principally via trimming rather than treating the infection.
1:
When a mare we owned had it we had to scrub it clean with salt water then spray with Iodine. It worked and the cut away area has to be exposed to fresh air to kill the seedy toe.
We repeated this twice to three times daily. Farrier did tell us to keep her in for a week in a clean stable to keep her out of the mud
2:
The black cacky stuff can be cleaned out and then the gap sprayed with apple cider vinegar twice a day. Other people use Clean Trax or similar products but I've found apple cider vinegar just as effective.
Seedy toe is just another name for white line disease and is triggered by inflammation and then decay of some of the laminae in the hoof. This creates a weakness, dead tissue material and a gap where the bacteria and fungii can invade. The initial inflammation is almost always caused by diet related toxins - i.e too much sugar in the diet, either fromgrass or hard feed. So have a look at his diet. Other causes of inflammation of the laminae are illness/drug treatment/chemical wormers.
3:
It could be a sign that the toes are getting too long, this can create mechanical leverage on the hoof wall which separates the white line & an opportunistic infection can get in. My mare had seedy toe when her shoes came off, I treated the infection & her trimmer took her toes back and put a big roll on them to take the pressure off the white line. She was also put on a high fibre, forage only diet. I thought that once the white line had separated you had a hole & just had to wait for it to grow out but the separation did seem to close up. She sometimes gets a touch of separation and infection if I let her walls get too long (diet will be playing a major part too because this only happens when the grass is growing) & the way to address this is principally via trimming rather than treating the infection.
Sidebone
- Horse on toes
- Shuffling action
- The level cartilage when pressed.
HORSE OWNERS COMMENT
1 ) Hi there, my 15 year old mare was diagnosed with sidebone in her right fore in 2013. It is very rare for them to be lame with it, my mares was reactive sidebone so still forming but she also had a fracture.
She had it medicated with steroids and did controlled exercise, but touchwood she hasn't had any issues with it since. She does have other problems as well, so doesn't do what she used to, but we do have the occasional jump, hack, school and a blast. It just depends on the ground as well to be honest. She is shod slightly differently and done every 5 weeks to keep her toes short.
She did struggle with the hard ground, wasn't lame, just shuffling, so she as shod with plastic pad inserts as well and this really helped.
2) My mare was diagnosed over ten years ago, tried everything, pads and sidebone shoes didn't help, cortaflex didn't help,barefoot helped marginally but her sidebone is the size of a golf ball and she is permanently lame, has been since diagnosis. Extremely hot weather or lack of movement makes her worse. She is happy enough pottering about field and yard and has the job of companion.
3)
Heya. My (then) 9 yr old Welsh D was diagnosed in the summer of 2013 following a period of lameness and generally feeling pottery and not quite right. X-rays showed sidebone in both fronts. Remedial shoeing with seated out shoes was started and when he didn't show much improvement MRIs were done which didn't show what they considered to be significant soft tissue damage. (in fact the vet who interpreted the imaged queried whether the sidebone was the primary cause of lameness but it was literally the only thing the vets could find amiss) I changed farrier (more to do with never being able to get hold of one I was using at time and needing shoes back on asap post MRI as for some dumb reason I'd expected that the onsite farrier at the vet hospital might erm put them back on before they shipped him off home) and he did have about 3 months of soundness before going lame again at the start of last year. My vets suspected it was sidebone related as couldn't find any other reason for it and farrier couldn't find any evidence of any abscess or anything and said it was likely to keep happening and that I'd just need to bute him when it did.
This horse had never been good to shoe (hated nails being hammered in) but he seemed at his worst when he was lame (despite this vet and farrier were adamant that it was unrelated) and on that particular shoeing managed to cut the inside of his own leg and sent multiple shoeing flying through the air when he reared when they were only half nailed-on. He'd previously caught the farrier on the arm, kicked a different farrier and nearly broken my foot. It was getting to the stage where I felt he was going to need sedating for everyones safety (rather problematic given that he had to be boxed over to the farrier and only full IV sedation appears to work on him for other procedures)
I'd previously had a horse on long term bute and it wasn't a road I wanted to go down again with a young horse if I didn't have to and was also rather reluctant to either keep risking life and limb to get shoes on or sedate him. I also wasn't happy with how the shape of his feet was changing.
Bearing all of this in mind I decided I wanted to try taking him barefoot. It was an option I'd looked at when he was first diagnosed but I'd wanted to give remedial shoeing a chance and until he went lame again i thought it was working well enough to want to continue. He had been extremely sore when he'd had his shoes off for MRI so I knew that realistically I didn't have the set up to keep him comfortable initially. I also didn't really know what I was doing enough to feel confident going down that road without support. So he went down to Rockley Farm to benefit from their track system and Nic's knowledge and experience and was there for just under 13 weeks. (Think he'd have been quite happy if I'd not come back for him as he loved it there)
His angle of growth started to change by an insane amount whilst he was there (I wish I'd measured it so I could tell you how many degrees it altered by) and he went from being unsure on even a good arena surface to being happy to walk on concrete and landing correctly.
We've had a fair few stumbling blocks since he came back as he seems to be quite grass sensitive but we're slowly moving in the right direction by continuing to follow Nic's advice, addressing his diet and giving him as much movement on a variety of surfaces as I can manage.
Initially this involved lots and lots of walking him out on the roads in hand as well as both ground work and ridden work in walk and trot in the arena and then gradually started ridden work on roads and introduced canter on good surfaces.
Currently he's schooling well at walk trot and canter and hacking out happily on roads, grass and mud (still not a fan of stones right now). We're planning on doing some Prelim dressage this weekend (did an intro one a few months ago), have done a few indoor le trec events and I'm hoping if all goes well to start jumping him again later this year and to move up a level with the dressage.
He's now nearly grown out all of his shod hoof and his feet are totally unrecognisable compared to how they were. The hope is that as he continues to do more and more work then the structures at the back of his foot should keep on getting stronger and better developed and I'm praying that this will allow him to compensate for the shock absorption that he's lost due to ossification.
Natural remedies
Sidebone and poor hoof flexibility
Comfrey and Willow can help
Comfrey and Willow can help
SKIN INFECTIONS
Many types of skin infections can affect horses coat, the one below is just on where the said horses coat is very itchy and the horse rubs on anything there is and makes large sore patches over its body. The horse was found to have pin worms and is much less itchy since its been treated.
Splints
Horse lame more on hard ground than on soft. Call the vet DMSO is often applied while the splints are forming. Once formed , although an unsoundness, they rarely cause any more trouble.
There will be swelling and tenderness in the area where the splints are this will increase with exercise.
There will be swelling and tenderness in the area where the splints are this will increase with exercise.
SPLIT PATELLA
- My horse fractured his patella one year, id have thought its a injury more common to eventers from smacking their stifles on fences
STIFFLE LOCK
Cause of Stifle Lock Whilst the direct cause for stifle lock is still being researched, many feel it is a hereditary condition. Factors which influence its likelihood include muscular condition (particularly quadriceps), conformation, lack of fitness, and immaturity. Injury may also lead to a breakdown of the unlocking mechanism of this joint.
Symptoms of Stifle Lock Stifle lock in its more chronic forms may present as the horse’s leg extending out and backwards, with its fetlock resting on the ground. This is quite an obvious symptom, although horses can suffer from milder forms of this condition and not have the obvious extension. In some milder cases the horse’s stifle locks intermittently when the horse is moving, occurring with greater frequency if the horse has been at rest for some time. This may be observed when the horse in slowing down in gait, say from canter to trot. The hind leg will appear to collapse briefly, the stifle often unlocking itself with a loud click. In its most mild form stifle lock can be quite difficult to diagnose. It may appear as a slight shaking or vibration of the hind as the ligament unlocks itself, a mechanism which may be unnoticeable to many riders or onlookers.
A stifle locking often may result in inflammation, damage to the ligaments, and osteoarthritis. Lameness may then result from such ailments.
Diagnoses of Stifle Lock If a horse were to present with lameness, stifle lock would not be the first thing on your vet’s list until a gait analyses has been performed. After ascertaining that a locking ligament problem is presenting, x-rays may be recommended to rule out other causes, also to check for wear and damage to the joint.
Treatment of Stifle Lock In many cases the first thing your vet would recommend would be to exercise the horse. An improvement of quadriceps muscle condition often results in the stifle unlocking correctly, for milder cases. Corrective farriery is also implemented, to properly balance the breakover of the foot. Your vet would advise on a suitable exercise regime, as well as work with your farrier (often through the use of xrays) to achieve an optimal hoof conformation.
For more severe cases, surgery is sometimes suggested. There are a few different surgical techniques, your surgeon and vet will be able to suggest what could be more successful for each case. They may have to have some surgeries a second time later in life to ensure a more permanent result. Recovery time from most stifle lock surgeries is recommended to be at least three or more months, with extremely close veterinary supervision paramount.
Prognosis for Stifle Lock With modern veterinary advancements, most cases of stifle lock can have a favourable outcome, through either more conservative exercise therapy, or via surgery.
It is key that horseowners seek a highly experienced equine veterinarian’s opinion on possible stifle lock, as many other conditions present in a similar fashion. In some cases their vet may refer them to another vet, often a specialist, for a definitive diagnosis, especially before commencing surgery.
Symptoms of Stifle Lock Stifle lock in its more chronic forms may present as the horse’s leg extending out and backwards, with its fetlock resting on the ground. This is quite an obvious symptom, although horses can suffer from milder forms of this condition and not have the obvious extension. In some milder cases the horse’s stifle locks intermittently when the horse is moving, occurring with greater frequency if the horse has been at rest for some time. This may be observed when the horse in slowing down in gait, say from canter to trot. The hind leg will appear to collapse briefly, the stifle often unlocking itself with a loud click. In its most mild form stifle lock can be quite difficult to diagnose. It may appear as a slight shaking or vibration of the hind as the ligament unlocks itself, a mechanism which may be unnoticeable to many riders or onlookers.
A stifle locking often may result in inflammation, damage to the ligaments, and osteoarthritis. Lameness may then result from such ailments.
Diagnoses of Stifle Lock If a horse were to present with lameness, stifle lock would not be the first thing on your vet’s list until a gait analyses has been performed. After ascertaining that a locking ligament problem is presenting, x-rays may be recommended to rule out other causes, also to check for wear and damage to the joint.
Treatment of Stifle Lock In many cases the first thing your vet would recommend would be to exercise the horse. An improvement of quadriceps muscle condition often results in the stifle unlocking correctly, for milder cases. Corrective farriery is also implemented, to properly balance the breakover of the foot. Your vet would advise on a suitable exercise regime, as well as work with your farrier (often through the use of xrays) to achieve an optimal hoof conformation.
For more severe cases, surgery is sometimes suggested. There are a few different surgical techniques, your surgeon and vet will be able to suggest what could be more successful for each case. They may have to have some surgeries a second time later in life to ensure a more permanent result. Recovery time from most stifle lock surgeries is recommended to be at least three or more months, with extremely close veterinary supervision paramount.
Prognosis for Stifle Lock With modern veterinary advancements, most cases of stifle lock can have a favourable outcome, through either more conservative exercise therapy, or via surgery.
It is key that horseowners seek a highly experienced equine veterinarian’s opinion on possible stifle lock, as many other conditions present in a similar fashion. In some cases their vet may refer them to another vet, often a specialist, for a definitive diagnosis, especially before commencing surgery.
Superficial flexor tendon
As with any tendon call the vet. He might have to scan the leg to confirm or see how bad the damage is.
As with most tendon damage rest is impoirtant
Supraspinous ligament
1. One of my girls has this (in conjunction with a bunch of other issues, including sacroiliac damage and hoof problems that have ultimately led to her being a very bored field ornament!). Isolating the supraspinous ligament damage, though, with steroid injections and a lot of very careful rehab work, hers was manageable - the last combined vet and physio visit she had she was strong and comfortable there again. But she did need regular physio visits and three monthly saddle checks to avoid reinjuring it. Fingers crossed things go better for your beastie!
If you want some further ideas for supporting him - hiring a really good physio is usually a fair bet, supplementing magnesium can help with repairing muscle damage (as well as acting as a calmer when he's supposed to be resting!), and if possible hydrotherapy - can you box to the beach and give him a swim when he's completed his rehab? Keeping the back warm helps keep the blood flowing to the affected tissue too. Oh, and it may seem obvious, but keep yourself as fit as possible while you're only doing the groundwork with him and get your back adjusted too - you will probably have unconsciously been compensating for his issues for a while. Being crooked or slightly out of balance yourself won't be the best thing for him once you get back on board!
2. My horse was diagnosed with this in the autumn. He had a course of shockwave therapy and then a course of physio and then came slowly back into work under physio supervision. The vets were very guarded about his prognosis and I had no faith whatsoever in the SWT but it seemed to do the trick and he is going very well now, and is coming home from the rehab yard in a couple of weeks.
If you want some further ideas for supporting him - hiring a really good physio is usually a fair bet, supplementing magnesium can help with repairing muscle damage (as well as acting as a calmer when he's supposed to be resting!), and if possible hydrotherapy - can you box to the beach and give him a swim when he's completed his rehab? Keeping the back warm helps keep the blood flowing to the affected tissue too. Oh, and it may seem obvious, but keep yourself as fit as possible while you're only doing the groundwork with him and get your back adjusted too - you will probably have unconsciously been compensating for his issues for a while. Being crooked or slightly out of balance yourself won't be the best thing for him once you get back on board!
2. My horse was diagnosed with this in the autumn. He had a course of shockwave therapy and then a course of physio and then came slowly back into work under physio supervision. The vets were very guarded about his prognosis and I had no faith whatsoever in the SWT but it seemed to do the trick and he is going very well now, and is coming home from the rehab yard in a couple of weeks.
Sweet Itch
HORSE OWNERS COMMENT
1. Benzyl benzoate from the chemist worked for my mare. I have also heard Avon skin so soft is good.
I also bought a lycra stretch hood that covered her head, neck and shoulders. She wore this under a full neck fly rug.
2. I use global herbs Skratch with amazing effects. I'm currently trialling tumeric at 2 tbsp per day as an alternative - makes her smell like cat pee (so flies don't bite her!) and anti inflammatory properties.
Can also feed brewers yeast and micronised linseed to support skin
Regular bathing - I use head and shoulders sensitive to shift scurf and soothe her skin
I use citronella oil from b&q as a repellant - patch test first
I find living out 24/7 beat management when itchy as more self harm done in stable - but I also find her having grass, being over weight and feeds (garlic and alfalfa) make her significantly worse.
3. I've not tried the Boett capsules but have had success with the Global Herbs Skratch products, I have found they dramatically reduce itchiness, both in a mare with SI and a non SI itchy pony.
4. I use their 'Skratch Plus' for my pony. I've tried loads of other supplements, lotions and potions in the past and found it's the only thing that works. It's great stuff (but does really stink!)
I also bought a lycra stretch hood that covered her head, neck and shoulders. She wore this under a full neck fly rug.
2. I use global herbs Skratch with amazing effects. I'm currently trialling tumeric at 2 tbsp per day as an alternative - makes her smell like cat pee (so flies don't bite her!) and anti inflammatory properties.
Can also feed brewers yeast and micronised linseed to support skin
Regular bathing - I use head and shoulders sensitive to shift scurf and soothe her skin
I use citronella oil from b&q as a repellant - patch test first
I find living out 24/7 beat management when itchy as more self harm done in stable - but I also find her having grass, being over weight and feeds (garlic and alfalfa) make her significantly worse.
3. I've not tried the Boett capsules but have had success with the Global Herbs Skratch products, I have found they dramatically reduce itchiness, both in a mare with SI and a non SI itchy pony.
4. I use their 'Skratch Plus' for my pony. I've tried loads of other supplements, lotions and potions in the past and found it's the only thing that works. It's great stuff (but does really stink!)