A proprietary blend of desiccants, antibacterial, antifungals, vitamins, herbs and antiinflammatory

Transcription

1 Canker Powder Contents Who, Where, and Early Signs... 2 What is in Horse Canker Powder?... 2 Confusion That It s Thrush... 3 Causes of Canker... 3 Why it can occur at Even Well Managed Barns... 4 Role of Worms... 4 Prevention... 4 Treatments That Do Not Work... 5 Euthanasia... 6 Using Ketoconazole... 7 Biopsy and Lab Testing Canker, Why Take X-Rays of Foot?... 7

2 Who, Where, and Early Signs 1. All breeds are effected by canker, but draft/draft crosses seem to have a higher rate 2. All ages and sexes can get it 3. Can be in one, two, three, or all four feet. In drafts, it is usually more in the hind feet 4. Early Signs: a. Very bad odor b. Exudate that is white/yellow like melting cheese c. Tentacles of abnormal tissue like an octopus (in advanced cases) d. Blooms of proud flesh and abnormal tissue that looks like cauliflower e. Tissue bleeds very easily when trying to clean out the feet. Cleaning out feet does not cure the problem f. Mild advancing to profound lameness where they begin to lean against posts, straw bales, keep feet up, hop, toe walk g. Blood on concrete floor seen due to canker dripping blood 5. Your farrier says the horse has canker What is in Horse Canker Powder? A proprietary blend of desiccants, antibacterial, antifungals, vitamins, herbs and antiinflammatory agents: 1. MSM 2. Matricaria 3. Magnesia desiccant 4. Metronidazole 5. Ketoconazole 6. SMZ/TP 7. Vitamin E The 1 gallon bucket is enough to treat 2 feet for 4 weeks to clear horse canker. Page 2 of 8

3 Confusion That It s Thrush Differences Canker Thrush Where? All over body of frog, sole Only sulcus (grooves) of the frog not the body, not sole Proliferate Tissue? Yes, large amounts of proud flesh or even tentacles of abnormal tissue Color of Exudate Yellow, white melting Usually black cheese-like Time to Heal 3 4 weeks 1 week Common No Yes Oral Antibiotics Used Yes No Spirochete Aspect Yes No Bleeds Easily Yes No Viral Aspect Yes No Worm Aspect Yes No Similarities 1. Both have a bad odor 2. Both improve with dry bedding/dry turnout areas 3. Both improve with picking out feet regularly No Causes of Canker These pile up on each other to create the disease so it s a soup of causes all mixed in, with the percent of each trigger different in each case. 1. Viral bovine papilloma virus 2. Bacterial anaerobes, including Treponema Spirochete 3. Bacterial aerobes 4. Proliferative abnormal tissue proud flesh/hyperkeratosis, hyperplastic tissue 5. Fungal elements probable 6. Nematode (worms) probable Page 3 of 8

4 Why it can occur at Even Well Managed Barns 1. Treponema in soil is worldwide 2. Bovine papilloma virus is widespread 3. Peloda worms in soil is worldwide 4. Bedding in straw increases infection possibility due to organic matter being in direct contact with dirt. Also straw absorbs urine less, so more moisture allows for increased bacterial counts. 5. Genetic component horse may be more prone 6. Drafts more prone perhaps weight pushes dirt into crevices in foot in larger amounts. Perhaps larger foot means more prone to frog/sole wounds which allow dirt in more often. Role of Worms Worms (nematodes) as an agent of horse canker. Create abnormal skin/usual skin barrier is broken down to allow bacteria in Live in dead/decaying organic material, so clean up any loose hay in fields, avoid straw as bedding if your horse has had canker prior Use Ivermectin in the treatment regimen for horse canker. Consider using it in usual deworming program such as twice a year Equimax which has Ivermectin in it. Prevention Prevention of canker being proactive: Bedding: Use shavings to dry out feet better than straw. Straw has organic dust which includes bacteria/mold and absorbs urine less, so the feet are exposed to water more. Pelodara larvae live in rotting organic debris like wet straw. Pick feet out daily/inspect feet daily Antiseptic: Apply Venice of Turpentine to soles of all four feet 2 times a week for life antiseptic Help the Barrier: Understand that the hooves/soles are extensions of the skin, so help that barrier be its best: Page 4 of 8

5 1. Health-E Vitamin E: 1 scoop a day = 5,800 IU of Vitamin E. This is the strongest Vitamin E in the USA, has all eight forms of alpha tocopherol, and is ester stable so it is good for 2 years in heat/light/air. Vitamin E is the #1 antioxidant of the epidermal tissue making up frog/sole. Why Vitamin E? Keeps immune system in peak shape in studies. 2. Omega 3 helps skin add flax or chia seed to their diet easy, simple, and cheap Pasture: Management of pasture to decrease area of standing water Genetic Component: Family lines of an individual horse with canker need to be inspected daily even more. If a canker horse has a brother on the program, keep a sharp eye on them. Deworming: Regular deworming program reduce the nematode aspect of canker do Ivermectin 3x per year Avoid Long Term Corticosteroid Use: Lowers immune system to allow bacteria in Treatments That Do Not Work Caustic Chemicals: These can destroy normal tissue and create crevices that canker flourish in. They can also spill over hoof tissue onto skin of the heels/pastern and create damage. Deep/Radical Surgical Debridement with No Follow Up: These require general anesthesia, so added risk and costs, and the canker will return. Often normal tissue and structures are removed unnecessarily. Maggot Therapy for Cleaning out Necrotic Tissue: This treatment cannot reduce proud flesh aspect of canker or kill harmful bacteria of the disease. This therapy usually also requires surgical removal of some abnormal tissue prior to maggot placement. A better option is the surgical removal of abnormal tissue and placement of horse canker powder. Page 5 of 8

6 Freeze Firing: Often requires multiple separate treatments due to canker reoccurs. This therapy also requires surgical removal of canker tissue prior to the procedure and often, topicals are required after freeze firing. A quicker, easier way is surgical removal and placement of horse canker powder. High Dose Oral Corticosteroids: One study suggested this to help in reducing proud flesh aspect of canker but it s a therapy with problems: a. Immune Suppression Caused by Steroids: This can increase bacterial infections. Also Cushings horses should avoid this due to raising of glucose levels and their cortisol levels are already high. In addition, corticosteroid reduces muscle mass by breaking it down to create glucose, so it is not helpful in older horses with muscle problems. b. Laminitis: Increases insulin, so it is not good for insulin resistant horses and can increase laminitis episodes in IR horses. c. Proven to create IR in normal horses with extended use. Chloramphenicol Topical Antibiotic: a. Human Health Hazard. Other antibiotics like SMZ-TP, tetracyclines, metronidazole, and ketoconazole are much safer. b. Expensive The Use of Cisplatin Anti-Cancer Agent to Treat Horse Canker Euthanasia The need for past euthanasia often was due to the lack of recent knowledge that we have now. More accurate trimming of necrotic tissue, correct antibiotics, the importance of keeping dry are adding up to increased success. In the recent past, canker was often a grave prognosis: a Lameness in Horses (Dr. Adams) Guarded to unfavorable prognosis b The Lame Horse (Dr. Rooney) Less than hopeful prognosis More and more, euthanasia is not being considered due to canker getting cleared up. Page 6 of 8

7 Using Ketoconazole 1. Ketoconazole found to be highly effective against 40 isolates of fungus 2. Ketoconazole highly effective in vivo and in vitro 3. In comparing miconazole and ketoconazole topically on skin against Candida Fungus, ketoconazole produced 14 x, 10 x, and 7 x greater drug concentrates at 1, 4, and 8 hours than did miconazole 4. Ketoconazole had significantly greater bioactivity than did miconazole 5. Ketoconazole had greater efficacy than miconazole 6. Ketoconazole used against seborrheic dermatitis and it improved erythema (redness), scaling, and pruritus (itch) 7. Ketoconazole reduced symptom severity 53% 8. Ketoconazole found to be effective, well-tolerated, convenient and acceptable treatment 9. Animal studies indicate topical ketoconazole was very active in the most common skin infections. Not reported to give dermal absorption and was not toxic to animals Biopsy and Lab Testing Canker, Why Take X-Rays of Foot? Farrier Dave Giza taught me this valuable lesson in having the option to test a hunk of canker tissue for a definitive diagnosis. Contact: Dr. Joseph Garvin DVM Program Manager, Office of Laboratory Services Virginia Dept. of Agriculture joseph.garvin@vdas.virginia.gov Samples are sent to the Warrenton Regional Animal Health Lab: 272 Academy Hill Road Warrenton, VA Why Need X-Rays of Foot? Page 7 of 8

8 A. Some horses may have infectious osteitis of the coffin bone, if the canker infection undermines the full sole thickness. This requires possible bone surgery, high powered antibiotics. Often in these, Naxcel is very helpful. B. Some horses may have secondary laminitis on top of just the canker C. Some horses may have bits of rock that jam up into/or under the sole and the horse will stay sore until removed. Be sure to go to to view additional information and links. Page 8 of 8