Year : 2009, Volume : 33, Issue : 1
First page : ( 77) Last page : ( 81)
Print ISSN : 0250-4758. Online ISSN : 0973-970X. Published online : 2009 June 1.

Study of equine foot lesions and experimental cryotherapy for canker and thrush in horse

Singh Ranbir¹, Panda S.K.^2,*, Nath I.¹, Bose V.S.C.¹

¹Departments of SurgeryOrissa Veterinary College, O.U.A.T., Bhubaneswar

²PathologyOrissa Veterinary College, O.U.A.T., Bhubaneswar

*Corresponding author

Abstract

An attempt has been made to study the different foot affections in four equine stud farms and two most common foot lesions were encountered like canker and thrush. The proliferative lesions in the foot were diagnosed as cases of canker while the degenerative lesions as cases of thrush. Initial survey of the four farms under study showed 389 out of 7991 animals suffering exclusively from foot lesions amounting 4.87% of animals. Incidence of foot lesions was predominated by canker of 249 cases which is 75.5% of the total cases foot lesions followed by 73 cases (18.76%) of thrush. Age-wise distribution revealed highest numbers of foot lesions 23.65% in 13–15 years age group followed by 7–9 years (18.50%). Sex-wise distribution showed that females suffered more (77.12%) than males (22.88%). Gross lesions of canker had shown cauliflower like hypertrophic growth starting from base of the frog and extending laterally and posteriorly. Animals suffering from thrush had shown a degenerative changes and areas of necrosis extending from the central sulcus and to the laterally. The microscopic lesions in canker were characterized by hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the keratinized cells of the tubular horns and intertubular horns. Cryotherapy in 6 horses suffering from canker showed considerable reduction in the size of lesion by seventh day. In case of thrush in 6 horses exposed to cryotherapy there was no offensive smelling and by seventh day, the necrosed and degenerated tissue was sloughed off. These horses showed complete healing after two applications, and two horses showed complete healing after third application. Microscopic changes observed after one week of cryotherapy of the above foot lesions like canker & thrush, consisted of ballooning and hydropic changes and bullae formation of the keratinised cells of the tubular and intertubular horns.

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Keywords

Canker, Cryotherapy, Foot, Horse, Thrush.

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