1.5 Selected Equine Foot Conditions Flashcards
Equine external hoof anatomy recap.
Note: hoof wall is split into stratum medium (pigmented) and stratum internum (non-pigmented)
The white line is the yellow portion between the stratum internum and the sole
Equine foot bone recap.
What are the synovial spaces in the equine foot?
DIPj block reference
Navicular bursa block reference
What is the diagnostic problem with the equine foot?
most common site of lameness, BUT bone and soft tissue inaccessible for palpation behind hard hoof capsule
- difficult to relate pain to specific structures
- intrasynovial and periperal nerve blocks in the foot are not very specific
What is the difference between hoof abscesses (‘gravel’) and quittor?
‘gravel’, or a chronic foot abscess is typically self-limiting, whereas a quittor usually requires surgical intervention; quittor is an infection of the collateral CARTILAGE
hoof abscesses:
- various clinical signs
- an infection of the sensative lamellae
- cracked hoof (weather), poor farriery, penetrating wounds, etc
- treat by debriding and draining wound (no abtibiotics)
quittor:
- an infection of the collateral CARTILAGE
- painful
- fistulous tract formation requiring surgical resection of affected cartillage
What may affect the equine hoof capsule?
- hoof cracks: if extend into sensative lamellae, the horse can be lame
- foot imbalance: broken back, club foot
- hoof wall avulsions: damage to germinative layer in coronary band (perminent)
- keratoma: rare benign tumor of the inner layer of keratin-producing epidermal hoof wall cells that forms inside a horse’s foot; it expands and separates the hoof wall laminae, causing pain and lameness (resect for treatment)
List the infections of the equine frog and hoof.
- trush: infection of frog with necrosis (usually limited to sulci) - brown tar-like appearance
- canker: unknown microorganism causes abnormal keratin production, or overgrowth of the horn; affected horse will have white or gray matter that is moist and spongy appearing in the sulci region of the hoof (growth’s appearance has been described as similar to wet cauliflower with cottage cheese like exudates)
- white line disease
What is navicular syndrome in horses?
navicular syndrome describes a condition where pain arises from the navicular bone in the foot and the surrounding soft tissue structures
- it is a common cause of forelimb lameness in horses
- many causes involving many structures: cause not yet fully understood (navicular bone and bursa, DDFT, DIPj, collateral ligaments of the DIPj, etc.)
How do you approach navicular syndrome diagnostically?
history: bilateral lameness
- hoof testers usually negative
- positive response to palmer digital nerve block
- advanced blocking required: DIPj and navicular bursa
What is the plank test in horses?
a plank test is done in Europe to hyperextend the hoof and test for pain
How do you treat navicular syndrome?
the condition is both chronic and degenerative, it can be managed in some horses but not cured
- the most common effective treatments include corticosteroid/NSAID administration and corrective farriery (shoeing)
What are the distal phalanx lesions of the horse?
(1) osseous cyst-like lesions
- verify significance via block!
- may or may not need treatment - the goal of all treatment is the same: remove the lining of the cyst that contains inflammatory mediators.
(2) fractures
- type I and II: P3 wing fractures
- type IV: extensor process fracture (involves DIPj
- oblique radiographs best for P3 fracture identification
