My little mini dwarf, Miracle has greasy heel. Although I've never had a horse with it before, I'm pretty sure that is what it is. Haven't had the vet out yet since it is the weekend and Mother's Day and all. I did put a call in to my farrier and I'm hoping he'll cqall me this evening or tomorrow and stop by. She needs a tim anyway..I get her trimmed once a month for corrective reasons. (It's part of her dwarfism and she wears special glue on shoes.)

I'm not really sure how she got it. It hasn't really been damp or rainy...just today mainly and we had spotty showers last week. Her paddock is not water logged and I don't keep her stalled.

So in the meantime, I'm looking for advice on treatment until my farrier and/or vet can make it out. She isn't lame, but the cracks are apparent and it's scabby and smelly. I've cleaned it off and dried it well, then put some antibiotic ointment on it. Any other pearls of wisdom? I've heard it can be stubborn to treat.

Thanks in advance!

HB

http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/storytemplate_proce...Equine&story_no=1290

Greasy Heal Greasy Heel has to be seen as a situation where the horses body is trying to clear up some sort of damage with the hoof and since the circulation is so poor in that area it uses the mechanism of discharging waste products through the wall of the heel itself. In our own bodies or higher up the horses leg in the region of big muscles and lots of blood supply it is not necessary to discharge wastes directly to the outside, they can be carried away by the blood and dealt with in this way.

One of the mechanisms the body uses, as in the formation of abscesses, is that when waste material has been packed away under the skin they are meant to fester (or become infected) so that this process will be able to break through the skin and allow the discharge. Greasy Heel is like this and treating it with anti-biotics, antiseptics and the like really don't address the real problem although they often appear as in your case to temporarily relieve the discomfort.

I find the best treatment is to use stimulants to the circulation within the hoof along with healing and anti-inflammatory herbs internally. I have formulated my Hoof Oil with all this in mind and mostly there is nothing more needed than regular rubbing with this Oil which continues long after all signs of the problem have gone. We are aiming to improve and maintain a slightly improved circulation within the hoof and allow the whole structure to maintain itself in better health.

Hoof oil:
http://www.herbal-treatments.com/horse_hoof_oil.html


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http://horses.about.com/od/commonproblems/p/greasyheel.htm
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I have not had this problem myself but found these to be helpful...Tootles and good luck with it HB!

sarah

Credit to middle paragraph goes to

Judith Burton for
Robert McDowell

Thanks a bunch SRT! This is the first I've had it...but it has been rather wet lately and I don't think that helps the condition at all.

HB

HB;
I tend to go to the Merck Vet Manual (which you can access free online) for answers. Greasy heel is the same as Scratches which is common in drafts. Since I have a half draft with feathering, I had a little knowledge about it. Anyway, the Merck manual (which is the bible for most vets) says to clip the area if there is feathering then to clean with warm soap and water and dry well. Then apply an astringent dressing, the one that comes to mind is betadine. This is a daily thing. It also says that, if swelling goes up above the hoof area, treat with antibiotics. It has been too dry here for Molly to really have a problem but doesn't keep me from looking at least once a week.