Treatment for Canker Shows Promise in Horses

Canker refers to an inflamed, ulcerated sore in the underside of a horse’s hoof. It begins near the frog but may spread to the sole or heel bulbs. The wound has a foul odor, bleeds easily, and has the appearance of proud flesh. Canker can be treated by removing infected tissue and applying various medications, but it is hard to cure and has a tendency to recur.

Sarcoids—common equine skin tumors—share canker’s traits of resistance to treatment and high rate of recurrence. Veterinarians at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Austria tested horses diagnosed with canker to look for the presence of bovine papillomavirus, a suspected cause of sarcoids.

Among the horses with canker, 25 tested positive for the virus. Theorizing that the same treatment might be effective for both conditions, the researchers treated canker in three horses with cisplatin, a drug used in sarcoid treatment. After cisplatin was applied every other day for three weeks, the cankers showed significant progress toward healing. Two horses were canker-free more than a year later, while the third horse had a slight recurrence.

Cisplatin may not help every case of canker, but results of this trial indicate it might be helpful for some horses.