Canker Hoof Infections Make Cranky Horses

Canker is a chronic and painful infection of the frog of the hoof. Learn how veterinarians treat and prevent it.
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The word “canker” just sounds unpleasant, and to the horses that it affects, it is.

Erica Secor, DVM, a veterinarian who is completing a three-year residency program in equine surgery at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, explains that canker “is the horseman’s term for proliferative pododermatitis.”

Secor has a particular interest in horse hoof issues and care. In fact, she trained as a farrier before she became a veterinarian.

What Is Canker?

Canker is a chronic infection of the frog of the hoof. The frog is the soft, cushioned area at the rear of the sole of the horse’s hoof. The infection that sets in is often anaerobic, meaning it doesn’t require oxygen to survive. As the body’s natural immune defense tries to ward off the infection, a white irregular tissue develops. The foot also produces a white smelly discharge, and the horse has difficulty walking because the hooves become painful

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