So this Saturday I sat down and did some research again into my horse's mysterious ankle funk. Finally this search has seemed to be fruitful. Before I always wound up chasing my tail trying to find a condition that fit well. The issue is it is a persistent scratches like funk that hardly responds to even the most aggressive treatments. To get to the point it seems he has Pastern Leucocytoclastic Vasculitis or PLV for those of us who don't speak science well. The big reason for trying to find a name to put to it is because we have had vets trying to diagnose and never getting it right most of his life (10+ yrs). This scientific article that really gave me the "AH HA!" moment. Equiderma also has a decent article on it. They have the most layman friendly article that summarizes all the information I found from other sites well. Back to the vet journal article, they described the non-pigmented skin issues, but what no one else mentioned is the pigmented skin issues. Pigmented skin tends to become "alopecic and characterised by scaling." Dead fit. Both for pigmented and non-pigmented. Also, from the articles I have read PLV has just as likely of a chance if not more to wind up on the fetlock joint as the heels. Anyone who has dealt with scratches can tell you while scratches can happen other places, but it most often happens in the crevices of the pastern. My plan of attack is to wash daily with one skip day if absolutely needed and if it is basically clean. I will be using Equiderma's pastern funk package (my naming) and summer whinnys to protect the area from sunlight and keep it dry. Hopefully this will work to get it under control.
Pain Salves
Having muscle pain is nothing new to me. I grew up with my mom using Bengay and she now practically bathes in it. "Great for your sinuses!" She often quips if you mention her version of perfume. I personally only use Bengay in the winter if I'm going to be going outside, since any form of icy will make me so cold. Now a days, I typically use Salonpas's deep relieving gel . It has aspirin in it, so you are getting that right to the muscle in need. Which happens to be a giant help when my Celebrex isn't quite doing the job. Salonpas, however does best on small areas because its hard to move around on the body without getting too much on. A friend introduced me to Amish Origin's Deep Penetrating Pain Relief Greaseless Cream . A little goes a long way and its extra spreadable. No aspirin in this one, but it does a nice job. It feels and smells a lot like Bengay, but is closer to a liquid. It actually reminds me the most of a creamy version of a horse liniment we...
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