When Jack was 2 years old he went through a fence when he got his hood over his eyes. He had no obvious trauma beyond a mild laceration to his off-side foreleg just below his elbow. This was easily sutured and healed without a scar.
Approximately four months later we noticed he had a small hard swelling on his off-side hind leg, at the same height as the laceration he had received to his foreleg. I was unconcerned to start with, but over the next few months the mass increased in size to about the size of a small mango. It was non-painful, extremely firm (almost bone-like in consistency), and appeared unattached to the bone underneath. I was fairly sure it was a Calcinosis Cutis, having seen one before in a warmblood horse, and also the characteristic location of this type of lump on lateral thigh.
A Calcinosis Cutis is an abnormal deposition of calcium minerals, usually located on the lateral tibia of the horse. Even though the lump was not bothering the horse, we were keen to have it removed, as he is a successful show horse, and while not a soundness issue, could certainly be classed as a blemish in the ring.
I spoke at length to the surgical specialist at work, and he advised not to remove the mass surgically, as they often form non-healing wounds, which can compromise the well-being and welfare of the horse. Based on this conversation I decided to investigate a 'homeopathic' approach to treating the Calcinosis Cutis. I spoke to an acupuncture friend of mine who said these blemishes often follow a traumatic event, even when the limb in question was not the injured limb. This certainly fit with the situation in our horse. I attempted to treat the mass with acupuncture, but the horse was not tolerant of having needles placed in this area.
On failing with this approach I contacted the McDowells herbalists, as I have had excellent success in treating persistent and recurrent sarcoids with their sarcoid program in a number of horses.
Cath McDowell prescribed a 12 week therapy of an Tendon and Bone supplement and an external application of Scar Minimising Oil. The horse received both these treatments twice daily. After a month he developed some peeling of the skin in the region where the external oil was being applied, and some sensitivity in the area, but to my amazement, the Calcinosis Cutis had reduced in size to approximately half its original size.
By the end of the three months the mass had disappeared completely! We are now five months down the track, and there is no sign of recurrence of the Calcinosis Cutis!
Thank you Cath McDowell for your advice in treating this unusual condition!
**Photos: three photos of the mass visible offside hind. Three photos of the limb showing peeling of the limb, but significant reduction in the size of the mass. Final photos showing the horse with no visible sign of the mass
Dr Anita Barton BVSc (hons)
