I would appreciate your thoughts or any experience you can share with me
about a medical condition afflicting my 10 year old Belgian gelding. In
June last year he developed a stubborn abcess in his left hind. It took
months to fully resolve and in September he was diagnosed with quittor. An
area above his coronet band and in front of the heel became enlarged and
looked like a boil with several openings. It drained but never went away.
In November, he was
taken to a clinic for a MRI. After the procedure he did not recover from
the anesthesia well and was diagnosed with a severe case of tying up. (Dr
Valentine provided me with her opinion on that episode). He remained in the
clinic for two weeks in a sling. Treated with IV therapy etc. When he was
released the quittor area had begun to shrink and has now healed
completely. The problem now is that the right hind developed the same
condition. The sore broke out in December. He never had an abcess that we
could pinpoint. Over the past several months the area drained and grew.
smaller in size. However this past month it began to get grow larger and harder. I
have used Animalintex on the area which has really helped it to drain. The
horse is under the care of a vet and farrier. Early on he was given
antibiotics but now I am just washing everyday and keeping a dry bandage on
it. At one point when it looked as though it was getting smaller and
healing we tried keeping it uncovered during the day.
The horse has never worn shoes behind and besides the abcess in the left hind there has been no evidence of injury or trauma. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I am glad to hear your Belgian recovered from his anesthesia related issues, but sorry to hear about this new problem. I am hoping to get some input from my others in the field as this is really not my expertise. But I can say that this hoof cartilage infection is common in drafts, possibly related to the high incidence of ossification of the hoof cartilages (sidebone). Hopefully you won't need any anesthesia but it might help to know that, if he does need anesthsia, being on an EPSM diet will greatly reduce his chance of having another tie up.

Here are comments from farrier Mike Wildenstein at Cornell:

"In my experience the infection that develops into a quitter enters the laminae of the bar on the solar surface of the hoof.
This infection travels up the side of the lateral cartilage and breaks out above the hairline. Surgery is generally the accepted treatment. Dr.
Scott Morrison at Rood and Riddle in Kentucky has been treating these cases with maggots with great results. This alternative treatment is worth looking at."

Mike Wildenstein