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  Discussion on Shoe boil or capped elbow
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Posted on Wednesday, May 2, 2001 - 11:02 am:

Hello All,
I'm hoping someone has had some experience with 'shoe boil' aka capped elbow. I've bought a horse that has a swelling about the size of a golf ball on the point of his right elbow. It feels soft and seems to cause him no pain when you manipulate it. The day I bought the horse I was told that this was a minor injury that had occured during the night. When my vet looked at it a couple of days later she said that it is not fluid filled, but rather a mass of scar tissue, and a long standing injury. The horse doesn't seem lame going forward, but is stiff on that front leg when he turns in either direction.

I have put a shoe boil ring on and am giving him one bute a day for a week as advised by my vet, although she says that she doubts there will be any change. She says that surgical removal isn't an option because the elbow is moved constantly and it's next to impossible to keep an there incision closed.

The people I bought him from have a trail riding stable, and I'm sure he was used in this condition there. My intended use is for light riding around my farm. Do you feel the horse is OK for this?

Thank you!

Posted on Thursday, May 3, 2001 - 1:27 am:

Yes, I've dealt with a couple of shoe boils over the years. Both times, the horses were having lameness problems and tended to lie down more than normal. They also rubbed the outside of their hocks raw during this time. I must say, the shoe boils seemed to bother me more than they bothered the horses. Since I caught the boils right away, and put the ring on ( Sorry, I can't remember what else the vet had me do ), I really can't say much about a shoe boil of long standing. But I do remember that it took a devil of a long time to go away...and today ( about 14 yrs. later ), my mare is still a tiny bit "pouchy" on the point of that elbow.

Posted on Thursday, May 3, 2001 - 5:51 am:

Hello Barbara, to answer your question about a specific horse requires an examination. But there are many shoe boils that are little more that subcutaneous scar tissue or well encapsulated seromas and are sound. the two dollar question always is the horse still traumatizing that area?
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 3, 2001 - 10:52 am:

Thank you Elizabeth & Dr. Oglesby for your feedback. I've put a shoe boil ring on him, he has plenty of bedding, and is turned out in good pasture. I had a friend who does acupressure look at Jacob last night, and she felt he's in no pain from the mass on the elbow - but that his extensor muscle on that side is tight. After working with him on both sides there was a very noticable improvement in turning in both directions. She agrees with my vet that this 'boil' is probably years old, and the good news is that she feels he is sound enough for me to ride. She also mentioned that he seems to be taking care of himself well on that side. Is there anything else I can do to cut down on the chance of him traumatizing it again? I'll naturally keep a close eye on it to catch any changes immediately. ~Barbara

Posted on Friday, May 4, 2001 - 8:34 am:

Sounds like you have covered it.
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 26, 2002 - 9:00 pm:

What about a horse whose "capped elbow" has opened on its own? She has a pretty good opening (about 1 1/2 inch long) and still alot of fluid surrounding and below. Is this bad and will it prolong the healing time? Just happened and vet is coming out tomorrow so I'm just trying to educate myself in the meantime.

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 27, 2002 - 3:26 am:

I think this will make healing a bit more complicated. It should be treated like any open wound, see Disease: First Aid: Wound Care for more. But the 2 dollar question is why did it open and can you prevent that from happening anymore so that it can heal?
DrO
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