Nonseptic diseases associated with the hoof complex: keratoma, white line disease, canker, and neoplasia.

Summary

# Editorial Summary Keratoma, white line disease, canker, and neoplasia represent a distinct category of non-infectious hoof pathologies that require differentiated diagnostic and management approaches. Redding and O'Grady's review synthesises the clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and treatment strategies for each condition: keratoma presents as an uncommon source of lameness amenable to surgical excision; white line disease involves keratolytic degradation of the solar hoof and responds to a combination of therapeutic farriery and targeted hoof wall resection; canker manifests as a chronic infectious process causing abnormal proliferation of horn-producing tissues; and neoplastic lesions, whilst rare, most frequently present as melanomas. Understanding the distinct aetiologies of these four conditions is clinically essential, as each demands a tailored treatment protocol—from conservative farriery management through to surgical intervention—and misdiagnosis can result in prolonged lameness and unnecessary therapeutic delays. For farriers and veterinarians, accurate differentiation between these pathologies on initial presentation is fundamental to establishing appropriate case management and realistic prognostic expectations with horse owners.

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Key Findings

• •Keratoma is an uncommon cause of lameness that can be managed surgically.
• •White line disease is a keratolytic process treated with therapeutic farriery and selective hoof wall resection.
• •Equine canker is an infectious process causing chronic hypertrophy of horn-producing tissues.
• •Neoplasia of the equine foot is rare, with melanoma being the most commonly reported type.

Conditions Studied