Bruised frog - any experiences?

[kit279]

My grey horse has come up a little bit lame on the right fore, only very slightly but enough to have me in a bit of a tizz! He has very good clean legs and I go over him every day without fail and haven't seen any heat or swelling. He hasn't been run fast or on hard ground recently so a bit of a mystery.

I have been over the foot very thoroughly and two things are not quite right - firstly, he has almost no frog, it's all worn down and secondly, there is what looks like a bruise in the middle of the frog that is sort of pinkish and a little sore. I think he has bruised his foot but no experience of this before, can anyone tell me their experience?

So I've spoken to the vet and got him some Bute to try and make him more comfortable. But what do I do now? Do I get him shod with Equipak or similar or get the farriers to put some pads on him? Do I need the farriers to have a dig around the foot? Should I hot-tub the foot to try and bring the bruise out or not?

Any advice much appreciated

 

[Nailed]

The thing with equipak is that it can.. and sometimes does, actually put more pressure on to a bruised are. I know a lot of horse (including Ted) who the equipak has worked wonders on, and di think it is a good course of action to take.

Howeve, if the bruising is severe, as thepink area is suggesting, then i think I would be inclined to try the pads first, to eleviate pressure on the area.

The forg sounds as though it has contracted. This can be due to the frog not getting into contact with the floor, thus reducing blood flow!

Lou x

 

[Spyda]

My mare has just had this. She went lame about 3 weeks ago. I pouliced the foot for a couple of days to try and draw out the bruise, then kept the mare in for a few days with the foot protected by a Shoof Hoof boot. The vet prescribed 4 days of Bute (1 sachet per day for 4 days). By day 5 I started turning her out with the Shoof Hoof boot on and brought her in at night and removed the boot to let the hoof 'air'. It took about 2 weeks for her to become comfortable again but she was still tender walking on the rocky areas of our yard. I had the farrier out last week to shoe her in front with nylon pads, and she's 100% sound to hack out now. I'll probably have the pads removed next time she's shod, as she's never bruised herself before and not needed pads in the past.

 

[K27]

I'd speak with the Farrier about getting the shoe taken off ,use hot Kaolin Poultice, as well as hot and cold tubbing the foot to bring bruising out and completely box rest for about 5 days and then if it is better after that, get re-shod.

If your horse is particularly sensitive you could see what your Farrier thinks about using a pad, even as a temporary measure, but the could possibly make the situation worse.

 

[doris2008]

Personally I would have a chat with your farrier - they know your horses feet best & will know whether equipak or pads are suitable. I would personally hot tub to bring any bruising out & box rest until more comfortable. However I have the most sensitive flat footed tb in the world who bruises very easily! Pads/packing make him worse when he has bruised frogs as it seems to just add a constant pressure.

 

[Tamba]

so, do I, I found to keep the hoof walls growing as much as possible, by giving farriers formula, etc, takes the sole further of the ground and protects it that way..frequent shoeing helps too.