Deep seated bruise or abscess

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Shantor1

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My 36 yo gelding has been v lame. My farrier has looked at his foot, pared out the sensitive area to pressure and can only find a bruise. He told me to poultice it but only a small amount of dark blood, no rubbish. He's coming out again this week to have another look but I think he may need the vet. My YO has been excellent, and has moved him to a nearby paddock so he only needs to walk a short way down the tarmac drive instead of gravelled walkway which is too painful for him.

I didn't think a bruise could be that painful and can't help wondering if its something else brewing. He is no longer shod as is getting arthritic and is now retired. However, I am trying him with a pair of Boa boots that someone is selling but I want to get to the bottom of his lameness.
 
One of my horses came in hopping lame four weeks ago. My vet, pared some sole off, thought it was an abscess, so I hot poulticed for two weeks, nothing came out. The vet had another look, decided it was deep bruising, so my farrier put his shoe back on, and although he looks sound on soft ground, he is still sore on hard ground, but I was told to expect it to take a long time to improve!
For the first two weeks, he looked as though he had broken a leg he was so lame!
I hope yours shows signs of improvment soon.
 
I am currently experiencing exactly the same problem with my 8yr old gelding, he too is barefoot but has been lame for 6wks now with a bruised sole, my husband is a Vet so he had a little dig around and then we polticed purely as a precaution just incase he had pus in the foot but as with you only a little dark blood appeared on the poltice. My husband has insisted my farrier puts shoes on him (fronts at least) we have also x-rayed (on my request!!) nothing found! he is adamant it is due to the wet weather making his soles become rather soft and so when I hack him and he steps on a stone he bruises more easily. Maybe this is the same for your chap! I ride my other gelding in Old Mac boots as he has an arthritic hip from an old injury and so he struggles to hold his leg up for shoeing. The boots are superb and he really steps out on his hacks without slipping on the roads. hope this gives you some peace of mind! P.S. your gelding will be eligible for the Guiness book of records with his age soon!!
 
Thats interesting that both of your horses have had similar deep bruising and the blood. Glad they've both recovered. I agree, perhaps with the wet summer then winter he's bruised his foot. Last year my 2 had to walk through deep muddy track but this autumn the YO spent a lot of money having it drained, dug out and put down fine stone. Unfortunately, one evening I forgot to pick out his hooves and next morning found a large stone in the mud of his foot. I think this must've caused the bruise. (shameface!)

I tried him with a pair of Boa boots but unfortunately they weren't his size. I am going to get him a pair of old Macs now as I cant bear seeing him like this. He is otherwise still a happy cheeky chap for his age and he is fully retired. He is having a confidence wobble when he comes from soft field onto tarmac, I think its the change in surface that must distort the bruise and hurt him because he panicked and almost went down. Fortunately I'd anticipated this and held his head up so he didnt fall but have dug out his old leather knee boots to put on him just in case. He will be turned out in the boots by day but have them off at night cos hes on a deep bed. He's always been very sensible and level headed unlike my younger one who is accident proned and spooky ID x TB!
 
If your going to turn him out all day in Old Macs or any type of boots, here is a little tip : put a thin layer of sawdust (not shavings) in the bottom of the boots before putting them on, this soaks up the sweat and moisture and prevents thrush caused by the boots making there feet sweat! You can buy pastern wraps for old macs which prevent them rubbing around the coronet bands too!
 
Can I jump in on this thread and ask if anyone knows whether a deep bruise would be picked up on x rays of the foot?
OH's horse has been lame for couple of months, had all sorts of tests, x rays, scans, ultrasound, all come back with nothing. So looking for any other explanations that could be possible.
thanks
 
This is exactly what has happened to my mare. We live on very flinty ground and she's been hunted a lot on it. Lame in both front feet - we think its deep seated bruising from the flints. She is showing lameness which you'd expect to see from hard August ground not soft ground.
 
I am having the same problem with one of mine, he is lame on the left front and when we took the shoe off there was a corn and bruising, left him with no shoe for 7 days and put it on with a rubber pad, he is still the same very lame but otherwise in good form, we have resisted x rays for another 10 days to see if there is any improvement . I feel my problem was due to being 3 weeks late with shoeing and his shoes didnt get loose they got extremely tight - I wont make the same mistake again, the poor boy just got forgotten about by both me and the farrier.
 
Butterbean - No you cannot pick up deep bruising on an x-ray. Through my experience normally diagnosed by testing the sole with pincers for a reaction. If there is no reaction then the vet normally nerve blocks. Has the horse in question had an MRI or just ultrasound and x-ray? An MRI should pick up any problems with the soft tissue. If he hasn't had an MRI it's hard to say whether it's deep bruising or soft tissue within the foot. If the horse has been lame that long in my experience it's probably soft tissue, possibly collateral ligament.
 
Thanks suzie_davis, horse hasn't had MRI, has had x rays of both hind legs including feet, gamma scan, ultrasound of stifle (only thing that looked possible from gamma scan was stifle but looked normal on ultrasound), horse very difficult to nerve block but had hock blocked (no difference), vets are stumped.
We thought spavin but no evidence on x rays etc. Just thought could possibly be foot-related as that was how it seemed to start (though farrier & vet checked at the time & didn't think foot was a problem.).
 
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