Does this look like bruising?

[iknowmyvalue]

Latest instalment in the lameness saga. This looks like bruising coming out (finally) to me. But just checking it’s not wishful thinking?! Farrier found a pocket of blood a bit further down on the same side today. I suppose it could just be pigment but I’m 80% sure it’s not normally there...

 

[Casey76]

At the central sulcus? It’s thrush/dead tissue/deep tissue infection.

 

[holeymoley]

I can’t see any bruising. If you’re meaning the black area in the middle of the heel, that’s the central sulcus of the frog which looks like it has cracked straight up the heel. There’s a likely probability that this is the source of the lameness.

 

[Equi]

I would wager that is infection. Farrier getting blood means it’s likely to have gone quite deep. Id probably ask for a vets advice on this one, might need polticed.

 

[spotty_pony]

Off topic but the heel bulbs look very weak and soft from this photo?

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Off topic but the heel bulbs look very weak and soft from this photo?

Probably because he’s been poulticed for 2 days and he’d just been cold hosed when I took this. He’s never had any problems with his feet the last 5 years, so think this is more an “injury” than anything else.

and yes, I meant the discolouration. He’s not particularly reactive to hoof testers anywhere, but is being treated as abscess/infection. Farrier has seen him today and didn’t mention anything about the central sulcus being the problem, but he’s back again Thursday so will ask to check again. And I’ll be keeping a close eye on him until then!

 

[IrishMilo]

Farrier has seen him today and didn’t mention anything about the central sulcus being the problem, but he’s back again Thursday so will ask to check again. And I’ll be keeping a close eye on him until then!

Bit hard to fathom but not all farriers particularly care about hoof health... Packing that frog with Sudocrem and a bit of tea tree to keep the wet out will really help that crack.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Red horse hoof stuff is designed for this.
If you can, I struggled a bit with this part (3 hands would be good!) floss with a baby wipe to get the crevice clean then pack it with hood stuff.
The results are really satisfying!

 

[Polos Mum]

I totally second the red horse hoof paste. Mine live out and even 2 days after applying i can smell it when I pick out so I know if's still in there. Great consistency for squidging into small holes / cracks. Mine has thrush deep in his frog and it's amazing how much I can get into what looks like a small hole.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Probably because he’s been poulticed for 2 days and he’d just been cold hosed when I took this. He’s never had any problems with his feet the last 5 years, so think this is more an “injury” than anything else.

and yes, I meant the discolouration. He’s not particularly reactive to hoof testers anywhere, but is being treated as abscess/infection. Farrier has seen him today and didn’t mention anything about the central sulcus being the problem, but he’s back again Thursday so will ask to check again. And I’ll be keeping a close eye on him until then!

I’m not convinced farriers are aware of sulcus infections to be honest, or some vets ?‍

 

[racebuddy]

i dodnt think looks like brusing and hard to tell if any signs of thrush but usually you would be able to smell it , i use alamycin spray twice weekly on my horses feet especially down the frog area to prevent thrush , hows the cellultis swelling ? xx

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Red horse hoof stuff is designed for this.
If you can, I struggled a bit with this part (3 hands would be good!) floss with a baby wipe to get the crevice clean then pack it with hood stuff.
The results are really satisfying!

I took the same approach and it worked well.

 

[Casey76]

i dodnt think looks like brusing and hard to tell if any signs of thrush but usually you would be able to smell it , i use alamycin spray twice weekly on my horses feet especially down the frog area to prevent thrush , hows the cellultis swelling ? xx

Given that ‘thrush’ is a bit of a catch-all for the causative agent, relying on smell to identify if it’s thrush or not is not reliable.

Basically, unless the central sulcus is a shallow dimple (I.e. It’s a crevice/split; if it’s raggedy or deep) assume there is infection there and treat.

Red Horse products (Hoof Stuff is excellent for cracks/crevices) really do the job, and I believe, worth paying the premium for

 

[AandK]

Bruising on a white foot will show as red/purple, so I agree with others that this looks more like thrush/infection. I would also recommend Red Horse products to treat.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Op, my horses hoof was very “unthrushy” no black, no smell. It was simply the shape and how tight his bulbs were.
luckily for me a friend at work is super clever about such things and I’d previously with another horse tried to go barefoot so had read up on things.

 

[iknowmyvalue]

i dodnt think looks like brusing and hard to tell if any signs of thrush but usually you would be able to smell it , i use alamycin spray twice weekly on my horses feet especially down the frog area to prevent thrush , hows the cellultis swelling ? xx

It doesn’t smell at all and the central sulcus isn’t particularly deep or dirty. Cellulitis swelling is 90% gone thank goodness, one less thing to worry about.

current plan is farrier back tomorrow, if still nothing on poultice and no convincing reaction to hoof testers, then shoe goes back on. Then plan to have another week of field rest (so 2 weeks since he went lame) and if still no better will probably repeat nerve blocks, and think about booking him in for a foot MRI...

ETA: will also order the red horse foot stuff and use that, see if it helps!