Heat in one hind hoof

[Keenjean]

Hi, my mare has heat in one hind hoof tonight and I was wondering whether she may have an abcess. There is no heat anywhere else in the leg and she seems lamer tonight than she has been (currently has a torn muscle in her bum on this leg and she's not been stepping through properly so is slightly short on the leg anyway but is being treated by physio under vets advice for this)

is there any tricks I can use to see if it's an abcess? Someone said to me at the yard they thought you should be able to feel a digital pulse if it is one but neither of us knew how to check for this! She is definitely lame on the leg tonight, not just coming up short. HELP! Will prob give farrier a buzz tomorrow before the vet. Thanks

 

[amy86]

pick the hoof up and using a hoof pick tap all around the white line on the hoof if you get a reaction then yes it is an abscess

 

[spike123]

It could be an abscess but the heat could also be due to the injury she has already. Any injury produces swelling which in turn produces heat. Has your horse been stabled or living out? Given as it's a bit wetter again now could she have slipped and tweaked herself causing more damage on top of the original injury?
You should find a raised digital pulse in that leg if there is a possible abscess.Again because the ground has been going from wet to dry that is the typical situation in which abscesses do develop.When my lad had one he would do 4 or 5 normal strides and then a lame stride resulting in holding his leg up. Another horse at my yard who had one after stepping on a nail narrowly missing his pedal bone was so lame it was glaringly obvious he had something going on and had a massive abscess which he is still recovering from.