Help...possible abscess,Laminitis..need advice

[spike123]

Last week my horse managed to strain himself in the field and had heat in his fetlock joint and was lame.I brought him in and hosed it down and left him in for the night.The next day although slightly lame still the heat had gone and so I turned him out for a few hours and he was sound when he came in. He had a couple of days in since due to the atrocious weather and the field being too wet and muddy and not wanting to risk him doing further damage. He went out again today and has come in tonight with heat in the other leg,just in the hoof,seems slightly uncomfortable on it but not hopping lame. I am wondering if he has an abscess brewing. I was there the entire time he was turned out today and he didn't run around the field or knock himself in any way and the heat wasn't there when I put him out this morning. I forgot to check for a digital pulse but could this be a possible abscess brewing or worse still laminitis despite the heat being in just the one hoof. He seems fine in himself although normally he is more of a handful to turnout after being in. He also didn't run around to play when his neighbours were having a ball with the wind whereas normally he would do. Obviously I will get the vet tomorrow if he still has heat there but just wondered what your input would be on possible abscess or laminitis?

 

[cptrayes]

Don't panic. The most likely cause is that he is taking much more pressure on that foot because of the injury to the other leg. It might be wise to stop him moving around too much until you are sure what's going on.

 

[spike123]

Thanks.I hadn't even given that a thought.However the heat is definitely gone from the leg that was injured. He wasn't lame on it at all when he went out today although that was after being in so I guess it is a possibility. I did thoroughly check out both front legs and feet tonight when he came in and it was then that I noticed the heat in the other foot. It is the hoof wall and coronet band that have heat in them. If there is no heat there in the morning I will turn him out in a smaller area where he will have restricted room and no mud and reassess him when he comes in again.

 

[pottamus]

Is he prone to laminitis or likely to have that? It would be a bit odd if he is not the type or not had it before?
To be honest the treatment for both laminitis suspects and abscess suspects are similar in that it would be best to keep your horse in for a few days on a good stable bed and monitor the situation or get the vet out if it does not improve over the next 2/3 days.
I have to check my horses feet daily for any pending laminitis and a good way to do this to help you rule in or out a foot issue is to check for a digital pulse and also pick the offending feet out and then tap fairly smartly all around the underneath of the hoof around the toe area. Any sore feet type issues will soon be spotted by doing this and also if there is an abscess brewing...there may be a clear sore spot upon tapping. In the absence of hoof testers this is what my vet told me to do and it does work well for me.

 

[spike123]

I have owned him almost 2 years and he has never had laminitis to my knowledge.He only has heat in the one hoof which is why I'm thinking abscess especially as our ground is so wet at the moment. We had wet fields which dried up really nicely and then became really sodden literally overnight with the heavy rain. I picked his feet out last night and he didn't seem bothered by that but I will tap them with the hoof pick today to see whether there is any reaction.

 

[spike123]

after a night in he was completely sound and had no heat whatsoever this morning. I have put him in a small dry turnout area where he doesn't have mud to contend with and small enough that he can't run around. Will see how he is later when he comes in for the night.