Hoof Abscess??

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stormox

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2 weeks ago I brought my 3yr old connemara x up from the field for breaking. But she is lame. She strides out at walk with no obvious discomfort, and is perfectly ok in the stable, turning sharply etc. But at trot, especially lunging anti-clockwise on a hard surface she is 6/10 lame on near fore. All I can find is a softish swelling on the inside of the pastern just above the coronet which extends into very slight puffyness above the heels behind the pastern. The farrier has hoof-tested her foot, and pared the sole and can find nothing. There has been no change (for better or worse) over the 2 weeks. Could this be a hoof abscess, or should I get the vet to do (expensive) diagnostic tests?
 
I have only had experience of a couple of hoof abscesses, but in both cases the horse were hopping lame in walk as well - in fact with the last one the horse was totally non weight bearing.

If your farrier can't find anything, I am afraid if it was my horse the vet would be the next call.

Good luck x
 
im sorry to say it doesnt sound anything like an abscess, and im also sorry you sound like you dont have insurance-you ask what if it is something expensive_it will always be expensive-theyre horses!!:rolleyes:
 
Calling the vet doesn't necessarily mean expensive. If it is a strain or sprain it may just be a course of bute and box rest, so don't imagine the worst until it happens, (easier said than done I know)!!

Keeping fingers crossed for you.
 
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I have to say I'd have the vet, it would be unliekly but young horses can have developmental joint diseases that would present as you describe-is she a good doer?
 
She's not overweight, if thats what you mean, she only came over from Ireland a short while ago and she was on the thin side then. I just turned her into the field, haven't given loads of supplements or anything.
Its not that I'm so worried about expense, but more that reading the insurance policy it seems I wont ever be able to claim again for feet/leg problems if I claim- and as she's only 3 that leaves the rest of her life I wont be covered for.
 
Depends how near to the coronet band the puffiness is. I've known horses that have had infection run up the hoof to the coronet band and the pus eventually erupts there and farriers haven't necessarily been able to get anything out by digging away at the bottom part of the hoof.

What is the quality of the hoof like? If the hoof is cracked or poor in quality, then there is more likelihood of infection getting in and running up the foot. I would speak to vet/farrier again to get their opinions - are they are aware of the puffiness near the coronary band?

I've had a couple of horses where infection has run up to the coronet and found tubbing the whole foot (including the coronary band) helpful in getting the pus to finally erupt at the coronet, but probably best to get professional advice before doing that as obviously I haven't seen your horse!

PS: Definitely try to exclude any pus-related problems before going for expensive diagnostic tests. OH is a farrier and been out to a horse today with a lameness - vets had done loads of expensive tests but turns out horse just had an under-run sole with pus in it!
 
Tough i'm afraid- 6/10 lame is lame enough to need the vet unless she's miraculously sound by tomorrow. Being thin is actually good-it's the good doers get more of the ocd type problems but it could be anything. When was she last seen sound?
 
2 weeks lame without any change doesn't sounds like an abcess. They usually start off just slightly lame but within a week (usually just a couple of days) they look like they've broken a leg!

Get the vet out. The treatment for most (almost all!) lameness is box rest and poss bute/antibiotics so it's not always nessesary to find out the exact cause, although I'd certainly want to know! Continued lameness is just trot sounds more like a tendon issue.
 
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