hot hoof?? wisdom please!!

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blackhorse37

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hot hoof...???

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took my boy for a hack this morning and on the first trot he didnt feel right, he had a slight "nod" however this disappeared after a few strides and he felt totally sound. i decided to keep the hack short and had another short trot where he felt 100%, then a few yards from home i had to trot on to get into a gateway to avoid a lorry and again he had a few "off" strides.

When i got back to yard i felt him all over and the only thing i could find was heat on his front nearside hoof (inch below coronet band) and heat in his sole.

My initial thought was abcess..what do you think? We have a stony drive so i also wonder if it could be bruising of the sole but the intermittant lameness confuses me (its very low grade) He didnt object at all to me tapping his foot/sole etc. Im so worried as we have had sooo many problems! (obviously i will call vet/farrier if no better tomorrow)

Any words of wisdom greatly appreciated!
 
Could well be a brewing abscess, maybe from a bruise. It can present like this. Looks a bit off, and then OK, and then one night you go to fetch them in and they can't put their foot to the ground and you think they have a broken leg, but it is an abscess.

If not lame all the time it is very hard to know what is going on. Keep a careful watch and hope it is something simple.
 
thanks orangehorse, im getting in a state as i have had so many problems with my lad, and only had him a year yesterday!! (ligament damage, back problem, behavioral iossues etc) and now lame again!!! Feel like giving up!!

Would you call the vet or the farrier first?
 
I'd call the farrier first, see what he says, he may suggest coming out to remove the shoe and obviously have a good poke about, he may suggest poulticing it anyway just incase there is anything that needs to draw or he may tell you to get the vet anyway, if there is heat all around the foot there could be an infection brewing up in which case you'll need the vet.

Could just be a bruised sole, so keeping the foot clean, dry and free of any packed in mud and stay on easy footing etc, cold compress will ease it and some rest, an equiboot is always handy to put bob on for a few days if there is brusing to the sole.
 
Hi Blackhorse.. don't panic!! I know it's easy for me to say..I do panic too..lol. It could be just a bruise as orangehorse said or an abcess but even if it is an abcess after a bit of poulticing it will get better.. I personally would call the farrier first just because my boy went lame in the summer, I called the vet, he told me he'd bruised his toe so took his shoe off, still no better so called farrier & he found a corn which we then got better within 5 days..Vet charged me & got it wrong..farrier didn't charge & got it right, poulticed it, dressed it & got it better...
 
hi Ginger Bear, had pm'd you before i saw your post so sorry you got a double whammey!! Thank you for understanding my panic!! have called farrier but he is yet to get back to me. will keep you updated
 
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