Lameness & Corns

[Stasha22]

My horse has typical crap TB feet, but they haven't caused her too many problems in the past.

Brought her in from the field on Sunday night and she was sound. By Monday morning she was hoping lame on he right fore. The foot was really hot and she had a strong digital pulse. Thought she might have an abssess or something so called the vet who had a look at her and agreed with me re heat and pulse. Took the shoe off to have a look and he found a small Corn. Advised to wet poultice it for 3 days and then have the farrier up to have a look and put shoe back on.

Spoke to Farrier immediately after vet had left and he advised to dry poultice it (vet that came out is useless and I don't trust his opinion in general).

So have dry poulticed it since, dressings have come off totally clean. Still not much improvement on the lameness front though anf foot still boiling hot and pulse still strong.

Farrier is looking at her this afternoon, but I'm not convinced that there isn't more to it.

Have never dealt with a Corn before. Do they make them really lame and their feet so hot? Wondering if the stupid vet has missed something?

 

[flyingfeet]

One our horses used to have corns (generally this time of year). They did make him shuffly, but not properly lame and there wasn't much heat. We had a fab farrier who adapted his shoes to take the pressure off.

I would be surprised if there wasn't an infection if the foot if it is very hot. Can you feel a throbbing pulse going to the foot?

As my farrier used to say a pin prick of pus in a hoof will make a horse lame.

 

[ExRacers]

They certainly can make the feet hot & the horse lame!! I have a TB with crap feet too and he displayed very similar symptoms earlier this year. Had the vet out 3 times and end result was definitely a corn after lots of hacking holes in the sole looking for an abscess!! Anyway farrier suggested putting a gel pad on between the foot and the shoe and he was sound the very next day!! This was after about 4 weeks of faffing around! This was back in April/May this year & I have kept the gel pad on at every shoeing since as a precaution and it's done the trick.

Hope this helps.

 

[Stasha22]

There is a definate pulse in the foot along with rather alot of heat.

My first thought was infection but vet didn't see anything other than the Corn. Although he is useless so could have quite easily missed something.

Be interesting to see what the Farrier thinks later...

 

[Stasha22]

Thanks, I will enquire about pads tonight. Providing it is just a Corn!

 

[TURBOBERT]

A corn is just a bruise in the heel. It depends how bad it is as to how lame the hrose is. My horse is prone to them so I put him on Farriers Formula to see if that helped - the result is his mane is fabulous (!) and his heels are definitely stronger. No corns now for about 9 months.
My chap certainly doesnt get heat in his foot when he has a corn and his lameness is slight (a bit like when you have a blister on your heel). It sounds as though your chap has an abcess - but the farrier if he is competent should be able to locate this although if it is deep seated you might have to just wait until it erupts around the coronet band. Such a bugger!

 

[donnagrant]

I also have a TB with terrible feet - flat footed, long toes and low heels. He is an ex-race horse who has been given to me by my dad's racing friend. They have shares in racehorse together. He was out on loan to someone following his unsuccessful racing career and was taken back by my dad's friend as he was in a terrible state. When I took him his feet had not been trimmed or attended to for about 9mths, so he was very foot sore, with cracks (superficial) and wings and a very over grown mane. Apart from that and a few saciords and aural plaques in his ears he wasnt in back nick. When I first got him I had the vet out to give him the once over and everything was fine aprt from the above. My farrier (who is world champion farrier x 3) shod him the first time and he was sound, so brought him into work gently. The next time he was due for shoeing, he came in out of the field lame on his front left. (Ironically the vet had been out the day before as he had a chest infection!) There was no swelling, heat or any visable signs why he should be lame. he was reshod and was still lame. I box rested him for a few days and he seemed to be fine so i rode him again a few times and he was fine then he came up lame again. I then noticed that he was slightly dishing on the lame leg, putting the inside of his hoof down and then his heel. The farrier reshod him and found a corn on either side of his frog under the show, cut them out about 2 weeks ago and gave him more support on the outside of the hoof. I also soaked his hoof in warm water for 20 mins per day and have stretched his legs and neck. I have the oestopath out to check him out, his pelvis was out but apart from that she could find nothing. The farrier came back out yesterday and put some plastic wedges to raise his heel but he is still lame, he said the corns have nearly gone but he is still lame. I have decided to box rest him, use cold hose, icepacks and bandaging on the advice of the vet via the phone, although the vet hasnt been out again as that will be the 3rd time in 4 months! I'm in a quandry of what to do, shall I get the vet out to do x-rays, nerve blocking or do I just need to give him more time to heal. This has been going on for about 7 weeks now and I'm confused as what to do and what is best for Jake. He is such a beauty, a great character and has lots of potential...and yes I have grown attached. Can any body offer any advice or been through a similair situation? Thanks <span style="colorurple"> </span> <span style="colorurple"> </span>

 

[Sparklet]

You probably do need the vet out to nerve block to make sure the source of the problem is in the foot. My daughters horse came up very lame and we suspected it was an abcess -poulticed like mad to no effect. Eventually a huge bruise appeared on her sole so all she had was a bruise, however it took about 8 weeks before she was sound.

You need to have the source confirmed and if he does not get better at least you know which bit to x-ray if he doesnt come sound.

 

[lynspop]

when i got mine he also had terrible feet, very flat footed and overgrown with huge cracks- some coming from the coronet band down. He was lame form about 6 weeks- no evident cause, he simply walked out the box lame one morning(there was slight bruising on the sole of his near fore- i had the vet out 3 times and we were going to nerve block him when he started to slowly get better. the lameness continued to come and go for a few weeks, until the farrier came back out and did his feet again.
The next day he was 100% sound, and has stayed sound since.
We think it was a combination of us trimming and tidying up his feet, a change in work and feed routine just being too much physical change for him- he had gone so long with badly cared for feet that the changes happening had caused him to become unsound.
Now we give biotin plus every day and use keratex once a week- the difference is amazing!

 

[donnagrant]

I took jake to the vets - the problem is the fine cracks on either side of his front feet running down the hoof vertically from the band to the toe. the laminae is swollen underneath, which was causing the lameness. he has had remedial shoeing with a straight bar shoe and he seems lots better. we trotted him up after shoeing and he was sound. it will take time for the inflammation to go down, so we need to take it easy. he has come back into work and am treating him as an unfit horse...he tends to nod a bit as he get tired. but otherwise he is fingers crossed on the mend. whilst at the hospital i had his feet x-rayed too just to double check and everything seems fine! i'm taking him back in 5 weeks for a check up and to see their farrier once more. 300 quid later! horse have glass legs and eat fivers! or even tenners!