Nail bind, abcess or something else?

[Leanne1980]

Hi all, getting rather concerned. Easter Sunday my mare had front shoes put on after three months of being barefoot. Unfortuantely due to the loss of my other horse same day I did not ride my mare till Tuesday when I noticed she was lame in trot. Tried to contact farrier as assumed it was linked to being shod. Original farrier has disappeared so ended up getting another farrier to remove shoes on Saturday (7 days after shod). Farrier said she had nails close and through her white line and would be sore.

Went to fetch her in that night and she was crippled, couldn't walk from the field and then laid down in her stable for hours. I gave her bute at this point as she was clearly in pain. I gave bute until yesterday 2x and she was still lame but a bit better. Before poulticing she was lame on a straight line (didn't check in school :/) but since poulticing she is more lame on a circle on soft than straight line on hard. Cannot test hard on a circle has no space too. Why has is changed ?

I decided to stop the bute and start poulticing incase it is an abcess. So far nothing. But not when I check for lameness it appears to be in the other leg. I was originally treating left fore but no seems to be right fore. So I am poulticing both!

It has been 11 days from being shod. There is no heat or pulses. The right fore cannon bone feels a little more puffy than the other but it's not major.

We are at the vets Friday but at this point I am panicking. Is is unlikely to be nail bind or abcess, could it be soft tissue? Was the swapping legs just a red herring.

Help anyone

 

[be positive]

What starts as nail bind can develop into abscesses because the tissue around the hole is compromised, it may be that one was worse than the other but poulticing has allowed that to improve so now the other is more obviously sore, at this stage there is no point in panicking about soft tissue injury as you have a good reason to think it is within the hoof wall not the ligaments or tendons within the foot.
It will make her more comfortable being poulticed as well as helping draw out anything so keep going until the vet sees her, by then she may well be far better.

 

[Finlib]

I had one of my horses caught on BOTH front feet by his apprentice .First foot was left fore horse couldn't walk sweating pawing the ground i phoned farrier and he couldn't get to me quickly advised I get vet as worried about colic. Vet came not colic but pain related gave pain relief farrier out first thing next morning shoe off definitely nail had penetrated the white line poulticed but within 2 days showing pain right fore farrier out again abscess in front fore again close nail My farrier was devastated his lad had caused this. Left fore cleared up in 10 days right fore very lame puss seemed to be moving around under the sole .Farrier came out every day checking foot and then called the vet to come out when when he was here.
He did a full set of digital xrays on the foot plus some comparison ones on the other foot. Both feet showed no underlying problems but a pocket of pus was found on the lame foot . Farrier drained under the vets guidance with sedation never have I been so glad to see an explosion of horrid smelling pus in my life. The farrier paid the whole vets bill and never charged anything for any visit and time he gave .The foot had been under run and then sole was gradually shed to reveal a new sole . The whole process took about 10 weeks in all and the farrier didn't charge me a penny for anything he did with that horse for the whole time he said it was down to his lad and he took full responsibility for all the costs paying for everything vet sedation pain relief animal lintex duct tape nappies etc
the horses was sound and working after about 10 weeks!!! Abscess can go on and on I would always think abscess first .Ideally you need a good vet and farrier working together as I had.

 

[Leanne1980]

Hi thank you for your comments. It does sound very much like my situation except the farrier who had put the shoes off as had no contact with me and fell off the face of the earth so I have had to go elsewhere. The main think concerning me is that the horse seems more lame on soft ground, is that possible with an abscess? I am taking her to the vets Friday so hopefully xrays may help find the issue x

 

[ester]

you'll get more sole pressure on soft ground

 

[Finlib]

you'll get more sole pressure on soft ground

definitely this . Mine was terrible in the field much better well padded on a hard standing corralled area. I would keep poulticing and well pad it until the vet sees it.

 

[Leanne1980]

Thank you everyone.

 

[MuffettMischief]

Ive had a similar issue with my old pony although no puffiness in legs. Her's turned out to be laminitis brought on by the consussion of shoeing. Just another thought

 

[Doublethyme]

My mare shunted a shoe in the field and pushed a nail close to the white line so similar to nail bind. Initially thought we had got away with bruising. Shoe back on, week later lame. Abscess burst. Shoe back on, 24 hours later non weight bearing and trembling. Shoe off and no sign of abscess. Xrays, no hidden issues but deep high abscess that eventually burst out of coronary. Whole episode was 9 weeks long!! Her leg blew up like a balloon too. Vet and farrier thought deeper problem till the xrays bit it was 'just' an abscess. Horse now sound and back in work. Although foot is a bit demolished so still having pad till the damage grows out.

 

[Leanne1980]

Hiya we are two weeks in with no improvement, at which point did you get vet and xrays? Thanks

 

[be positive]

Hiya we are two weeks in with no improvement, at which point did you get vet and xrays? Thanks

Did the vet not xray today? I would have expected that if you had them looking at her anyway otherwise I would probably get the farrier back, if you can find him.
The last time I had an abscess that was proving tricky the vet nerve blocked, just to make sure and for it to be easier to xray, after a week of normal treatment failing to work, the abscess was in a really bad place just above the pedal bone so we ended up doing a small resection to get to it but without the xrays it probably would have infected the pedal bone and been a very different outcome.

 

[Leanne1980]

No we didn't get to the vets, it's over a hour away and with her being so lame I couldn't expect her to travel. Need one to come to the yard. Farrier came back yesterday and dug round again x

 

[Finlib]

The farrier insisted on xrays when he was cripplingly lame after 2 weeks he was should have been improving He wanted to make sure there was nothing bad going on and to check for pus concerned he didn't want infection to go into pedal bone . State of the art digtal xray machine bought out to the horse Both the farrier and I were relieved that the foot structure looked perfect and pedal bone fine.
The horse was broken leg lame and not improving after poulticing for 2 week pus had under-run the sole causing pressure in several places
I would want xrays sooner rather than later.

 

[ester]

I'd xray now, (well monday I guess) no point in digging around blind if it isn't obvious just creates more damage. It's possible it's just an abscess heading upwards but worth checking IMO becuase of risk to the bone.

 

[Leanne1980]

The plan is for xrays beginning of the week. Wasn't fair to expect her to balance in horse box. I just need to find a vet who can x-ray on the yard. There aren't many hence me travelling over a hour away x

 

[be positive]

It would never occur to me that an equine vet would not have the equipment required to xray at the yard, most have digital now that is easy to transport and you see the results immediately, although sometimes they are sharing with others in the practice, I have had several xrayed here and never given it much thought.

 

[Leanne1980]

The larger vets like Oakham, Herds etc have the mobile equipment but are over a hour away. The local vets who are small animal practices don't have so refer me to oakham etc for anymore than jabs. There maybe some other smaller ones that have equipment so need to ask about.

 

[ycbm]

I think the delay is a serious risk. It is spring, the grass is through in spite of the cold weather and the shoeing could simply be a red herring. I would treat this horse as a laminitic until you can get x rays, just in case.

 

[Leanne1980]

I did speak with the Vet this morning who also agreed travelling her for 1 hour 15 would not be good and that they would come to the yard. They advised the call out would be huge and it would not be until early next week. They have suggested finding a local vet. I am not delaying it for any other reason that I need to find a vet. The horse is a lot more comfortable tonight. Both hooves are being poulticed and she is being monitored closely.

 

[Finlib]

I would want x rays as a matter of urgency.Infected pedal bone will cost far more and could result in loss of the horse.
You really want a state of the art digital machine an old fashioned plate will not show up hidden pockets of pus digital can be zoomed and because they are real time areas of concern can be re xrayed examined at different angles and are viewed immediately on vets laptop. My horse was kept of all grass well padded on a corralled area until we were sure what we were dealing with He was also too bad to travel.