Nail embedded in hoof

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cellie

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Went out for a hack tonight and horse pulled up lame with nail embedded in his hoof.It was a large 4 or 3 inch nail I had to pull it out with a claw hammer because he was pushing it further into the sole .I have phoned the vet cleaned and dressed the wound and packed it .Have any of you had similiar experiences.The vet has explained implications Im not sure if I am covered by insurance because it might have punctured the ligament.Ollie has exclusions from ligament and tendon and he is recovering from hock spavin surgery at the moment.My vet has voted him as the worlds unluckiest horse.
The puncture wound is at the side of the frog towards the hoof were the frog narrows into a v.It bled so is quite deep .Has anyone else had similiar so they can advise please.Vets coming out tommorrow he will cut out some of the sole so it can drain.The other question is how long does it take to heal if the damage is not major.Thanks everyone
 
I was always led to believe that a large nail could damage the pedal and associated bones within the foot so immediate X-rays and antibiotics were necessary to avoid trouble.
Sorry, don't mean to worry you...I am sure it will heal quickly if no major structures have been affected...although you will have to take great care to avoid abscesses forming.
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have u tubbed it with epsom salts or iodine in hot water as that will clean the whole depth of the wound out then poultice it up. once the sole has hardened at the base of the wound then he should be fine or the farrier can put a protective pad under the shoe preventing anything damaging the area again. hope that helps
 
As far as the insurance goes, any potential ligament damage is a side effect of the injury, make sure the vet makes it clear to your insurers that it was a nail in the frog - ie, not a direct ligament/tendon injury. ThEse sLippery insurers will try and wriggle out of allsorts, but if they paid out for everything premiums would be collossal!!!

Does sound like the poor thing is unlucky, hope ollie recovers ok. Would imagine he'll need lots of TLC and a few weeks to fully recover - Good luck.
 
If I were you I'd get him straight to the vets and get this checked out, as if it's pierced the bone or worse the ligament, it's serious.

How long was the nail, how far did it penetrate and at what angle? The vet will want to know that as it will indicate whether it could've damaged the ligament/pedal bone.
 
Shilisdair and Monarch Vets explained about pedal bone and navicular .We will have xrays tomorrow and he talked about probing the wound.I havent tried epsom salts I hibiscrubbed and used anti biotic spray that he had after his surgery.I have packed it with clean gamgee and vet wrapped.I have had a dreadful couple of years with this horse hes been lame on and off for 2 years .
 
Please be careful with this, Im not trying to scare you to death but a friends horse did the same out on a hack and although they say dont take the nail out we just had too as he too couldnt walk so we had to stop a passing car who luckily had a claw hammer. There was a clear fluid coming out and we knew this was bad, possibly joint fluid. Vet came immediately and dismissed it, dressing it etc but next day the horse was crippled. Said vet said it was nothing to worry about but the owner rang another vet for a 2nd opinion and he sent him straight to Leahurst where he had a GA as it was joint fluid, cant remember all the terminology but he had a surgical plate on for months and thankfully came right. Vet said he was very lucky as he should have gone to Leahurst immediately.
 
Hi I had ti happen to me with one of the horses i look after in pretty much the same position in the hoof.

The vet was called and gave antibiotic jabs and powders for in the feed,the mare was kept in her box for about 2 weeks with a bran poultice applied.

Farrier shod her with a pad but infection still built up and the pad had to be removed and the hoof cut to allow infection to drain.She was again kept stabled for another two weeks.

She did recover and had no more problems with her hoof and went on to do a seasons hunting (masters horse)

Hope this helps.
 
i had one who spooked and twisted both front shoes with leathers pads beneath and managed to stand on both quarter clips and all nails on each front shoe. the vet and the farrier had no idea how he did it. there was quite a bit of blood and some people in a nearby yard had to take the shoes offf as the horse rooted. luckily they hadn't penetrated too deeply and we didn't need x rays. sounds serious so good luck for tomorrow and hope he is ok.
 
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Shilisdair and Monarch Vets explained about pedal bone and navicular .We will have xrays tomorrow and he talked about probing the wound.I havent tried epsom salts I hibiscrubbed and used anti biotic spray that he had after his surgery.I have packed it with clean gamgee and vet wrapped.I have had a dreadful couple of years with this horse hes been lame on and off for 2 years .

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It sounds like you have done all you can for the night. Until you see the X-rays, you can't be sure what the real diagnosis nor prognosis will be - so there really isn't any point speculating and worrying yourself further.
Make sure he's comfortable, then go watch TV/have some wine/crochet a new hat
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Nail was thick and 3 to 4 inch long it entered at a angle towards the front of the hoof and went in about 1cm .I couldnt find the nail afterwards as he kicked out and sent it into the hedgerow.vets coming tomorrow afternoon he offered to come out straight away but said 12 hours would make no difference.I had to walk him home he wouldnt load as the last time he went on a trailer was when he went for surgery.
 
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If I were you I'd get him straight to the vets and get this checked out, as if it's pierced the bone or worse the ligament, it's serious.

How long was the nail, how far did it penetrate and at what angle? The vet will want to know that as it will indicate whether it could've damaged the ligament/pedal bone.

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I agree 100% with Madhossy .... my TB trod on a nail and the Vet came out as an emergency ..... checked out where etc and he had a poultice on for a few days, just to be sure ... luckily he was ok, but you can never be sure .... no foot no horse
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Hope all ok, as you don't deserve any more problems
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Our Mare came in from the field with the same thing. God knows how. Got vet out as an emergency because the horse is a wuss and needed sedating so we could get near enough to pull the nail out. It bled a lot but was fine. I don't think the angle and distance you are describing would be enough to involve any important structures. Was the horse sound when you removed the nail? If yes I would say you've done all you can for now so get the vet out in the AM for antibiotics just in case. If it was still hoping after you took the nail out I'd get the vet as an emergency now.
 
It sounds like the puncture is directly below the pedal bone, hopefully it wasn't the bone that stopped the nail going deeper. The tip of the flexor tendon lies pretty much on top of the frog, so it may have been this that stopped the nail - hopefully without causing the flexor any damage. An x-ray may be in order for confirmation of pedal damage, or not hopefully, eh.
 
Thanks Eaglestone
The vet wouldnt have been able to get out until 9 then it was to dark to examine the wound properly.I really dont know where to turn with him he is just so unlucky
 
I know a bit about foot anatomy too...having dissected a few...but I really, really wouldn't recommend an online diagnosis from forum members.
The vet will do the right thing in the morning.
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Xrays are on standby for tommorrow now thinking on it Im not sure what angle it went in.Bit stressed at the moment.
 
My questions were not orientated to perform an online diagnosis, just to give a glimmer of hope to somebody who is obviousl worried silly, but as said, the vet wil do their best tomorrow. Good luck and I hope it's not too serious. I would try not to worry too much now, you've done all you can and more than some would, see what the diagnosis and prognosis is and please, please let us know.
 
He walked home on it and put standing weight on ok.Trouble is hes on danilon for the hock surgery which would dull any pain.Ill let you all know tommorrow how things go.Thanks for the help and input Think Ill go and have a hot bath and try and chill out a bit.Cant see me sleeping too much tonight .
 
Must be awful and I feel really sorry for you but there really isn't any need for bi/tc$hiness from certain members.

Somebody has asked for advise and people are offering it. Nobody is claiming to be a vet.
 
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Must be awful and I feel really sorry for you but there really isn't any need for bi/tc$hiness from certain members.

Somebody has asked for advise and people are offering it. Nobody is claiming to be a vet.

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Oh, stop sh1t stirring. People like you pi$$ me off - all holier than thou, when you are the real sh1t stirrers on every thread.
And if you want to b1tch me off, have the guts to do it to me by name....or I may just think you're a loser...
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If Spookythoroughbred and I want to have a fight, we'll do it without any help from you.....anyway.
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Cellie,
Just seen this post, can't believe what a bad time you have been having with Ollie, try to keep positive about it all.
((Hugs))
 
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