Nail in frog!

[Austen123]

Hi All,

had an awful afternoon and hoping for some reassurance. With my first BE event coming up next weekend, i hired my local gallops at Mark Todd's gallops for a bit of gallop work. and after i had finished my first lap and came back to trot, Podge took a couple of lame steps. came back to walk and seemed sound so i asked for trot to check and lame. Jumped off and check his hoof and THIS!!!!!! in pure panic and worry it would go in deeper... i pulled it out... i know now i should of left it in. I pulled it out and there was only a tiny bit of blood and we walked back to the trailer and he looked sound. called the vet, who told me off for pulling it out, luckily it's only a short journey and she was in the area so she met me back at my yard. Vet said that i was very lucky and due to the angle he looks to of missed the sensitive and crucial areas. shes given him antibiotics , i scrubbed it with hibiscrub, soaked in epsom salt, iodine spray and wet poultice tonight. vet said that if he is sound in the morning we should be out of the woods in terms of risk of infection in crucial areas . so just maybe one more wet poultice and then dry poultice until needed.... good vibes and reassurance needed please!!!

 

[Austen123]

and a beautiful of him in the snow to remind me why i love him

 

[Nasicus]

I'd be having a word with the venue, that is unacceptable! I know accidents happen, but a whopping great nail like that on the gallops?!

Glad he's gotten away with it, fingers crossed for a smooth recovery!

 

[eggs]

Fingers crossed it didn't penetrate too deep. Some years ago one of my horses walked out if his stable lame and my groom phoned me to say that a nail was sticking out if his frog and she couldn't pull it out. On strict instructions from me not to touch it and not to walk him back to his stable I called the vet. Fortunately when x-Rays were taken it had run almost parallel to the floor and didn't look to have hit any important structures. Z went on to make a complete recovery.

Definitely let the venue know what happened.

 

[WandaMare]

Beautiful horse, hope he's ok tomorrow

 

[meleeka]

Mine had a felt nail in his frog, straight in so only the head was visible, but on the edge, which I think saved it going in too far. He was fine.

 

[J&S]

Pony picked up a horseshoe nail from the verge. Brand new, unused, must have fallen from a passing farrier's truck. Yes she was lame for a couple of days and yes, she did need antibiotics but thank fully a full recovery. Wishing your lovely horse a speedy return to work.

 

[Equi]

Jesus! Id be incredibly angry at the gallops after that!! Fingers crossed it doesnt effect him.


p.s. thanks for the reminder that you don't pull it out. I am a fist aider and KNOW that if you find something, don't pull it! But if it came to my horse and his hoof...i think my immediate reaction would be to pull it. But this thread will now stick in my head.

 

[sport horse]

Poultice with honey. Manuka honey for the purists but any honey will do. My horse trod on a bolt and it went in to the hind hoof - I thought he had broken his leg he was so lame. We had to get tools to pull it out and we had to get it out to get him home every step he took was pushing it further in. Covered it with honey dressing straight away ( was out hacking and had to call for support team and trailer to nearest point). Vet wanted to send to Newmarket to be flushed out but that would have cost more than the horse so we did antibiotics and honey. He is fine and still fine 8 years later!

 

[ester]

Jesus! Id be incredibly angry at the gallops after that!! Fingers crossed it doesnt effect him.


p.s. thanks for the reminder that you don't pull it out. I am a fist aider and KNOW that if you find something, don't pull it! But if it came to my horse and his hoof...i think my immediate reaction would be to pull it. But this thread will now stick in my head.

as much as anything it's because you have a better idea of where exactly it ended up. Definitely automatic to remove though!

 

[claret09]

I definitely would have pulled it out. the longer the nail was in the more damage. my boy picked up the end of a shoeing nail some years ago, thankfully we noticed it really quickly and he was alright

 

[Austen123]

So update this morning ... his leg is a bit puffy . Vet coming at 11 for antibiotics round 2. Should I change the poultice now or wait ?

 

[Tiddlypom]

A Q for the vet, I think. I'd think a change of poultice now is in order, as long as you keep the old dressing so that the vet can inspect it, but the vet may want otherwise.

Fngers crossed that the nail has missed all vital structures, like the other posters have related. I'd have instinctively whipped out the nail too. Do inform the venue.

 

[Goldenstar]

Jesus! Id be incredibly angry at the gallops after that!! Fingers crossed it doesnt effect him.


p.s. thanks for the reminder that you don't pull it out. I am a fist aider and KNOW that if you find something, don't pull it! But if it came to my horse and his hoof...i think my immediate reaction would be to pull it. But this thread will now stick in my head.

Realistically how can a gallop ( or anywhere) keep track of every clench ?
Why would you be annoyed ? can they really metal detect every inch of the venue after every use ?
Reasonable to be upset but annoyed no massive over statement .
OP , I he goes along ok hopefully it will be a quick easy recovery.

 

[Bernster]

I think my first reaction would be to pull it out too if it looked pull-able. Hope he’s ok!

 

[The Trooper]

Realistically how can a gallop ( or anywhere) keep track of every clench ?
Why would you be annoyed ? can they really metal detect every inch of the venue after every use ?
Reasonable to be upset but annoyed no massive over statement .
OP , I he goes along ok hopefully it will be a quick easy recovery.

That doesn't look like a nail that a farrier would use to me?

I'd be fuming at the venue and would for sure be kicking up stink!

I really hope your ponio is ok, please do let us know what the vet is saying and keep us updated.

Fingers and toes crossed x

 

[Goldenstar]

That doesn't look like a nail that a farrier would use to me?

I'd be fuming at the venue and would for sure be kicking up stink!

I really hope your ponio is ok, please do let us know what the vet is saying and keep us updated.

Fingers and toes crossed x

You’re right it’s a fencing nail .

 

[Myloubylou]

My mare picked up nail on hack, always pick feet out so luckily found it before turning out. I pulled out without thinking, luckily missed the sensitive structures. She did develop an abscess but poultices saw that off & she was fine in a week

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Exactly what happened to my horse. Farrier left bits of cut off clenches lying around and it went in exact spot. From memory (it was 2011) i took a photo and then pulled it out. Vet said it had missed vital structures. I used to do a yard newsletter at the time so requested that anyone who wanted to tie up outside my stable for the farrier to shoe had to sweep up immediately afterwards.

 

[Austen123]

hi all, update as promised all critical structures were missed and vet was up fri, sat and sun to give antibiotics . i hot poulticed twice a day and pus came out when i changed it last night and he trotted up sound!! so i gave him another hot poultice last night and when i changed it this morning there was nothing on the poultice ?? but the leg is still a bit puffy although this goes down when he's turned out for the day. i am icing and cold hosing his leg twice a day too. but does anyone know why the leg is still a bit puffy if no more pus is coming out?

 

[JanetGeorge]

Frankly, I would always pull a nail out right away (bloody vets always take too long to come for starters.) If there's pus in a hoof there is always some localised inflammation, and that causes the puffiness. And a ho poultice also encourages anything it can to it - including blood which doesn't get INTO the hoof so it accumulates. If there is nothing coming ut, I'd try a dry poultice and see if the puffiness settles - and perhaps a few sachets of Bute too.Unreal the vet just didn't give you a bottle of Pen/strep or similar and a few syringes! (But of course, that wouldn't cost you as much!)

 

[Carrottom]

Really glad to hear your horse is okay. I read this on Friday but couldn't bring myself to reply as I lost a young horse due to a nail in its hoof about 12 years ago.
The nail had pierced the navicular bursa, but there was no way I could know this.
We had been out and about and my friend who had ridden her lead her off the trailer and across the yard, he said she was a bit lame behind, took her into her stable, picked up her foot and pulled out a nail similar to the one in the photo above. He actually held her foot up while I grabbed some poltice gear (never far away). She seemed to move around her stable fine so we didn't call the vet (I think it was new year's day).
Anyway the next day her leg was hot and swollen so I got the vet out. He injected fluid into the heel bulb and it came out of the hole in her frog. He said the prognosis was very poor and she was pts. In a subsequent discussion he said even if we had called him straight away the success rate of the procedure required is less than 20%.

 

[ycbm]

hi all, update as promised all critical structures were missed

Great news

and vet was up fri, sat and sun to give antibiotics .

Did you not want to do it yourself, was it an intravenous antibiotic, or would your vet not let you? I've always given the antibiotics myself unless they were intravenous. That sounds very expensive, I hope you are insured!

 

[Austen123]

They were intravenous and wouldn’t of felt comfortable doing it myself ! I am insured but not sure if I want just vet visits and antibiotics to affect my cover . Will see what the bill is!!

 

[ycbm]

They were intravenous and wouldn’t of felt comfortable doing it myself ! I am insured but not sure if I want just vet visits and antibiotics to affect my cover . Will see what the bill is!!

I don't think anyone but a vet can give the intravenous stuff. It shouldn't affect your insurance,should it, if it's just an injury?

 

[Austen123]

True . Will see what the invoice is and go from there

 

[Reacher]

Glad your horse is doing ok OP

Presumably if a nail is protruding you don't have much choice other than to pull it out else horse will damage itself further standing on it? It would take hours to get out a vet with a mobile xray to us

 

[tankgirl1]

Glad your horse is OK, I would be furious too, and would also probably pull it out despite the fact I am a trained (SA) vet nurse

 

[tankgirl1]

Met so many people who wonder why I get so wound up when they don't sweep up after the farrier or search for lost shoes in the field - THIS is why I get annoyed!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

If it is any help this boys screw was 1mm away from pedal bone and it was touch and go but he came right