Problem with hoof please help!

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blue89

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Hi all
I have been away for a week and had a friend of mine looking after my mare, when I came back home this weekend and I brought her in for groom, when I got hoof picking her I was shocked to find her hoof in a awful state. I have attached a picture below because I am unable to describe it in words. (this is after cleaning)

20131006_154120.jpg


I have NEVER came across this before, and really need advice on what it is and what to do.

Thanks in advance.
 
That looks as if it could be the exit of an abscess that underran the frog, though I have seen similar photos where the owner said it was definitely wear from the outside.

It could also be a tread from a shod horse if it's a hind foot? Or a very severe overreach if a front foot, though it's pretty extreme for that.

Is the horse sound? If so, try not to worry too much. I would protect it with sudocrem whilst it's raw looking.
 
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I'd say abscesses that have underrun the frog too.

I'm presuming your horse is barefoot? Is that a fore or a hind?

Without going into details I've been dealing with something similar for quite a while now.

Personally I'd be hot tubbing and changing poultice twice a day. I'd localize the poultices over the exit wounds so that the rest of the foot doesnt go soggy. I'd tub once a day in a "weak tea" iodine solution and dry off foot thoroughly then let horse stand somewhere clean and dry for one hour before redressing

I'd get a vet involved. I know they generally love to dig and generally that's against the barefoot ethos BUT. I'd want all the infection out.

What you'll probably find is that the frog will peel away leaving the top/bottom ( depends how you look at it) of the abscess track. To me, currently, it's too easy for bacteria/ infection to get "stuck" in there.

Let us know how you get on.
 
TPO said:
I'd say abscesses that have underrun the frog too.

I'm presuming your horse is barefoot? Is that a fore or a hind?

Without going into details I've been dealing with something similar for quite a while now.

Personally I'd be hot tubbing and changing poultice twice a day. I'd localize the poultices over the exit wounds so that the rest of the foot doesnt go soggy. I'd tub once a day in a "weak tea" iodine solution and dry off foot thoroughly then let horse stand somewhere clean and dry for one hour before redressing

I'd get a vet involved. I know they generally love to dig and generally that's against the barefoot ethos BUT. I'd want all the infection out.

What you'll probably find is that the frog will peel away leaving the top/bottom ( depends how you look at it) of the abscess track. To me, currently, it's too easy for bacteria/ infection to get "stuck" in there.

Let us know how you get on.
Click to expand...

It is on the hind foot. The others are fine. I had a vet look at her today and he didnt seem concerned at all, he said its where her foot was soft from the moisture and rub on something in the field and adviced me to keep her in for box rest for 6 days. He was more concerned on how her foot was trimmed. I explained to him I only had the farrier out 2 weeks ago! Very confused :( hopefully fingers crossed with tlc it will heal
 
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I'm not a vet but doesn't look like a rub to me.

Did vet advise how he wants foot managed? Is horse lame? Possibly I wouldn't want to box rest. More chance of nasties getting into the foot while in the stable.

As I said I'm not a vet and would always urge caution when taking advice from randoms on the internet. All I can say is that in your position I'd tub, dry, poultice and dress. I'd turn out with dressing, and hoof boot if you have one, to keep horse moving.

Was the vet more specific about their concerns re the trim? How long has your horse been barefoot for? It might help to start a new thread with pictures of your horses hooves. Side, front and sole views on level surfaces.
 
Thrush/dermatitis on heel from wet standing or dirty box. Clean and dry and tetcin spray, tetcin has an antibiotic in it and a drying agent so it will heal with it. Lovely feet by the way
 
I wouldn't want the quarters of my horse left so long. Looks like a pasture trim rather than one for optimal performance.

We will probably never know precisely what caused the holes in the heels, but the effect is an open wound in an area likely to get soiled. If mine I'd want to keep clean and dry until healed over.
 
A really good, if extreme, example of bacterially infected mud abrasion. Ive seen several similar if lesser cases over the past few days, all on barefooters although shod horses do get this as well, all on those with large frogs like this.
Mud is abrasive, contains lots of infective bacteria and sticks to the horn leeching moisture into it constantly. This softens the horn, making it easy for it to be abraded away when the horse walks through it. The most likely place that the layers of horn will be broken through, and the horn of both the frog and sole is laid down in plate layers, is the place where it is thinnest and most vulnerable, the backs of the heels where the horn and skin meet.
Horses are not like us, we tend to travel over the ground surface because we have less weight on a wider surface area, whereas horses feet are smaller compared to the weight they bear, so on muddy surfaces their feet travel into the ground with every stride. Mud is basically paste, little sharp particles of earth immersed in water - if you take it and rub it in your hands for long enough, it will take your skin off. It has done so at the back of these heels.
Your horse has worn through the layers of thin horn at the back of the frog allowing thrush bacteria to enter the under layers. You can clearly see where they are then travelling forward beneath the frog undermining the frog, and as they go they leave behind a gap which fills with mud under the compression of the horses weight, seperating the frog layers and feeding the bacteria with moisture as it enters. This area is quite close to the blood supply, which is warm, creating wet and warm conditions, a perfect environment to encourage the bacteria to multiply and eat further, which they will be doing.
From the looks of it the abrasion has let in some mud fever bacteria as well, which travel in the skin layer.

You need the vet and farrier or trimmer to work together to halt the infection. It is a difficult process as we are at the start of winter so mud will be with us for many months yet, and also their feet are likely to slow growing so replacement of the horn over the damaged area is likely to take a while. Personally I like to remove the majority of the overlying horn as the infection will be hidden within, and if you do not, the infection will spread, so removing the overying horn will limit the spread of infection to that area which is already damaged. This has to be done very carefully as you do not want to expose raw sensitive tissue or wound it as you may be making matters worse if you do. Bacteria can be killed with Iodine or Oxytetracycline, but remember there will be constant re-invasion so the treatment needs to be vigilantly maintained. The one thing these bugs do not like is air circulation or low temperatures, neither will kill them but they will both restrict multiplication, giving your horse a chance to grow a fresh layer of healthy horn over the area.

You should aim at more healthy growth than is being destroyed or damaged, that way your horse will recover. I note you say it is only this one foot that is affected, but in my experience the others may well evince a similar, if lesser, condition, and be very vigilant to treat them quickly if they do, as the faster you get on top of this kind of problem, the easier it is to treat.

Lucy is quite right, it does need to be kept clean and dry. Not easy at present. And I would agree that the heels do seem to be folded so a lot of the weight is being borne by this frog. It would help if the weight were being distributed across a wider area instead of being completely focussed on the frog which is exacerbating the abrasion, in my opinion.
 
Thank you Graeme. Ditto Quirky, a very informative post.

How would you suggest keeping the foot dry? My thinking would be nappies, duct tape and hoof boots?

Thank you again :)
 
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