LCH611
Well-Known Member
Prince has been creeping about, very reluctant to move ever since the ground got hard. The vet came out last week and concluded that he was obviously uncomfortable, but when he could be persuaded to move he was actually not lame as such. He set my mind at rest about it not being laminitis as Prince had a terribly bad bout before we got him and has shocking front feet with very soft soles. The farrier came out on Saturday and we discovered that both front feet were bruised quite badly & I thought that this combined wuith the fact that he is a asensible pony & would remember if he had previously fallen on slippery rutted ground, just meant that he was being cautious. I suspect thought that Milo might have been trying to play with him if this morning's shenanigans was anything to go by (thundering up to him and then enthusiatstically pawing the ground to try & get him to join in cavorting about). I am giving him bute each day, but this morning he looked to be very uncomfortable behind. He has white hind feet and the bulbs of his heels are now terrifically black & bruised (I think to compensate for the fact that his feet have been sore he has been sort of sitting back on his heels, and he is a little inclined to stand strangely behind anyway). He managed to hobble up the field this evening and is now in on a nice deep bed of straw, but how can I best treat this bruising? I have bought loads of arnica cream, but wonder if I should be hot tubbing - and if so with what - epsom salts, soda crystals (think i once read somewhere that was a good thing to do)? I did wonder about poulticing his feet with layers of nappy and duct tape, but didn't know if that would make them soggy, and the pressure would in fact be intolerably uncomfortable? The bruised parts actually don't seem to be uncomfortable when I press them. I am assuming that the bruising is a result of hard ground, but can anyone think of any other reason why they might look so black?
