Warm hooves... advice

[_jetset_]

My mare had severe bruising and an abscess on her near fore which is now starting to improve and she has her shoe back on. She was doing herself a lot of damage being back on box rest (I did give her some sedalin a few days because of it) so the farrier checked the foot and said she is ok to start work again and be turned out in the field with packing in the hole.

She is trotting up sound, is sound on the lunge and sound under saddle. However, the hoof feels warmer than her other one higher up near the coronet band???

When she has been worked or out in the field, the temperature reduces and returns to that of her other fore hoof. So it seems as though it is when she has been stood in.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Can one hoof be warmer than the others, or does it generally mean something is going on in there still?

Also, when she was first 'footy' she had a very strong digital pulse and you could see the vein near to the cannon bone literally throbbing. Now there is absolutely no digital pulse whatsoever, nor is the vein engorged

 

[AmyMay]

Thumper's hooves change temerature all the time. As long as he's sound I tend not to panic.

Why not just give her some time off and let the whole thing settle down??

 

[_jetset_]

Our turnout is very limited at the moment because of how wet it is, and she is fit and needs work to be honest to keep her sane. I have spent a lot of time and effort getting her fit, and I would like to continue with it if she is sound. Of course, if she goes lame, that is a completely different story and she will have as much time off as she needs.

If I turn her out in the field without doing something with her first she starts careering around the field and knowing her, will do something equally as serious

 

[Madam_max]

Becki! STOP IT!

 

[_jetset_]

Te he... I am genuinely interested!!!

Her other fore is ice cold, but then I felt Han's and Troy's and they were both very warm

But she is definitely sound... I can sometimes 'feel' more than I can see, and this morning she felt absolutely fantastic (after her initial bucking, squealing, rearing episode when the horses cantered down the field).

 

[kick_On]

ditto M_M

 

[AandK]

as the foot returns to a 'normal' temp after exercise, i wouldn't worry about it..!

try not to worry too much and enjoy riding your horse.!!

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
Her other fore is ice cold

[/ QUOTE ]

Then I would say that the heat is indicative of still having a problem. I would definately not work her - and sorry, she'd be in the field.

They don't have to be lame to be 'not right'.

 

[_jetset_]

But it returns to normal when she has been out in the field or worked... and her back ones are warm, it is just the one front foot which is cold.

I just can't put her out in the field with the other two without doing something first at the moment, because she has been flying around at top speed so I am worried she will pull or tweak something else. So without work, it would mean going back onto box rest.

 

[cyearsley]

Had a very similar thing earlier in the year, the abscess was dealt with but there was a heat in the wall of the hoof and a bruise there but was sound and fine so carried on as normal and mother nature resolved the isse and it eventually was the same as the others. Monitor carefully but is sound would try not to worry.

 

[_jetset_]

Thanks CLY... how long did it take to return to normal?

Did your vet advise you to continue as normal?

 

[custard]

Will the farrier pop and have a look at her? He's usually my first port of call tbh and knows her feet far better than the vet.

Re the temp' thing they can all feel different and vary during the day depending on circulation, a bit like radiators in a central heating system. I wouldn't worry too much about temperature in isolation as long as she seems sound and it's not accompanied by a pulse. If there is a bit of abcess still there she's better moving around anyway.

One tip my vet once gave me for solar bruising was to 'tubb' the foot in warm salty water for a few minutes then apply ordinary table salt in a paste to the sole. He said this draws the bruise by osmosis (remember o level biology?) and it certainly can't do any harm.

 

[cyearsley]

He had been to the vets as the abscess took 7 weeks (!) to materialise. Minor lameness no heat, no obvious signs. After two visits to the vet and three by the farrier, the farrier found the abscess on the fourth visit and after draining it etc, five days, shoe back on and sound but foot still warm. Had slightly visible bruise to outer hoof wall but as sound, farrier said to get back on board and carry on as usual.....did so and after a week or so the foot temperature returned to normal.

Hope this long waffle helps! Good luck

 

[_jetset_]

Thanks... the farrier was only up on Tuesday to put the shoe back on and he could not find anything (although found a pocket where he believed an abscess had been and pared it away). He is due back in 2 weeks, so will ask him to have a second look then when she has some more hoof growth.

Last night (I am such a ditz) I could feel heat again and was chatting to my Mum, who is not horsey at all, and asking her to feel it... she just turned to me and said, "Yes, I can feel some warmth, but wasn't it her left leg?" Doh!!! So last night her right hoof was warmer than her left hoof

 

[SpottedCat]

Well that makes sense - she's probably putting/been putting more weight on that leg to compensate for the bruising in the other foot....so naturally it is warmer.

 

[_jetset_]

This morning, all four hooves are warm

Can they vary in temperature like this???

She is still 100% sound too

 

[Halfstep]

Yes, the temperature in hooves varies a lot during the day according to exercise, feeding, blood pressure etc. I'd worry if the warmth was associated with a stronger pulse. Otherwise, just stop feeling them LOL!!!

 

[_jetset_]

Right... no more feeling feet

Definitely no strong pulse. Legs are nice and cool and all tendons, ligaments and veins are acting as they should do (she gets a huge pulsing vein when she has something in the foot).

 

[Seahorse]

I was chatting to a farrier about this, he said they did an experiment where they stuck those thermometer things on some horses feet and took the temperature every hour.
They showed that their feet changed temp all the time, sometimes it was 1 foot sometimes it was all of them, sometimes it was 2 etc etc so not to worry!