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splashnutti1

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so people may have seen my previous thread about my boy and the maggots in his frog. He still has deep crevices in his back feet and bulb of heel, front foot is looking much better.

He was showing up lame behind and hanging on the forehand when ridden causing him to trip and on the odd step dragging his toes at the front. Vet came last week to jab him so she had a look and said the crevices are quite deep and down to the sensitive part of his frog so will be sore she thinks he is trying to keep the weight off his heels hence being on the forehand and tripping. She said keep treating as i was and gave him some bute.

My farrier came yesterday and i mentioned the tripping, toe dragging etc. He took a look and could see my lad had rolled his toes as shoes were worn at the front more than usual, has never known him do this before, in the year and a half he has been shoeing him he has always worn his shoes evenly. So this is new since he was last shod 6 weeks ago. (has been 2 and a half weeks since i found maggots) He was also difficult to shoe which isnt like him?

If his feet are still sore form the maggots could this cause him to be dragging his toes or could it be something else?? has anyone else had anything similar, have never seen maggots in a horses feet in 25 years of owning them so is a new one on me and not sure whta probs it can cause:(

I know thrush can cause lameness but his seems to have cleared up now, no smell or gunge, feet nice and dry, just the deep crevices left which vet said need to heal inside to out :(

Going to work him gently this weekend see how he is and if he is still lame( farriers advice) vet is back next week so if he still isnt right i may ask her to reassess.

Is actualy really stressing me out worrying about my boy :(
 
I'm in no way an expert but as far as I'm aware maggots only bother with necrotic flesh i.e. if it's already dead. I believe they use them in hospitals to remove dead flesh, so it's not as awful as it might appear. In your boy's feet, they have been eating what's already dead so it does actually help to remove it. If his feet are clean and dry and not smelling, that's a positive thing imho. As for the lameness - whatever's happened sounds quite severe as there must have been a reason for the dead flesh in the first place. That suggests that he'd be quite sore, and he may stay sore until the crevices all heal up. The vet is right - they do have to heal from the inside out as if the outside heals first you're risking infection. If he's sore this would explain an altered gait and difficulty shoeing. I wouldn't work him if he's at all uncomfortable as that's not really fair. I guess keeping the feet as clean and dry as you can would be helpful. Would normally suggest red horse artimud but I think as thrush is anaerobic letting air get to them and keeping them dry might be the best thing.

Just my two pence - sure someone more knowledgeable will be along shortly! Definitely keep in touch with your vet.
 
Thanks SadKen you have actually really helped :)

I am pretty sure is all cos of the maggot problem but i am such a neurotic worrying owner was staring to convince myself something sinister was happening ;)

I definatly wont work him if he isnt happy just have to put him on lines for ten mins on weekend to assess if he is still lame. I am keeping his feet as dry and mud free as is possible so hopefull this will aid healing. thanks again xx
 
What are you using to treat?

I highly recommend "foot master" a strong purple spray. Maggots are not uncommon and a sore infected frog can easily make a horse lame.

Just be diligent about keeping the crevices clear and use a good spray like the above and you should see dramatic improvement within a week.
 
I'm not sure why the farrier has advised you to work the poor lad, would he like to work with sore feet? My advice would be to keep treating as per vet's instructions and let the crevices heal from the inside out, which I would expect to take at least 6 weeks. Without seeing the frogs, of course none of us can really say but I would imagine that the sore frogs and maggots are the cause of his ongoing problems.
If, when you are sure that the frogs are back to normal, he is still lame, then obviously you will need to get the vet back but I'm willing to bet that he won't be lame by then.
 
I cannot remember the name of this stuff but my friend used it on hers to treat her ponies foot... its a blue spray in a yellow can (i think) my uncle uses the exact same stuff for his sheep for when they get foot rot. Ill have a google for you, you can definatly get it from the vets though :)
 
Hi everyone thanks for your replies. I am a born worrier and as i said in above post although i am pretty sure maggots was the problem i start to worry about all sorts of scary stuff (losing my mare last year has made me a tad over protective;)lol)

You have all really helped by confirming my thoughts on the maggots.

I am treating with terramycin spray and summer fly cream, if he gets any mud then i syringe the cracks out with dettol and hibiscrub to get them clean, dry them out well and then spray with terramycin before filling the cracks with summer fly cream. The maggots were completely gone after two days so is now a case of waiting fo healing and preventing anymore getting in hence the fly cream as it repels and kills maggots :)

Pearlsasinger he didnt actually say work him as in normal work just gentle lunge see if lameness is improving as frogs are healing :) He will be rested for at least another two weeks till he has healed more :) front one is alreadfy looking great but back ones were much worse. wish i could put pics on but only have my phone so dont know how ;)

Vet is back anyway next week so will get her to re check then.

Thanks again :)
 
splashnutti1 said:
Thanks hun, have actually got some terramycin off the vet but may see if its cheaper elsewhere :)

My lad is my life lol x
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I was meant to say ring the vet not era.. stupid phone!!!


Things like this just take time and I doubt the wet weather this week will be doing you any favours!! Cheer up let us know how you get on :)
 
I hope farrier cut away the dead frog and balanced the heels. Soeak foot in hibi scrub or saline solution, salty water and include apple cider vinegar, dry foot then tetcin spray, but unless you get the frog and heels sorted the thrush is bot going away.
 
I would most certainly not work (lunge) your horse at all as it will be painfull for your horse.
Keep the cracks clean as you are doing and continue using the spray.
Hopefully the maggots will be killed off and your horses feet will heal.
 
OP, please follow your vet's instructions and use what s/he has given you. What is the point of changning to something recommended by a stranger on the internet. The maggots have gone now, they do not need repelling (which you can't do anyway, they hatch from flies eggs laid under the skin). If you have any questions about what your vet thinks, you should ring and ask.
 
putasocinit said:
I hope farrier cut away the dead frog and balanced the heels. Soeak foot in hibi scrub or saline solution, salty water and include apple cider vinegar, dry foot then tetcin spray, but unless you get the frog and heels sorted the thrush is bot going away.
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Hi farrier has been fab has cut away the dead frog. The thrush and maggots have gone now its the crevices left i need to heal.

I did initially try and soak his feet to clear the maggots but He wont let you soak/tub his feet has a chronic fear of water so i just syringed them which cleared them up fine lol, but on vets advice i am now keeping them as dry as possible and only applying antibacterial spray and cream in the crevices :)
 
Pearlsasinger said:
OP, please follow your vet's instructions and use what s/he has given you. What is the point of changning to something recommended by a stranger on the internet. The maggots have gone now, they do not need repelling (which you can't do anyway, they hatch from flies eggs laid under the skin). If you have any questions about what your vet thinks, you should ring and ask.
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Hi yep will stick by vets advice but do also appreciate peoples suggestions, support and advice on here :)

More than anything i needed people to slap me and tell me it is just the maggots that have caused the problems and once frogs heal he will be fine so that i dont keep imagining all sorts of crazy things which could be wrong ;) mrs neurotic i am hehe :)
 
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