A lame question ?

Question

Holly is lame on her right fore. We got the farrier to check it out and he suspected abscess but couldn't find a definite spot he cut at 3 possible sites, 2 came to nothing but one went quite deep. Nothing came out and he told us to poultice it. We have been doing that but still have no result. There is no heat anywhere. The leg has been checked and there is no swellings, no heat, no restriction of movement and no pain response whatever we do. She just stands there looking bored. She will happily bear weight on it while we lift other feet etc. At the moment she's getting field rest to see how it goes.

I'm wondering if it could have been a bruise and if she's now sore from having the holes cut in the sole.

Will be calling the farrier back if she's no better in a couple of days.

Any ideas ?

Please don't tell me to call a vet - that's too obvious and if that's all you can say then don't waste my time with it.

Answer 1

yh well it sounds like a bruised sole. Everyones come up with good ideas. If it is this, then when you start riding her again (presume she is shoed) then i would get your farrier to fix a leather cover etc between the hoof and the shoe. We did this on one of our mares and then she was fine after a while. Also, we have had a horse that was hopping around the field for no real reason. We had him checked by the vet and farrier. We didnt know what was wrong. Gave him a month off and he was still lame. Our farrier then told us to take him out round the roads and keep trotting. Yes he was lame to start with, but after 10/15 minutes he was sound!!! It was as if he believed his foot was sore and so would not put it down!!! he then realised that it actually didnt hurt any more!!!

good luck

Answer 2

It could have been a bruise although usually the farrier will see the discolored tissue...but maybe not.  A hematoma can form, where the blood collects in an enclosed area instead of spreading out into the tissue....it closes off from surrounding tissue the same way an abscess forms, and could have bled out without it being seen....it's a stretch, but not impossible.

Answer 3

my thoroughbred mare done this to me!! i got the Farrier out to cheek it and he found nothingi got the vet out and he found nothing, so i put her on some nice soft ground and rapd her foot for a few days and she came right. She has not been lame since that and is as happy as can be. I would try rapping it up under her hoof so instead of her walking on hard ground she has some type of softness under her sore foot. It has worked for me on 4 of my other horses. I hope if you try this it works for you as it has for me.=)

Answer 4

She could have had an abcess that burst before he did her feet, sometimes you really can't see where they burst as the hole can be so small ( my friends horse did this the hole was the size of a pin head)  but stone bruises can really make a horse sore and you cant see them unless they have white hooves. It sounds to me like she is getting better but just see how she goes over the next couple of days. You sound like you know what you're doing.

Wishing you and your well

Answer 5

It could be a bruised sole, or it could be higher up, since you say there is no heat or swelling it could be in the shoulder or higher still.  It could also be that the farrier has hurt her more, but unlikely - especially as she was lame before he started.  Try tubbing the affected foot in cold water or animalintex poultice, or 4 double handfulls of epsom salts with bran packed into the hoof to try and raw any inflamation/infection out but do make sure she cannot eat it!  Believe me the bran poultice can lead to some dramatic bowel movements!  M horse ate his once and the results were spectacular!

Answer 6

Wow, your farrier went a little bit wild with the burrowing holes into her hoof. Cutting holes should only be done when the farrier or vet is for sure where the abscess is. Abscess is an infection, it's paired with heat. If you aren't finding any heat or a hole caused from an abscess blow out on the hoof then I would venture to guess that she bruised her sole.

To help the hoof heal faster I would soak in Apple Cider Vinegar, wrap in linseed poultice and keep clean. If my farrier had just started to drill aimlessly hoping that he hits an abscess I'd be looking for a new farrier, but that's just me.

Answer 7

I agree with zakiit - bruised sole. My old paint mare had a bruised sole, and she limped on it until we had her shod on her front feet.

When the farrier comes out again, ask his opinion - digging around in a horse's foot "trying" to find an abcess is NOT helping her. That could definitely contribute to her being sore, and hopefully it'll clear up for you here in the next few weeks.

Good luck!

Answer 8

I happen to agree with Jeff on the turpentine, just don't go up above the hair line if you can help it.  Just curious, did the vet use iodine after he finished poking around?  Did he ever suggest soaking your mare's  foot in very warm epsom salts water, then pour the iodine on her sole?  There is one other thing that we used to do many years ago, don't even know if you can get a Pharmacist to sell you any now, but we used to wrap a gunny sack around the cornet, so nothing could spill or leak back on the skin, (plus, it's easier to hold up for a while) pour a thin layer of iodine crystals on the sole, then pour turpentine on it just to set off the iodine crystals. Keep your face turned so you don't breath any of the fumes and hold the foot up as long as you can while it is searing the sole...It toughens the sole and many times, even if a farrier strikes "red" oil, you can stop the bleeding and your horse will walk off sound and never take a lame step after that.  Not saying that is your horse's problem, but it doesn't hurt a thing to do it.

Answer 9

Soak the hoof in turpentine for 10 to 15 minutes.  Try it.  It will take some of the soreness out.  Despite the fact that no one on here seems to believe me (LOL).

One more thing.  This works better than Epsom salts by far.

Answer 10

CALL A VET UR SO CRUEL OMG!!!! LOL sorry i had to.

yeah probably just from the fiddle farting that thefarrier did with all the probing and what not. give it a good weeks rest in the stable.

and if it persists ....well you know

Answer 11

Maybe she broke a bone in her hoof. That is what my horse did and we didn't know until we took X-Rays. If so she will need a new kind of shoe that supports her hoof. If you call a vet to come check it out he might offer to take an X-Ray (not for free, it can be expensive)

Answer 12

I just had a friend who went through this!  She did spend a LOT of money at the vet's where they x-rayed and they did wrap the foreleg because it was swollen.  BUT they NEVER found the abcess in the hoof!

It took a few days but the swelling went down and the horse is sound again.  

Have you tried soaking the hoof in ebsome salts and warm water?  Sometimes that will draw it out if she's still sore.