Unlimited access >

Bad hoof injury

Just wanted to confirm that the vet has seen this picture?

1 Like

I think so. I think they did a sort of tele health conference, like they do with people.

He said there is a pond drainage area that the horses frequently cross. We’ve had a lot of heavy rain recently that exposed some sharp rocks. He thinks the horse caught her foot, panicked and jerked it out, injuring her foot. He did show pics to the equine vet.

I hope the horse heals without complications. I’m not sure what you mean about the local vets being prima donnas. Perhaps you feel they charge too much? Large animal vets make much less than small animal vets. Paying off significant student loans takes a long time and they have a tough go. Most of the ones I know work horrible hours and just get by. Your attitude towards your local vets makes me think there may be other reasons why you don’t encourage your friend to treat their horse more aggressively. Perhaps it depends on how much the horse is worth. That is a reality with many horse owners. I get it. Please don’t try the epoxy in the meantime. It could really complicate the healing process and potentially lock in an infection.

My horse did something similar but it was farther into the middle of the hoof and it didn’t get ripped off. Just a deep cut into the middle. We did antibiotics, pain killers, compression bandages, etc. It was hard to tell how deep the injury was, and it really wasn’t healing. The whole matter was complicated by a legal owner (I’d had him on free lease for almost 10 years) who was stilled pissed his mom gave away his pony when he was a kid. Eventually I made the decision to euthanize, but we had to wait until the kid, now grown, got home from a business trip. The whole episode was a complete mess.

When I said the vets are prima donnas I meant they dont choose to be available on weekends and holidays. The only large animal vet locally is in his 70s and semi retired. He’s never been good about being available after hours and that hasn’t improved as he’s gotten older. As far as his prices, he’s quite reasonable. The equine vets are close to the racetracks, Oaklawn in Hot Springs and Louisiana Downs near Benton and Bossier City, LA. My friend consulted with one of them, including sending pics and apparently they didn’t think it was worth a trip on a weekend.

1 Like

Well, he is under care of a vet now.
We can’t say any other then than hope horse does ok, jingles.

4 Likes

I understand this. I live in a large city and I bet
80% of the equine vets don’t do call or after hours so I get what you are saying.

1 Like

Jingles to the horse, to your friend, and to you. Most of us are awfully lucky that we have vets and/or transport available 24/7 or, a Big Or, the extra cash to make that happen. But, when it isn’t…it isn’t and no armchair quarterback on the internet can make it happen. Hang in there. (as someone who just spent a fair bit of time this weekend trying to get a Human medical issue looked at!)

1 Like

That sucks.

Ditto for around here. You have to have a STELLAR relationship with the vet to even get them to return a phone call.

It’s why I’m so quick to hitch up and get on the road to the teaching hospital. They’re open 24/7 for emergencies, no questions, no doubts. If my vet doesn’t answer in 20 minutes, I’m hitching up and prepping to head out to the hospital.

3 Likes

Yes, if you’re a big client like a large ranch or breeding farm, they’re more likely to come out. If you’re just Joe Ordinary with a couple of trail horses, you’re sol.

The closest vet school is over 5 hours

1 Like

Wow. This thread makes me so grateful for my primary vet. They offer after hours/emergency care at all times. I mean at all times. I had to call them once on 12/24 to PTS, and once on New Years’ at the ungodly hour of 1 AM for a non-resolving choke.

So for those of you who don’t have this luxury, your only option is to truck in to a local hospital/clinic?

OP, any update for us on the horse…? Really hoping for a good outcome, but that image is one of my worst nightmares.

6 Likes

I agree, it is nice to have a vet that will come out.
I admit though, that I do not get people who act like an hour away is so far that it is not doable.
It takes me an hour to get to the local small animal E-vet.
It takes my horse vet just about an hour to get to me (I am at the very limit of their service area).

I don’t live in the middle of nowhere, I just happen to live in a spot that is not totally quick to the E-vet.

6 Likes

Agree. I lived in upstate NY for a while and didn’t have the luxury of an after-hours vet then. The closest vet hospital was 2.5 hrs away. I wouldn’t have bat an eye if I had a medical emergency and had to drive to them.

Is it possible those who think 1hr is too much don’t have their own truck or trailer? I can see how that hamstrings any honest attempt at “outside” veterinary attention.

Where I live now, we have three big vet hospitals within 2hrs. The closest is 1hr 20m. I’ve taken horses there on four different occasions including one horse who had an injury very similar to what’s in this picture.

2 Likes

Mine are about 2 hours away each. I have 2 to pick from. The last would be a bit further at 3 hoursish.

1 Like

Here, it’s not just large animal vets that refuse to come out after hours or on holidays. Most of our local small animal vets won’t either. They refer you to the emergency hospital in Shreveport, 85 miles away. There are a few that will do after hours work if you are an established client.

IDK, what we will do when the local large animal vet completely retires. The guy’s in his 70s. He will come out for routine stuff like shots, blood draws, etc. I don’t think he does much that involves heavy lifting.

Wow. I had no idea this was such a major issue. I’ve never lived anywhere that didn’t have 24/7 vet support. I did live in one place where the vet service wouldn’t come for emergencies unless you were an established client. It was well known though, so everyone used them for vaccines, teeth, etc. even if they used the other guy for their sports horse management/lameness stuff.

Where I am now, there are four different clinics with 24/7 ambulatory service (at a price), and three different hospitals within an hour.

2 Likes

I was so excited when we closed on our new place. It’s a grand total of 15 minutes from my favorite vet clinic with operating room and 24/7 emergency care.

2 Likes

Same here. My vet has 24/7/365 hours and there have been times I’ve had to make use of that service. Their small animal practice is staffed at all times as well.

1 Like