Quick question about a hoof injury! (UPDATE from good vet)

[Chanda]

On Saturday I went out to visit my horse at the lay-up facility and found a thick piece of wire from the fence sticking into the bottom of his hoof. It pulled out easily but had a tiny bit of bloody goo on the wire. It did penatrate into the hoof but I can’t see how far it went (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch) because it was in the crack on the side if the frog. The barn manage put some furacin onto the area and wrapped it up really well.

I am going to go out this morning and take the bandage off and check it out. There is a vet coming by this afternoon that I can share a farm call with to look at his hoof. How will I know if I need to have the vet look at it? What are some signs that it is not just a small superficial puncture? I have some icthamol from when he had an abcess, would that be a good thing to use on a puncture, to draw out any infection? I would hate to spend money on the vet if all they are going to do is tell me to slap something on it and wrap it.

This is why I hate boarding! Old fences!

Bowed tendon: 41 days down, minimum 19 days to go.

[This message was edited by Chanda on Mar. 06, 2002 at 01:18 PM.]

[Seven]

I understand what you mean, Chanda…even though I’m technically not isolated by location, the barns I’ve been at in recent years are either (a) my own; (b) full of beginners and ‘weekend’ horse owners who could be downright scary; or © full of kids. Granted, the latest barn is a ‘Pony Club’ barn, so at least we share the same standard of care, but I ride at 9 or 10 at night…so there’s never anyone there to ask anyway. In a lot of ways, this is my ‘barn’ too…and I value the members and the advice dispensed as you do.

If it helps, I do think you take excellent care of Chase. I think he is a very lucky horse to have you. I also like you and enjoy your posts, as I’m certain many others do. If I might make a suggestion, sometimes it might help not to respond immediately…take a deep breath, re-read what’s being written, and try not to interpret it as an accusation that your skills are substandard. I know some posts are accusations, but you can also work on ignoring those. It’s easier to ignore them if you can KNOW that you are doing the best you can at any given moment (and you CAN know that by having confidence in yourself and your skills). Remind yourself that self-doubt is okay as long as it makes you question, learn, listen, and learn. It’s not helpful if it just makes you sick and worried. I know this is rambling, and it might not work, but it might help.

=^+^=

I just haven’t been the same since that house fell on my sister.

[Louise]

I think that it is probably time that we dropped this subject. Whether you think one thing, or another, nothing is going to change.

We are, and I purposely include myself in this, getting pretty personal here, and it needs to stop. We are going beyond helping, to hurting. If it continues in this vein, I will close this thread.

---

“We ride and never worry about the fall.
I guess that’s just the cowboy in us all.”
Tim McGraw

[Chef_Jade]

1. When I die, I want to come back as one of Chanda’s horses!

2. It could be worse, Chanda… Just as he got over his bowed tendon, he THEN could have stepped on the wire! At least you are getting double lay-up for the time of one!

[daytimedrama]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by maggymay:
DTD I had a horse with something called “wave mouth”, sort of weird ridges in his teeth.

Anyway my vet was also a dentist and she used that drill thing on him, after a hefty dose of happy drugs!. I swear his whole head was vibrating with it. I thought his brain would come out his nose.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

i had to hold my horses head so his brains wouldn’t shake out!!! There was this halter and it is tied to the roof to hold the horses head up and then a scary looking electric file, but after is was all done all the sharp edges were gone George was much happier. Some of the edges would have been impossible to get withoutt he electric file, I was happy to see them go!!

~Christina~
“I don’t patronize bunny rabbits!” -Heathers
Nothing is foolproof to a talented fool.

[SpotsNChrome]

and didnt take care of it properly the first time. Why wait for the vet to make every little move on your horse? Furacin is possibly not a good idea, causes heat and does not disinfect, very bad for a puncture wound.

Soak the foot 2 times a day in hot as you can stand it water and epsom salts, dont scrimp on the salts, pour em in there! Until the water cools. Then you need Ichthamol, slap it in the hoof, sole and around the frog, wrap up with a baby diaper (0-4 months size is good) and duct tape the hell out of it and leave him in, no turn out for a few days.
Got TMZ sulphur tabs? get him on that, about 12 tabs 2 times a day for ten days.

Youre looking at a longer recovery now because the first aid applied wasnt very efficient, plus clearly the infection is spreading up the leg (cant swell in a hard cased hoof), so now your vet bill will double. After all this you will be the expert on puncture wounds, sounds like you are really paying your tuition now.

[Chanda]

That is what I thought! I saw it there and went over to tell the barn manager. The the barn manager pulled it out, and I didn’t think she should have but, she is the specialist. It came out easily and you could see exactly how much of the wire was sticking in. It was between 1/4 and 1/2 inch into the crack of the frog. Probably only 1/8 of an inch actually going in where it really shouldn’t be.

I have never really dealt with this kind of thing before. I looked all over the paddock for more pieces of wire but it is a mixture of sand and shavings and there is no way I can be sure that there is not more out there.

I am heading over at noon to check it out again. Maybe I can just talk to the vet and see what he says.

Thanks

Bowed tendon: 41 days down, minimum 19 days to go.

[NancyL]

My horse was gelded as a 10 year old.

He had decided that spring to finally act like a real stallion. As an amatuer owner I decided I could have the best of both worlds – science is a great thing.

He quickly returned to his nice quiet self (his behaviour improved within days), even though he spent a month being “collected” before being gelded. One day he will babysit his own kids.

I was concerned he might come out proud cut, but the surgeon was very careful to get everything – knowing I wanted my quiet horse back.

[Peggy]

Hmm. Sounds like the vet did just what you were afraid he would!

Another vote on the soaking routine. If Chase doesn’t want to stand with his foot in a bucket of warm epsom salt solution, you can make a sort of poultice by putting the solid salt on a piece of damp cotton (about the size of the bottom of the hoof). Then put that on the bottom of his hoof, use some wide gauze to hold it in place, and finish off with duct tape.

Did it bleed when she pulled it out? Considered a good sign, I think, if it didn’t go in too far.

Right after I got my now-17 y.o. horse he stepped on a nail. Since we didn’t know him well, we treated it pretty aggresively by soaking it and putting him on antibiotics.

Good luck.

[Louise]

If I am recalling correctly, that first vet was “buttonholed” by you and the barn manager, when he showed up at the barn, it was not a regular appointment. The vet may not have had time to do a proper exam. That is not totally excusing this person. If he/she didn’t have time to do a thorough exam, you should have been told so, and told to make an appointment with your regular vet, as soon as possible. There is no excuse for a “half-a$$ed” examination.

However, you should realize that vets have very tight appointment schedules, and having to take care of one or two unexpected horses at a barn can seriously set them back for the entire day.

As a matter of common courtesy, a call should be made to your vet, the situation explained, and an appointment set up. If the vet deems it an emergency, he can then have his staff make the appropriate calls to warn his other appointments that the vet will be late, due to an emergency, and offer the opportunity of setting another appointment. Otherwise, you end up with a whole stream of customers who may be upset that the vet is late, because they have changed their normal schedules to accomodate him. Unhappy regular customers do not make a vet a happy person.

---

“We ride and never worry about the fall.
I guess that’s just the cowboy in us all.”
Tim McGraw

[Pocket_Pony]

Chanda:

I must say I am glad this is turning out well for Chase and that he’s doing ok.

I do have to disagree with your statement
“I am so pissed at this other vet. I am definitely NOT paying him for anything. If my horse gets really infected or something it will totally be his fault for not doing ANYTHING and leaving his foot IN THE DIRT.”

You received plenty of information from this board and had presumably been back and forth between your computer and Chase before you saw the vet and when you saw the vet. While the vet thought it would be ok, YOU CHOSE not to do something about following your instincts when he said to just leave it. I don’t doubt that you were worried about Chase, but soaking and wrapping certainly wouldn’t have done any harm even if the vet said it was not neccesary.

Ditto what the others have said about withholding payment. We’ve got a girl in our area whose parents are known non-payers and now there is a long list of people who won’t work with them.

“It’s amazing how there’s no time to do it right the first time but always time to do it over again.”

[Triple_Crown]

Chanda, don’t worry about what has been said. Anyone that has read any of your posts (now or in the past) knows that you are a very caring horse owner that wants the best for your horse. It is very clear that your situation is not ideal but you seem to be doing the absolute best that you can.

I don’t know what happened, but people seem to be really judgmental all of a sudden.

Just remember that this board can be a great resource…but it is really made up of random people that you don’t know. Don’t take anything too personally. You called the vet and only you were there to deal with the situation. You can get general advice, but nobody but you is actually there…

[Seven]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MeanderCreek:
Life is hard, our horses are on a suicide mission, we’re all broke, and we all work too hard. Its not just you - that’s reality - get used to it

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

ROFL!!! I might just have to post this in my tack trunk!!

Meander’s daily reminder service…

(I particularly like “…our horses are on a suicide mission…” LOLOLOLOL!!)

=^+^=

I just haven’t been the same since that house fell on my sister.

[KellyS]

Chanda, I know how you feel about Chase.

Last fall, my little mare came up mysteriously lame after an event. Progressed from slight stiffness to outright head bob, full body gimping on front leg. Well, the owner and the vet both took a very “wait and see” approach to the whole situation.

Without going into details, I was basically beside myself. I think I was crying almost every night. I just wanted to do anything to help her recover, and doing “nothing” just felt so wrong. We eventually came to a course of action in the middle of the road, and the mare is now perfectly sound. We never could come to a complete diagnosis on the lameness.

Anyway, I was so completely frustrated because I really didn’t have a lot of control over the situation and my reaction to the “wait and see” was similar to yours. Was I right or wrong, were they right or wrong? Well, it’s kind of like taking two roads to get to the same destination.

So to get to the point, I was probably highly over emotional about the whole situation because I was so worried. I totally understand your frustration and worry, and I understand that your posts were probably made in the heat of the “moments”. Sounds like everything is on the up and up now. Good luck and don’t take anything too personally from here. I certainly don’t!

[onthebit]

looking at things!

[Robby_Johnson]

It’s too bad you’re not on Chase during this time. I suspect icky teeth might’ve been leading to some of his under-tack discomfort. Do you remember when you’d posted about that and I asked if you’d had his teeth checked, etc., and you said yes (because, of course, you did!)? It just goes to show that our vets aren’t omniscient.

Physical discomfort in some way/shape/form is ALWAYS the root of a horse going less than desirably. It could be the “rider abscess” on his back, but usually it’s something related to tack and tack fit.

Best luck with his recovery. I sure love seeing your pictures of him (and of you and your dogs).

Robby

p.s. My little cousin is coming to SB for spring break to tour The Cate School. Do you know anything about it?

[Chanda]

Great, thanks! It is good to know that Regumate might be a solution. That stuff seems to be a pain in the butt to handle but way worth it if it works.

Bowed tendon: 51 days down, minimum 9 days to go.

[NinaL_aka_Chrissy]

… that there is no such animal as a proud cut horse. The tissue that is supposed to be “left behind” does not produce male hormones.

If you do a blood test and there are significant levels of testosterone than my guess is that your horse is a cryptorchid and one or both of the testicles is still in the abdominal cavity. The testicles will still produce male hormones but the warmth of the body cavity inhibits sperm production.

However, I have seen many people who were positive that their horse was proud cut or acting studdy take blood tests only to find that there was not a significant blood level of testosterone. In most cases, it is a training issue and behavior modification is the key.

BTW, when I asked (years ago) I was told that use of female hormones (i.e., Regumate) to alter behavior in a male horse is a violation of the USA Eq medication rules. Technically, it is in a mare, too, but you would be hard pressed to prove where the progesterone came from.

Nina (physiology is physiology)

[I]“We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan.”

Irving Townsend. [/I]

[Flash44]

I’ve heard of using a syringe (no needle) to squirt penicillin directly into the puncture, but never actually tried it myself.

Napliss - the capital of Merlin

[JB]

It could still be an abcess - my guy has had 4 abcesses, 3 in the same foot. Of all 4, only 1 caused swelling, and that was in the foot/leg that had 3 of them. But certainly do not rule out cellulitis - that could turn pretty nasty if not treated now.