Lame Horse...

Actually, we had the vet out the other day and he diagnosed his lameness as and abscess. So now we soak his hoof for 20min a day and change his bandage every 3 days. He's doing better and on stall rest for at least a week or two.

Good to hear you got a diagnosis and know how to treat him now.  Very painful things..... should be fine though in the end

Hi,

Good that you've hopefully discovered the problem. Without further info, I was going to say your guess of a bruise was one likely possibility and if it was very painful &/or hanging about for longer than a few days, I'd guess it may be an abscess.

Abscesses frequently result from stone bruises. They can be 'one off' accidents, such as stepping on a particularly sharp rock or kicking something particularly badly. But if the horse has soft &/or thin soles &/or frogs or is prone to bruising/abscesses - they happen more than once in a blue moon, that is likely a sign that all is not as well as it may seem and I would also look at protecting his feet when travelling over rough/hard ground, with boots or such, as well as learning more about hoof health & function in order to improve the situation.

I would NOT coop him up actually. The more exercise the better and the sooner the problem will be able to resolve. If he's bandaged, I'm gathering the vet dug into his foot for the abscess? That may be why the vet advised to lock him up - maybe easier to keep clean. Packing the wound with Tuff Rock, Hawthornes medicated sole pack, or some such and bandaging should help keep the area infection free when he's out. If the vet has dug for the abscess, he will probably require extra protection for a while even after the wound heals, as there is much less material - sole or frog - to protect him from future bruises.

Wundahoss,
 
Yes, the vet did dig for the abcess...he does have a bandage and he dug a good hole. (i'm missing riding him..he's been down for a few weeks.) So... I'm not exactly getting why you'd let him in the pasture to walk freely - do you mean a grassy pasture with less mud/dirt, cuz the pasture he's usually in is VERY muddy from being in it all winter, we have a pasture for the goats that his 'stall' is connected to that is fairly grassy as you can get for this time of year....then with being out to&nbspasture and walking a lot more than in a stall he's putting more weight and stuff on the hoof and with his bandage -right now where i live it's REALLY wet- so with the bandage, water could get thru and mud...maybe. I try to on the weekends let him out into the grassy pasture, because during the week i'm at school and REALLY busy with homework..that's what you get for being in advanced classes
 
This abscess is the first time it happened. So we think he may have stepped on a thorn (courtesy of the stupid locust trees where we live) or maybe a sharp rock, or our trailer (the bottom is wood and (it's a stock trailer) only the front half where he usually stands) -he's the one traveling in it most of the time, he's my horse and i'm the one in my family that does all the riding- so the back half is wood...so when he got up in it, there could have been some loose wood.
 
*BL

Yes, the vet did dig for the abcess...he does have a bandage and he dug a good hole. (i'm missing riding him..he's been down for a few weeks.) So... I'm not exactly getting why you'd let him in the pasture to walk freely - do you mean a grassy pasture with less mud/dirt, cuz the pasture he's usually in is VERY muddy

Because cooping horses up is not good for them. They need free movement. This applies equally to hoof probs such as abscesses and more exercise also encourages quicker/better healing. But as I said, if the vet dug a hole then it makes it difficult(one reason I don't agree with digging holes) he needs exercise, but esp if it's muddy, an open wound is open to infection. That is why I suggested something like Hawthorne's, Tuff Rock or such. It will help guard against infection, but will also provide a protective barrier for the exposed corium. You also mentioned that you have got an area that is less muddy - where your goats are? - so you can avoid putting him in the mud & that will help.

Wundahoss,
 
Yes, we do have a grassy area and now that its nice and warm out we are letting him graze outside during the day...WAY to nice to keep him cooped up! The bandage we're using is 1) medicine 2) diaper 3)vet wrap 4) Duck tape 5) sticky vet wrap stuff...so it's keeping his hoof fairly protected. I do think he's doing better and hopefully will be better very soon!
 
*BL

Good to hear BL.

4) Duck tape

That made me chuckle & think of an ad where a young boy was telling his mate about their new underfloor heating... the mate was imagining fluffy ducks in the floor blowing warm air!! ....It's actually DUCT tape!

wundahoss,
 
Glad to know i made you chuckle! Everyone I tell about his bandage laughs at the diaper part!
Yesterday we redid his bandage and it seems that his hole and abscess-hole has really closed up, so it's looking good and maybe, hopefully we'll only have to bandage one more time! And he'll be free to grass&nbspasture for a while and then back to his normal pasture life....
 
*BL

They actually have a brand called "Duck" tape now!  Glad to hear your boy is doing well

A lame horse hurts somewhere. It#%92s up to us to find out what's causing the pain and to see that the horse receives proper treatment for the problem. In most cases, lameness is temporary and the horse recovers with proper care. Unfortunately, if the lameness is chronic and treatment cannot keep the horse#%92s discomfort to acceptable levels even when he's not being ridden, euthanasia is the only option.
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Earl Nunes

Thanks for that Earl. I suspect that's already understood tho, so probably not much help at this point.

Why is it italicised? Is it a quote from somewhere? If so, it's a good idea to include the source.

Your wellcome wundahoss.
God Bless !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Earl Nunes

danastark,
 
He's doing awesome...but is getting bored (so am i). So, I kinda take a lead rope and run along with him at a trot...it's actually fun and i love watching him move and all
 
*BL

Glad to hear he is doing better   Is he sound yet?