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Spent a full day on a single hoof with a hidden abscess
I had a client's draft cross last week, a big guy named Gus, who was just off on his front left. Everyone, including the owner, was sure it was a simple case of needing a trim and maybe a slight adjustment. I started in, and the hoof felt solid, but the horse kept flinching. After pulling the old shoe, I found a tiny, dark spot near the white line that looked like nothing. I decided to dig a bit, and three hours later, I was still chasing a track that went straight up the heel. I had to stop, call the vet for a nerve block just to keep going, and ended up opening a huge pocket of pus that had traveled way further than it looked. From start to finish, with waiting for the vet, it took me over 7 hours for one hoof. It made me really question the common idea that you can always 'see' a bad abscess right away. Has anyone else had one hide that deep in a seemingly normal hoof?
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daniel14016d ago
Yeah, that line about the abscess hiding in a "seemingly normal hoof" hits home. It's like @anderson.piper says, most are obvious, but I've seen a few that just tunnel up and give no real sign until you're in way deep. It reminds me of how a lot of problems, not just with horses, look simple on the surface but have a whole hidden mess underneath that takes forever to sort out.
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the_tyler15d ago
What's the best way to spot those tricky, hidden ones early?
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