The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Horses, ponies, donkeys & mules => Topic started by: TG on March 24, 2010, 12:55:23 pm
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I have a 3 year old gelding with a warm coronet on his front foot.
No sign of injury anywhere on the hoof. It doesn't seem to be causing any discomfort and it is hardly noticable when he is walking.
One thing I have caught him doing is kicking the metals gate on the stable which might have caused some bruising. ( I have since fixed a solid wooden door to at least try to stop any further damage).
Is a briuse likely to cause the warmth and if so is there anything we can do to help recovery ? Someone suggested hot water with salt, another said cold water with salt.
Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks
TG
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You could do a mixture of both, hot then cold.
What kind of ground are you on, is it flinty at all, we have in the past had trouble wth my cob and gravel, saying that though pony would be far more lame. Is the farrier due soon, cos i would be inclined to get him to have a look.
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there is no chance he has lami is there??
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we are on clay - so very muddy at the moment.
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probably isnt but i would still want to rule it out :)
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Heat in the coronet is usually a sign of an abscess within the hoof.
I would rule that out first. Can you feel a throbbing pulse in the coronet?
If you put pressure on the sole, is there anywhere that feels tender etc?
If he is shod when is he next due for the farrier, as the farrier should find an abscess if there is one.
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I'll have a look tonight to see if any tenderness has developed.
Not shod and last trimmed end Dec.
If it was lami could it affect just one hoof ?
Thanks all.
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lami can happen in 1 foot. could well be an absecess as someone else has said. have a good look to make sure there are no small puncture wounds.
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Why i say about the ground is he couldve picked up some grit during the wet weather when his horn may have been softer and it would travlup the white line, with this kind of abcess he woulld possibly be intermittantly lame though. On the lami side of things, how strong is the pulse, has he had any meds, change in diet or surroundings, is there much spring grass withyou?
It wouldnt hurt to get the farrier back out, just to be on the safe side ;)
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There does not appear to be any tenderness and no signs of any injury however it has been a week now since we noticed and it is not getting any better (but also no worse).
There have been no changes to anything diet wise and no medication apart from having a microchip about two weeks ago.
No spring grass to be seen yet in all the winter mud !
As you suggest I think we will start by getting the farrier to have a look.
Thanks for all the advice.
TG
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I would definately get your farrier to check. I thought no real sign of spring grass so left the pony out overnight for a week as so mild. Now he has laminitis which the farrier discovered yesterday no lameness apparent but just goes to show. I'm kicking myself for getting complacent but he's never had it before and lived out in summer so genuinely thought he'd be ok.