Vet Going Bananas. Wet Weather And Hoof Abscesses

Let's talk about hoof abscesses. It's been raining here for the last week, and we've been dealing with a bunch of hoof abscesses, so I just wanted to share a couple of tips on management and how to deal with them because they're fairly common, whether your horse is shod or unshod.

Video Transcript

Okay, back in the car. Let's talk about hoof abscesses. It's been raining here for the last week, and we've been dealing with a bunch of hoof abscesses, so I just wanted to share a couple of tips on management and how to deal with them because they're fairly common, whether your horse is shod or unshod.

Basically, when a horse is standing in mud, the hoof absorbs moisture and expands. During that expansion phase, moisture, along with bacteria, can be inadvertently drawn in through minor deficits in the sole-wall junction. If they’re standing in mud, it’s not just water getting drawn in—it’s mud, which includes bacteria. It doesn’t take long for the bacteria to multiply in the right environment, creating a space-occupying lesion.

The bacteria multiply, causing a pocket of several millilitres. We drained one yesterday that was nearly 5 mL. That’s 5 mL of unplanned space in a horse’s hoof, and the pain is excruciating. Horses can go from being sound one day to being 2 or 3 out of 5 lame the next day, and by day three, they could be 4 out of 5 lame. There’s often a lot of heat and swelling, which can cause a lot of panic.

The first thing to do is call your farrier or vet within the first 24 hours, whether the horse is shod or unshod. If the horse is unshod, I usually recommend taking an animal lintex poultice, cutting it into thirds (or using half if it’s a larger horse, like a warmblood), and keeping some in your emergency kit along with vet wrap and Elastoplast.

Soak the animal lintex in warm water mixed with a disinfectant like chlorhexidine or iodine wash. This will act as a disinfectant in addition to the softening properties of the magnesium sulphate in the poultice. Apply the bandage and leave it on for 24 hours. Clean the foot, bandage it up with the poultice, then secure it with vet wrap and Elastoplast. When the vet or farrier arrives the next day, they’ll be able to pull off the animal lintex to reveal a beautifully clean foot that’s been soaked, giving them a better chance of resolving the abscess quickly.

Next, let’s talk about antibiotics. Recently, we’ve seen some poor outcomes when horses with abscesses have been put on antibiotics. What seems to happen is that the pocket of bacteria inside the hoof stops multiplying while the horse is on antibiotics, but if the abscess isn’t drained, the bacteria remain in that space, in a state of stasis.

While the bacteria are stable, the pressure inside the hoof continues, and the horse is still uncomfortable. During this phase, the infection can spread back toward the pedal bone, putting the horse at risk of developing osteomyelitis. We’ve seen a few cases where horses with simple hoof abscesses were put on antibiotics, only to develop osteomyelitis later. After about a week on antibiotics, the horse may seem to improve, but once the antibiotics are stopped, the bacteria can multiply again, and the horse becomes acutely lame.

In cases of hoof abscesses, I recommend giving it five to seven days. If there’s no resolution by then, get the hoof x-rayed. And one more thing: Don’t let anyone dig large holes in your horse’s foot without being precise. The last thing you want is for your horse’s foot to look like a mining site. Excessive digging can shorten your horse’s performance capacity and delay their return to work.

That’s enough of a yarn for today. Catch you later!