# Wound to foot



## crittermomma (Sep 26, 2013)

About a month ago - my older gelding had a circular wound near the upper portion of his hoof - on the back side. At first, I put spray on it and kept it covered to keep the dirt and flies out. I was leaving on vacation for a week and decided to leave it uncovered - hoping it would just scab over and heal. Oh no - that didn't happen at all. Not sure exactly WHAT happened when I was gone - but I came home to find his hoof looking similar to the attached picture! I called the vet - he got a huge shot of antibiotic and some cream to put on his wound - along with keeping it covered. I am now putting Wonderdust on it every few days and keeping it covered - but, it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Any ideas on what he did and what else I can do to aid the healing? Thanks!


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I would call the closest veterinary college, load him up, and get there as fast as possible.


----------



## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Wow, that is ugly. I agree with Alice, but if you can't do the vet school thing, then get your farrier involved ASAP.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

It looks like an abscess blew out the coronary band at the heel and become horribly infected. ETA: In my opinion, it needs more treatment than your Vet gave.

Was it an equine Vet that treated your horse? If not, can you get him to one?


----------



## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

Is the horse lame or is he walking square?
Originally it may have been an abscess that burst along the coronary band and later became infected. If so, the horse may go lame and need to have a hole pared into his sole to let any infection flow out the bottom. But this will help.
Get an old car inner tube and cut it crosswise at the stem, then turn it inside out and wash it. Put it on the leg just above the knee and tape it with duct tape. so it won't slide down.
Mix up some really warm water and the old brown Lysol cleaner (disinfectant). I mix it 1/2 c. to a gallon of water. Pour some in the bottom end of the inner tube and fold it up beside the leg. Then tape it so that it won't flow out. Leave it to soak for about 15 minutes.
That will draw out any infection and reduce the swelling. Remove the tube, dry it really well and spray some vetricyn on it. Then cover with gauze and vet wrap. Repeat every couple of days. If you don't have flies its good to leave it open so that it can dry out. Maybe while he stands at the hitch rail. Then wrap it before you put him out. If possible keep him in a dry environment. Like out in a small field. Walking isn't a bad thing in this case. It will promote circulation and in turn, healing. When he walks, if you see puss pushing out of the wound it most definitely was an abcess.
Give him a shot of about 30cc of procaine penicillin and then again in 3 days. Open up, soak and rewrap every other day.


----------



## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

#1 on my list would be to call out a good equine vet. If that wasn't possible...

#2 choice would be to get on antibiotics - this at least a phone consultation with your vet to find out which type of antibiotics and how long you should dose, my vet anyway doesn't charge for a phone consultation. Use drawing salve (ichthommal ointment) and wrap daily until all signs of infection were gone. Then leaving unwrapped and squirt with Wonder Dust at least 3X daily if not more while keeping the horse in an environment where the wound could stay as clean and dry as possible.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

In my opinion, Lysol (or any other strong irritant disinfectant) is not a good option for a large open wound such as this one. I'd use diluted betadine or something similar. 

I'd cold hose it (gently) two or three times a day, if he's in an area where it's fairly clean I'd leave it open, if not, cover loosely. Like Teej said, he needs more antibiotics.


----------



## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

That will cost the horse his life. I'm so sorry. I would effeminately start some antibiotics and see a vet ASAP. I would "guess" that is started as a fungal issue, but has become infected. So tragic.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

If you aren't going to get to a Vet, get some granulated lime. Not powdered. It is cheap. Wash the area and cover with the lime. his will dry it and start the healing process. Repeat.


----------



## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

crittermomma said:


> .... his hoof looking similar to the attached picture!


Looking similar to picture? That's your horse's hoof or some picture from the internet?

The wound in that picture looks pretty good, all things considered: it shows good granulation (healing) tissue around the edges and the soft white exudate in the middle is how the immune system keeps wounds clean. "Keeping wounds clean" by washing repeatedly is over-rated and often causes more problems by washing away the good healing cells-- Especially true in animals with immune systems that are so much stronger than our own, puny immune systems. (You don't want obvious dirt & foreign bodies stuck down in deep wounds where they will be covered over in the healing process.)

If the wound started from a ruptured abscess, then incision and drainage is needed-- if the escape route of the pus heals over, the abscess cavity will just fill up with pus again.

It's very difficult to treat an animal's wounds like you'd treat a human's: wraps/bandages are difficult to keep in place and it's next to impossible to keep the environment as clean as we'd like. We gotta rely on the animal's own immune system. Antibiotics are over-rated unless the infection advances to cellulitis or phlebitis.

I'm more concerned about the generally lousy look of that horse's hoof condition.

Now, after my long distance evaluation of a photo that may not even be your horse, let me add that the best advice is to have the vet see it ASAP.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

I'd be willing to bet that it's a summer sore. Here is treatment protocol. It's not healing because you aren't doing the correct treatment to eradicate it.

• Treat it. Your veterinarian may prescribe topical or systemic glucocorticoids, which are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs, or a topical mixture of glucocorticoids and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Reducing inflammation should slow the proliferation of granulation tissue in the summer sore, but that alone may not be enough for healing to begin. Sometimes the excess tissue has to be surgically “debulked”—shaved or frozen off—for healing to take place. If a secondary infection has taken hold, the horse may also require antibiotics.

• Kill the parasites. Treating the horse systemically with ivermectin or moxidectin should remove the adults from the stomach. Sometimes these drugs are applied directly to the sore as well, along with the anti-inflammatory treatments, to hit the larvae. There is a summer sore topical liquid for the wound that your vet can supply if you tell them it's a summer sore.

• Control flies. Any open sore is a fly magnet, and flies will irritate the lesion and perhaps deposit more worm larvae. Fly-repellent ointment may discourage them, but farm-wide fly control is the best way to deal with these pests. All fly-control programs should be built around reducing places where flies breed—manure, wet feed, wet organic material—and be part of a broad prevention strategy.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

On a side note, the horse will be perfectly fine once this has healed up.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Am interested if there is any update available on this horse?


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

doc- said:


> Looking similar to picture? That's your horse's hoof or some picture from the internet?
> 
> I'm more concerned about the generally lousy look of that horse's hoof condition.
> 
> Now, after my long distance evaluation of a photo that may not even be your horse, let me add that the best advice is to have the vet see it ASAP.


I agree with your concerns about the hoof condition and it worries me way more than than the wound. Perhaps the picture was picked from the internet as an example, which isn't much help but if not, I would seriously question the integrity of a vet that would offer no concern about a hoof in that condition.


----------



## Grey Mare (Jun 28, 2013)

I would also throw in a farrier who has no concern as well WR....wonder if that could be the start of something called canker in the horse? http://www.equipodiatry.com/canker1.htm

Any case, I would be treating that aggressively so not to loose the hoof and the horse. Also look at it's immune system, what it is being fed, blood work, etc.


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Need update, please


----------



## crittermomma (Sep 26, 2013)

Thanks all for your concern and options to try - I did call an equine vet right away - he got a huge shot of antibiotics and some stuff to put on it. Thankfully, the place where I board is owned by a vet that previously did large animal vet work. She was giving me advice on what to do with it. It is FINALLY getting smaller and much better! He has been stuck in his stall for over 2 months now as I couldn't risk him getting frisky and running around and causing more issues. And, I did finally have the farrier work on his hoof - I was holding off due to the severity of the wound. I think that helped as well. I have learned a LOT about hoof issues and proud flesh! This is my guy who NEVER has any health issues - and boom - a few bad ones back-to-back! Darn horses..  I am HOPING he will be well enough to be turned out with his herd buddies soon! THANKS!!

ps.. .and that is a true picture of HIS wound - not one from the internet!!


----------



## crittermomma (Sep 26, 2013)

aoconnor1 said:


> On a side note, the horse will be perfectly fine once this has healed up.


You are so right! I can't wait until he is all better and causing me grief like he usually does - he is my ornery horse - always getting into something!


----------



## crittermomma (Sep 26, 2013)

Irish Pixie said:


> It looks like an abscess blew out the coronary band at the heel and become horribly infected. ETA: In my opinion, it needs more treatment than your Vet gave.
> 
> Was it an equine Vet that treated your horse? If not, can you get him to one?


Thanks Irish - I didn't even think about an abscess! I got a call from the barn where I board him telling me my horse had hurt himself somehow. We could never figure out what he did to cause something like that!


----------



## crittermomma (Sep 26, 2013)

CIW said:


> Is the horse lame or is he walking square?
> Originally it may have been an abscess that burst along the coronary band and later became infected. If so, the horse may go lame and need to have a hole pared into his sole to let any infection flow out the bottom. But this will help.
> Get an old car inner tube and cut it crosswise at the stem, then turn it inside out and wash it. Put it on the leg just above the knee and tape it with duct tape. so it won't slide down.
> Mix up some really warm water and the old brown Lysol cleaner (disinfectant). I mix it 1/2 c. to a gallon of water. Pour some in the bottom end of the inner tube and fold it up beside the leg. Then tape it so that it won't flow out. Leave it to soak for about 15 minutes.
> ...


this wound never impacted how he walked - he was never lame and he never acted like it hurt him in any way.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Would be nice to hear an update on the hoof.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

haypoint said:


> Would be nice to hear an update on the hoof.


She did update his condition:



crittermomma said:


> Thanks all for your concern and options to try - I did call an equine vet right away - he got a huge shot of antibiotics and some stuff to put on it. Thankfully, the place where I board is owned by a vet that previously did large animal vet work. She was giving me advice on what to do with it. It is FINALLY getting smaller and much better! He has been stuck in his stall for over 2 months now as I couldn't risk him getting frisky and running around and causing more issues. And, I did finally have the farrier work on his hoof - I was holding off due to the severity of the wound. I think that helped as well. I have learned a LOT about hoof issues and proud flesh! This is my guy who NEVER has any health issues - and boom - a few bad ones back-to-back! Darn horses..  I am HOPING he will be well enough to be turned out with his herd buddies soon! THANKS!!
> 
> ps.. .and that is a true picture of HIS wound - not one from the internet!!


----------



## crittermomma (Sep 26, 2013)

I will try to get an updated picture and get it uploaded so you can see how well we are progressing!


----------



## crittermomma (Sep 26, 2013)

So sorry for the delay on adding the updated photo of his would - but, after 4 months of being stuck in his stall to let the wound heal - he FINALLY got to go outside. I made the decision to let him go out as he was getting restless and depressed after being cooped up so long. Here is an updated picture of what it looks like now. He is doing great and has no issues walking.


----------



## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

Looking much better, yay for that!


----------

