07/12/2024
🩹🐎🩺 CASE OF THE WEEK 🩺🐎🩹
Bringing your horse out of the stable only to find they are hopping lame is every horse owner's worst nightmare - and it's exactly what happened to vet Laura and her horse Bear last week.
On picking up Bear's foot the problem was immediately obvious, but what was not clear was how far the screw had gone in, and therefore what damage it could have caused.
There are several synovial structures (joints) within the horse's hoof which if penetrated by a foreign object such as a screw could cause severe infection, requiring specialist surgery.
Although the temptation is always to immediately remove the source of discomfort to our horses, Laura knew she needed to X-ray Bear with the screw insitu in order to fully assess the extent of the injury.
Fortunately in this case the screw was away from the synovial structures so could be safely removed.
Bear is being treated with antibiotics, pain relief and poulticing to keep the area clean and infection free.
💥REMEMBER💥:
If your horse has a penetrating solar injury, do not pull the object out but call your vet straight away.
