I'm an experienced vet & farrier focused on creating & maintaining a better hoof for your horse.
04/02/2025
This is a 20+ year old warmblood that was experiencing recurrent abscesses in the right front hoof for about 7 months. The referring vet noted a bone chip at the tip of the coffin bone. He was non weight bearing on the right front the first time I saw him. I blocked the foot to take x-rays & perform a venogram (a contrast study to examine the blood flow in the hoof). The yellow arrows & dotted lines in the x-rays show areas of previous abscess tracts. The image before the venogram shows the small bone chip outlined with a blue dotted line. On the venogram image there's a wedge-shaped area of reduced blood flow & where coffin bone has been resorbed (possibly a result of the previous infections). I made a hole in the hoof wall in line with the location of the bone chip & discharge immediately erupted from the hole. The chip was removed & the area was cleaned thoroughly prior to bandaging. The horse recovered completely & is doing well.
