Posted by M. W. Myers, D.V.M. on February 18, 2003 at 15:20:06:
In Reply to: Hoof injury and Lameness posted by Herb on February 18, 2003 at 10:06:02:
: We board our and a few others horses. Last week a 20 year old came in for the night and he was limping dramatically, then we discovered alot of blood coming from bottm of front right hoof. he hasa deep cut and it looks like the artery, which the vet later confirms. He is going into shock, I assume from the pain and is just falling apart generally within 4 hours. The owners vet comes and we start Bute and he gets calmer and more comfortable, xray next day shows he broke off the front of his bone in hoof and he has cut the artery. We clean and pack with iodine infused sterile gauze and tape up and boot, next day or so we are changing it again and we smell what is claerly a horrid infectious like smell. We clean it everyday, but the owner has spoken-no antibiotics, saying that the horse will be managed without them and she will try homeopathic. Now he is post about a week and he is clearly worsening, for example he looks like he is about to blow out an abcess the size of his entire front coronary band (I think). The farrier says it may take off his entire hoof. Ethically we feel the need to get the horse attention now, but cannot without the Owners consent. Further we do not want the legal responsibility if we were to just go ahead and give antibiotics to a horse not our own, but it is just heartbreaking to watch and we just cannot have much faith in homeopathic remedy when the infection "smells" so strong. Can anyone think of anything we could do or suggest which is other than using antibiotics? Any help is appreciated.
This is a serious dilemma. Check with the animal control authorities in your area to see what you can do. It would be wise to involve them before some outside party does. You may share responsibility in this horse's suffering under certain "care, custody, and control" statutes. If the owner gets angry, so be it.
M. W. Myers, D.V.M.