nerved navicular gelding - abscess at cornet band

[fishbayfarms]

Some background info first:

I live on an island with no decent farriers, and the only vet is a wonderful very willing small animal vet, but great for perscriptions and emergency care until I can fly my normal vet in. I normally haul 3 hours plus a 45 minute ferry boat ride to get to my regular farrier, he specializes in navicular horses. I have a call into my farrier and vet both but am awaiting responces from both.

My gelding is a 11 year old 17.1 hands tall APHA (paint horse) gelding used for Hunter hunder saddle events on the APHA breed show curcuits. He is diagnosed navicular and was de-nerved 4 years ago. he is currently sound and has been on a regular shoeing program with my farrier since i purchaced this horse a year ago. He is shod with aluminum short heartbar shoes with pads (no wedges) and soft dental impression material for packing, on the front and regular steel shoes behind. He is curently on a daily regimen of isoxuprene, asperin and select new-image. the combination of the three plus the regular shoing have helped improve the condition of his feet dramatically since i got him.

when i purchaced him he was shod all around with regular open heel steel shoes. his heels were low and contracted and he would start out short stridied in fron and lame/stiff and work out of it after about 10 minutes of trotting. He is now sound every step of his works, and goes with a beautiful long low stride. my farrier has done wonders with correcting his heels and getting them opened up.

Here's what happened:

We just returned yesterday from a four day horse show. the footing at the show was awefull but Chris was sound. it was a 6 hour haul one way to get to this show. I regularely moniter his feet for problems because he is de-nereved and cant feel tha majority of his front feet. After coming home i turned him out into a stall with a run (rubber matts & sawdust/pellet bedding in stall, sand/dirt/chips in run).

when i returned that night to feed, check on horses etc i noticed he had popped an abscess at his cornet band on his right front leg. he was sore on it (not quite 3 ledgged lame but close) until i cold hosed it and he walked out sound after hosing. there was a small amount of heat in the hoof but no noticable pulse in the hoof. the heat also dissapeared after cold hosing. and neither heat or lameness have retuned since i hosed it. There was a large amount of pus/blood and it seems to have all drained. But i can not tell if the hole continues through the sole of his hoof because of his current shoes. there is a fair amount of seperation of the hoof from the cornet band/foot/leg of about 3/4 of an inch.

I wrapped both front legs with standing bandages and started him on an antibiotic to ward of any infection possibilities. he got his normal isoxuprene/asperin/new-image. I left the abscess uncovered to let any remaining drain and get some air to it. treated with iodine/blue kote.

today i hosed/soaked it with epsom and treated with iodine/blue kote. it apearse to have seperated a little more and also drained out more blood/pus.

Is there anything else I should be doing to treat this abscess? Sorry this turned out to be so long! thanks to anyone who replies!

Thanks, Christine

[Forgewizard]

Christine,

There are a lot of reasons to say "Wow! Oh MY!" In your predicament!

First is that you live on an island and are sequestered from horse care professionals! Oh My!

Next, is him being a 17.1 paint- he sounds huge! Oh My!

Next that he was 7 when his nerves were cut! Poor horse! Oh My! But you do know that the nerves can grow back, right?

Next that even though he is nerved, he is being shown as a hunter - do you use him over fences too? Oh My!

Next that he is on Isoxuprene, even though apparently the navicular issue is a long standing one- Isoxuprine is usually used in the first stages of navicular( Ithough); also that you are able tolegally compete with a horse on a drug. Oh My!

Next that he is also on aspirin, which is a pain killer, anti-pyretic( fever reducer),anti-inflammatory, & a blood thinner and is being used to legally compete. Oh my!

Next, that he popped an abscess without showing the normal lameness issues prior to an abscess opening up. Oh my! This isn't surprising considering the drugs he is getting and the nerve condition.

Next, that he is showing lameness AFTER the abscess has opened! Oh my! This may be a result of the actual soreness of the open wound - especially being that the wound is on the coronet and gets aggravated with every hoof step.

Well, your first aid responses seem to be adequate with regards to soaking and hosing, but I'd opt to wrap the entire hoof in a diaper bandage - just to keep the dirt out.

The large amount of drainage is a concern and can be an indication of a longer standing problem than just an abscess - laminitis comes to mind- especially with such a large opening in the coronet. Hopefully he isn't in the process of "sinking".

Being that he is already in heart bars with sole impression material, I wonder about the possibility of him having a "hole" which goes from the coronet through the sole.

How long ago was he shod? Any chance this abscess could be from a hot nail?

There is always the possibility that he punctured his hoof with a nail and the puncture site is now infected, but not visible because of the packing material.

You may want to consider investing in the kevlar sole pads, or metal hospital plates for the future.

Your particular case would be a great one for a thermal imager, or at least an infrared heat detector/thermometer. At least with those instruments used on a regular (daily) basis, you could monitor your horse's denerved hooves for hot spots. While HE may not be able to react to a painful stimulus, and even though his body is plied with anti-inflammatories and anti-pyretics, there will most likely be at least SOME indications of heat in aggravated areas, which would alert you to potential problems.

Hope your vet and farrier can get there soon to help your horse!

regards,
Kim