Horse stepped on a nail today! Freaking out!!

[dianneS]

Oh, no. Everything seemed to be going just fine with my mares nail encounter and now today she has a small marble sized lump on the bulb of her heel just above the coronary band. It is located just outside of where the tip of the nail would have stopped based on the angle of entry.

It doesn't affect her gait at all, it is very sensitive to the touch however, and her temperature has risen about one half a degree.

Now I'm worried again.

 

[freemotion]

Of course! This is because it is Saturday night. Didn't you know they like to wait until Friday, preferably Saturday night to start to show any symptoms?

Keep a closer eye on that temp. Half a degree is not really a spike, but it is a little tiny splinter....watch it to make sure it is not the beginnings of a spike. The bulge on her heel could be an abcess looking for a place to come out. You could soak it with hot towels or in a rubber pan if she will stand it in, in water the is very warm, but not burning hot. At least it seems to be in a place that is not enclosed in the hoof capsule. Call the vet if it looks worse or if the temp spikes up.

And a half a glass of wine, if you imbibe, could be useful, too!

 

[laughingllama75]

I would start (if you have not already) treating her for an abcess. Start soaking her foot with epsom salt in hot water, for a good 10 minutes several times a day. Why wait, maybe you can head it off at the pass, so to speak. I have dealt with many an abcess, no fun but manageable. Good luck. How is your mare feeling this morning? Poor girl.

 

[dianneS]

I've been soaking her since day one. Packing her with icthamol, but I was packing the sole of her hoof. I think I'll pack in some ichthamol around that heel too.

Its currently pouring down rain too! It rained ALL DAY yesterday and the farrier told me not to keep her inside because when I did just for one night, she stocked up just a little. One day in the pasture, and all the fluid was gone. So I don't want to put her on stall rest. But the grass is so wet? She's out there right now in the wet grass and rain. I'm wrapping her up in vet wrap, and really wrapped her with duct tape, but I know that won't keep her completely dry.

She wasn't eating all of her grain at first with the powdered bactrim in it. It would take her all day/night to finish it. She's finally taking all her meds in at once since I started mixing her meds into applesauce and then adding it to her grain. Hopefully that will bring her temp back down.

The abscess doesn't seem to be enclosed in the hoof capsule. The angle of the nail would have put the tip just below where this bump is forming. I figure if there is any infection that has to come out, it doesn't have far to go and I don't think much pressure will build up before it works its way out.

She's still moving and behaving like her normal self. The only spot that hurts is that little bump on her heel. She's bearing weight normally. I just don't know if I should keep her in her stall to keep her dry, or let her out? I wish this rain would stop already!

 

[freemotion]

Can you hand walk her instead, in a dry-ish area like the driveway, and then soak her foot and bandage it up when you put her back in her stall? If you get her to move a couple or more times a day, that should take care of the stocking up.

As long as her temp is ok and she is not getting lamer, don't worry, things SEEM to be progressing just fine!

 

[laughingllama75]

I wouldn't worry too much about the rain.....you can NEVER keep any wound completly dry/clean/etc with any horse. didn't you know it was an Equine Law? LOL. As long as you are soaking it, she has a normal temp and seems to be getting all her meds, then I would just wait it out. I know how hard it is to wait.....went all last summer with an older QH gelding, waiting for the puncture to abcess. Finally, after 6 weeks of gimping around and soaking, it blew out his heel. And I mean BLEW out. but, the minute it broke.... he was on the mend. it was like 3 weeks till he was sound and light rideable. My vet did not have me do anything special, other than keep him from the other horses so he would not fool around or get more injured. he has free reign over the pasture and paddock until the abcess broke, then I kept him in the paddock (dry lot, roughly 50 x50) until it was healed.

 

[dianneS]

That's good to hear. Her temp is normal this morning. She's taking all of her meds all at once now. I soaked her and packed her/wrapped her up. There is some more heat and a little swelling in that leg. She's walking just fine only that one small spot is sensitive. I think its just going to be a very small abscess and hopefully it won't take too long to rupture!

 

[dianneS]

Okay, my mares wrap came off last night. Her temp is normal, she's getting her antibiotics regularly. She has some slight swelling and some heat in that hoof/leg, otherwise she's fine.

She has no puncture wound anymore since the nail went into the frog, it has closed up. She's been wrapped for four and a half days. Do I really need to keep her wrapped?? Its a pain and there is no hole to keep clean anyway. If I do hot compresses and soaking daily, would that be enough?

 

[trestlecreek]

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=3464&src=SV

 

[ducks4you]

Don't forget to make sure she's up to date on her tetanus shot.

I'm so glad she's doing better. Nonetheless, ALWAYS keep a vial of Tetanus A N T I - T O X I N in your fridge. I do. AND, I try to mark on my calendar when it's going to expire, so I can buy another one.

The FIRST thing my Vet (or my previous vet--we moved, you see) has ALWAYS done with any injury was to give an antitoxin shot to my injured horse. It doesn't hurt your horse to give this shot, even if you're not sure.

The difference between the two shots:
TETANUS TOXOID--Killed tetanus designed to encourage antitoxin production in your horse's body. IT takes about 2 weeks to build up enough for 6 months-one year of coverage. Antitoxins in your horse's body must be rebuilt after that.
TETANUS ANTITOXIN--Equine tenanux antitoxins are IN the vial. Gives immediate antibody protection against tetanus.

Tetanus lives naturally in the soil AND in your horse's body BUT, they can't get it unless they've had an injury that breaks the skin. (No, I'm not referring to the common cuts and scrapes that we cover with Nitrofuricin/SWAT.) GO FIGURE why horses are weird, like this!

Your Vet will give BOTH toxoid and antitoxin to a horse that isn't up on shots, just to be sure.

Now, you won't have to panic as much, next time Murphy's Law slaps you in the face!