Page 210 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

The problem nail can be located by applying hoof testers or gentle tapping with a

hammer. The horse flinches in pain and withdraws its foot when the painful site is reached.
VetBooks.ir needs to be rested or have the foot poulticed for a couple of days to allow the inflammation to
If the nail is removed, the horse may become sound immediately. Sometimes the horse

subside and the lameness to resolve.

NAIL PRICK

If the nail actually penetrates the sensitive structures, this is known as ‘nail prick’ (Figure
6.12c). The horse will often jump and pull its foot away as the accident happens. Lameness

usually occurs immediately. At rest, the horse will often point the foot, paw the ground or
keep lifting the affected foot.

Treatment
• The offending nail should be removed at once.

• There may be a little blood as it is removed from the foot.

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• The hole should be flushed with a diluted antiseptic such as povidone-iodine (Pevidine )
or chlorhexidine (Hibiscrub), or the foot can be tubbed or poulticed (see pages 76–80).

• The horse should be kept in and observed for increased lameness over the next couple of

days.
• If lameness develops or persists, the farrier or vet will remove the shoe and open a

drainage hole to release any pus.

• The injury is now treated as a puncture wound (see pages 72 and 132)
• The tetanus vaccination status of the horse must be checked. If there is any uncertainty,

tetanus antitoxin is administered.

If the problem is not recognized immediately, the horse is likely to become severely lame as
an abscess develops. The infection can track up the white line and may cause pus to

discharge from the coronary band.

SUPERFICIAL PUNCTURE WOUNDS, PUS IN THE FOOT,

UNDERRUN SOLE

Hoof punctures are one of the commonest cause of lameness in the horse. They can lead to
infection where pus and gas build up under pressure within the rigid hoof, thus causing