Hi Dr. Tom,
I have a TB gelding who is ten. He was a failed race horse
who became a quiet hack. When I got him he had terrible over laid bars, flares
and dips and not one hoof pointed in the right direction. During the summer
months he under went some fairly serious trimming. I had him x-rayed to make
sure there was no permanent bone damage which there was not. Once the wet
weather came he has abscess after abscess and has started losing his hair and
the skin is dry and peeling all over him. He is being Strasser trimmed which I
have been very happy with for my other horses but I have serious concerns for
this boy. He has major metabolic, emotional structural and muscle changes going
on and I think his system is totally over burdened. The vet wants him to have
his abscesses dug out (which would leave him with no hoof left I am sure) and
six weeks of antibiotic (which would leave him with no stomach lining). I
doubt that will help--what do you think? I AM LOOKING FOR AN UNBIASED OPINION
PLEASE.
Regards,
Hi
there,
Sounds
like quite a challenge you've got there. I sincerely agree with you that the
last thing the horse would need is his "abcesses dug out" and long term
antibiotics. Sounds like the trimming has been too aggressive, or suspicious
that it may have been. I rarely have abcesses in hooves unless I am dealing
with severe founder. I think getting abcesses like you are is too often
due to trimming too much off which leads to bruising. Sounds like he
needs to be allowed to grow some foot again, and keeping him in some boots might
be necessary. It does sound like you may have some metabolic and nutritional
problems. Detoxification might be making him feel and look bad, too. Send me a
picture of the bottoms of the hooves and side-views also and maybe I can give
you a better idea on what to expect/ not expect. If you have boots for him, put
them on right away and do some easy walking around in them to keep up
circulation. If you'd like to do a more in depth consult on him, we could do
that, too, helping you over the email with pictures.
Dr. Tom
T.
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