SERIOUS INJURY

     Below is the result of a freak accident.  It had rained the day before and the soil in the pasture was soft. This horse stepped down and at an angle right next to the back barn wall and her foot sunk almost a foot into the ground under and inside the the barn wall.  When the mare pulled her foot out it ripped off about a third of the hoof and foot. This injury was to a neighbor's horse when I was recovering from surgery. I sent my wife to look at it and report back.  There had been  a lot of bleeding so she ordered Kotex as an emergency bandage, had the foot cleaned out by soaking it in a bucket of clean water until the bucket was clean after the washing. Furison and antibiotics were placed in the wound and the Kotex applied as a pressure bandage.  She reported that the coffin bone was showing along with some tendons exposed and about a quarter of the foot missing.  I thought she was exaggerating.   The next morning when the vet checked it he called me to tell me the same story, but he said it was clean and bandaged well so all he did was add more antibiotics and furison and wrapped it up again. This occurred the last week of Nov. 2001


Injury 2 days later.  In the last picture you can see the a part of the coffin bone
exposed toward the front of the frog.



Injury after 5 days. The white tissue is new sole beginning to grow
and begin to cover the coffin bone.


Injury after 10 days. Here you can see the healing process and more white
tissue being formed over the coffin bone as new foot is grown. The new
skin is also beginning to cover the injured area.

Injury after 2 weeks. Here you can see the healing process and more
white tissue being formed over the coffin bone as new foot is grown.
The new skin is also beginning to cover the injured area.
.........

The picture below was taken Oct 7, 2002, almost a year after the accident.

 Instructions were followed to the letter by the owner, I maintained the hoof by proper trimming at the appropriate times to maintain a healthy hoof and foot, and Mother Nature did the rest. The interesting thing that happened here is the complete regrowth of the frog and the bars. The sole is nearly normal as well. I have not trimmed the frog so that it could make maximum contact with the ground and keep the hoof from contracting. It has done this! This filly is turned out in a 30 acre pasture with several other horses, she runs and plays and we have never seen her favor this foot in any way! We will start her under saddle in the spring and will probably shoe her then. I am amazed that horn (outer hoof wall) has regrown all the way to the heel area. I had envisioned having to build her some sort of exotic bar shoe, I don't think this will be necessary!

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