# Hock sores and duct tape?



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

He may very well have arthritis in his back legs that is radiating up thru the hips. If that is the case, try not bedding him so deep; it's a struggle for him to get thru all those shavings.

My 25 yo is like that. I have six inches of crush, with grid mats, and I only bed him in 2 - 3 inches of shavings. He does a lot better with less shavings.

If your stall mats are slick, as opposed to something textured or nobby, he doesn't have anything to grip his hooves to; they be slipping when he tries to get up and he's using his hocks in similar fashion that we use our elbows to push up --- I dunno, just theorizing on that one:?

Both my mid-20's Fella's hock sores disappeared when I put the grid mats down and changed shavings to the Calloway Triple Select. That was three years ago.

Anyway, Try not bedding him as deep and see what happens.

As far as duct tape on the hock sores? I've never heard of that; I'm curious if anyone has:?


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Yes, it's said that you gauze and ointment/cream over the rub, place a 3"x3" pice of duct tape over the area and just leave it on until it falls off and that 'apparently' it doesn't pull the hairs out and protects the hocks?

My guys only six and doesn't show signs if arthritis. When I am there and do see him get up and down he has no trouble. In fact he tends to bounce like a bunny when getting up from a roll in the arena!

I was wondering since its shedding season that perhaps he's getting up and down more to roll because he's itchy? He does like a good roll and will roll up to four times up and down when turned out! Maybe that is what is making his little hock sores a bit bigger?


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## Brenna Lee (Aug 10, 2012)

Subbing my horse has the same issue.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Muppetgirl said:


> Yes, it's said that you gauze and ointment/cream over the rub, place a 3"x3" pice of duct tape over the area and just leave it on until it falls off and that 'apparently' it doesn't pull the hairs out and protects the hocks?
> 
> My guys only six and doesn't show signs if arthritis. When I am there and do see him get up and down he has no trouble. In fact he tends to bounce like a bunny when getting up from a roll in the arena!
> 
> I was wondering since its shedding season that perhaps he's getting up and down more to roll because he's itchy? He does like a good roll and will roll up to four times up and down when turned out! Maybe that is what is making his little hock sores a bit bigger?


Well, that shot my theory

My next thought would be, if he likes to roll that much in the arena, maybe his skin is that sensitive to the arena material?

I've put meds on hock sores before, but adding the duct tape when the sore is covered in meds, does make sense. 

The only other thing that would hold gauze and/or meds on would be vet wrap and it would be really easy to wrap it around the hock too tight. That's probably how the duct tape concept came to be:?


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## livelovelaughride (Sep 13, 2011)

My guy gets the odd bit of hock wear and we are on a fine gravel bed for paddock. He does not lie in the shavings in his stall. Its the gravel I am certain that's causing one of his hocks to be a little abraded. I have been using duct tape with a skin ointment underneath. 

It was also suggested to me by one of my barn mates. Use ointment that does not chemically fuse with the duct tape adhesive. I tried MTG on the hock, and duct tape: what a MESS it became all gummy and I was afraid to tear skin or hair off!! Hock boot may work but I'd try and borrow one first.


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## krazygirl1 (Apr 2, 2013)

My mare had an abscess. I cleaned it, soaked it, used baby diapers as padding, wrapped with vet wrap then duct tape. I just had to be careful I didn't get her hair with the tape. Works very well and it always kept it clean.


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## existentialpony (Dec 4, 2012)

So that's what his hock boo-boos are from! Gah! My boy has them particularly on one leg (I'm assuming his favorite rollie-pollie side). Subbing to see other peoples' ideas. Do you suppose ointment + vetwrap would work?


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

existentialpony said:


> So that's what his hock boo-boos are from! Gah! My boy has them particularly on one leg (I'm assuming his favorite rollie-pollie side). Subbing to see other peoples' ideas. Do you suppose ointment + vetwrap would work?


The only thing about vet wrap, or anything actually that wraps around the hock area it it could get tight and cause other issues.....hence why I was interested in the duct tape idea....

Called a knowledgeable friend today and asked her, and she said its actually quite normal and sometimes it's better to just let it callous up so the area gets tough and doesn't get scabby and sore anymore. I guess it's kind of like dogs who always choose to sit on the concrete instead of the grass and end up with elbow callouses?


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## existentialpony (Dec 4, 2012)

^ my dog.  She spends her days on our concrete patio watching for lizards to hunt.

I actually bought a trial size of equaide to try and heal up the skinned/sore areas on my horse's hock (they're small, but gosh darn it they never heal!) so I'll let you know how that goes.

If anyone has $40 to spare or is rich: Horse Hock Shield Cushioned Protectors Pair

I bet something similar could be constructed for much cheaper!


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

We put dab of Vaseline on and no wrap.

Might try pelleted shavings?


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

The only times I've seen hock sores is when horses are bedded on that awful pelleted crap. And mites. And fungus. It is NOT horse friendly bedding.

Have you tried bedding on straw?? It's a PITA to clean but straw really is the best best best bedding for horses. Shavings are a close second. I wouldn't bed on sawdust or that pelleted crap, especially not with a sores issue.

My horse rubs a hole into his RF knee every year from kneeling on it and reaching through the fence for grass. It's already started this year even though the wilted crap on the outside of the fence is the same as the stuff in his field *roll eyes*... I bought a "boot" for it. It's a professionals choice boot (not a fan of the neoprene, but I use it sparingly) and I get the barn to put it on in the AM, and when I get there it's usually around his fetlock anyways, but at least the knee is not raw and open and yucky. By about July it's scabbed and calloused and I don't have to put the boot on anymore. And then all winter the callous flakes off..
But, moral of the story - if its raw and open and yucky - a boot will help and still let it callous. If it's just kind of hairless and not painful then leaving it is probably fine. I just wouldn't apply anything to soften the skin like vaseline or zinc oxide or something as that will probably cause it to break open.

Good luck!


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> The only times I've seen hock sores is when horses are bedded on that awful pelleted crap. And mites. And fungus. It is NOT horse friendly bedding.
> 
> Have you tried bedding on straw?? It's a PITA to clean but straw really is the best best best bedding for horses. Shavings are a close second. I wouldn't bed on sawdust or that pelleted crap, especially not with a sores issue.
> 
> ...


Well I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with these kinds of issues! He's been on big fluffy shavings, medium sized shavings and finer shavings......I just think he's a big old lummox who likes to 'collapse' with little or no grace!!!! Straw just isn't an option I'm afraid, yes it is a PITA, we used it in NZ at the track, it's ok once you know how to handle it properly......

The only reason I worried about it today is one hock sore looked red and weepy today, I wiped it clean and put an antiseptic on it. I'm really hoping it will harden over and callous, I'd rather have the protection of the callous than perfect hocks getting new rubs all the time! I'm thinking it will keep it clean without taking the scab off and just apply an antiseptic until it hardens....good idea?


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Muppetgirl said:


> Well I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with these kinds of issues! He's been on big fluffy shavings, medium sized shavings and finer shavings......I just think he's a big old lummox who likes to 'collapse' with little or no grace!!!! Straw just isn't an option I'm afraid, yes it is a PITA, we used it in NZ at the track, it's ok once you know how to handle it properly......
> 
> The only reason I worried about it today is one hock sore looked red and weepy today, I wiped it clean and put an antiseptic on it. I'm really hoping it will harden over and callous, I'd rather have the protection of the callous than perfect hocks getting new rubs all the time! I'm thinking it will keep it clean without taking the scab off and just apply an antiseptic until it hardens....good idea?


Keep a real, real close eye on it though. It's so close to the joint capsule... if that joint gets infected if you don't catch it within a day the horse is toast. At a place I boarded a mare got a nick on her hock, maybe about the size of the tip of a Sharpie, and then got sick, was misdiagnosed and within three days died of sepsis from that hock joint getting infected.
If it's weepy, it's sore. I'd cover it until it got scabby or healed ish, and then uncover it and see if it will harden up. I would put some Poly on it for a few days, until it's not open and weeping, and then leave it to harden. Greenhawk should have hock boots.

Good luck!


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## existentialpony (Dec 4, 2012)

So just to clarify (with my first-time-owner naivete)... scabby and hard is good? I was cleaning my horse's little "sores" and applying cutheal consistently for fear of infection as you mentioned, anabel, but realized that if it dried up and scabbed over the only harm done was that it looks yucky, so I've left it that way.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> Keep a real, real close eye on it though. It's so close to the joint capsule... if that joint gets infected if you don't catch it within a day the horse is toast. At a place I boarded a mare got a nick on her hock, maybe about the size of the tip of a Sharpie, and then got sick, was misdiagnosed and within three days died of sepsis from that hock joint getting infected.
> If it's weepy, it's sore. I'd cover it until it got scabby or healed ish, and then uncover it and see if it will harden up. I would put some Poly on it for a few days, until it's not open and weeping, and then leave it to harden. Greenhawk should have hock boots.
> 
> Good luck!


Ok, I'm pulling out the poly! The sores are on the sides of the hocks, kind of to the side and just below the capsules, I will keep a very close eye on them! Yes it is a little sore, and with the blowing snow today by the time I got to the barn at around 10am the backs of his legs were already wet so I couldn't 'stick' anything on them, just some antiseptic.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Muppetgirl said:


> Ok, I'm pulling out the poly! The sores are on the sides of the hocks, kind of to the side and just below the capsules, I will keep a very close eye on them! Yes it is a little sore, and with *the blowing snow today* by the time I got to the barn at around 10am the backs of his legs were already wet so I couldn't 'stick' anything on them, just some antiseptic.


On that note - HAHA 
I rode both horses outside today, it was lovely.

I hope your guy gets to feeling better and you find out what he's doing to himself  Open sores are not fun to deal with.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> On that note - HAHA
> I rode both horses outside today, it was lovely.
> 
> I hope your guy gets to feeling better and you find out what he's doing to himself  Open sores are not fun to deal with.


I gave my guy the weekend off.......seems he's been lounging around and rubbing his hocks up:evil: I went down and put his heavy rug on - grrrr AB weather!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

It works great, as long as you have the gauze there  Clean them out, put ointment out, and duct tape.

But try to manage WHY the horse is getting those sores in the first place. Could be a loose nail, broken wood, bad bedding, hoofs too long, etc.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Skyseternalangel said:


> It works great, as long as you have the gauze there  Clean them out, put ointment out, and duct tape.
> 
> But try to manage WHY the horse is getting those sores in the first place. Could be a loose nail, broken wood, bad bedding, hoofs too long, etc.


Yes, the whole 'why' around it is a mystery, seem to change most of everything around him and the only constant factor is HIM!!!:wink: Bedding good, stall is nice and safe, feet are trimmed regularly, turn out is good......

Went down today and checked out his hock (one is worse than the other) and it looked much much better and wasn't sensitive to touch, put some poly on it and I hope he can at least harden up there and get a callous!


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