# Horizontal cut just above hoof



## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

i bet barefoothooves does - i have no clue on how to treat something like that! 

My guess would be to keep it bandaged with vetwrap or something...but i don't know if that would prevent it from "breathing" :?


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Ironcially, a lady in MO was just asking me about a similar injury. 

Good luck keeping a hoof clean, most important would be to try to keep it dry. A little dirt (not poo-laden funk, just regular dirt) won't really hurt it if you clean it off at least once a day and put some disinfectant on it until it's healed over or no longer oozing junk.Even if dirt sticks to the med, the med will be on the inside, doing some good. Turnout is great!

Stalls are more contaminated than pastures as far as a higher likelyhood of standing in poo, as they ALWAYS find a way to step in that fresh pile, you know? And bandaging would keep the whole thing moist, and drying it out is the best thing for it. Bacteria thrive in moist cuts.

Just needs some time and it will be fine. That horizontal split, I would watch as it grows out. When it's almost ground level is when it's most apt to want to break off in a big chunk, so keeping up on trims (I know you do anyways, just being thorough) will prevent any big problems from that. If you wanted to be extra careful, a boot could be used while you ride, once the tender stage is over( when you can "scrub" without her flinching). 

For a wound like that, I'd probably put something like furacin or Corona ointment on it. It would stick and dirt might cling to the outside, but it's a barrier on it's own to keep flies from picking at it, too.


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## Ryle (Jul 13, 2007)

I have to disagree. Wounds this low on the leg/foot are at high risk for contamination and horses live in situations that are chronically contaminated. (Remember they shed the bacteria that causes tetanus in their feces) A wound like this should be banadaged to prevent constant contamination until it is closing over.

Plus, movement should be restricted because it will slow healing and promote the formation of proud flesh and this wound is in a hgih motion area. Furacin should NOT be applied as it will also promote proud flesh. (We now know that furacin is a poor choice for leg wounds which are already more prone to proud flesh formation.)

Moisture is not a bad thing around wounds....drying out actually slows wound healing by damaging cells. If there is excesssive exudate then you want to use products to ry up the exudate but you you don't want a totally dry wound in most cases.


http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=5777
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/hrs6291


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

barefoothooves said:


> and put some disinfectant on it until it's healed over or no longer oozing junk.Even if dirt sticks to the med, the med will be on the inside, doing some good. Turnout is great!


It's not oozing at all now. It does seem to be staying relatively clean and I wash it just with water now. Flies aren't bothering it.



> Just needs some time and it will be fine. That horizontal split, I would watch as it grows out. When it's almost ground level is when it's most apt to want to break off in a big chunk


This cut is not on the hoof wall. It is tissue only, so no break-y off-y here.



Ryle said:


> Wounds this low on the leg/foot are at high risk for contamination <snip>A wound like this should be banadaged to prevent constant contamination


I agree that contamination risk is much higher here than elsewhere, but I was hoping that the blu-kote would protect from contamination enough. As I said, I did bandage it initially, but it is also difficult to keep a bandage on it. 



> Plus, movement should be restricted because it will slow healing and promote the formation of proud flesh


Sorry, Ryle, but there is NO WAY I will lock up my horse for the weeks it will take for this to heal. Been there, done that. It causes more problems (stocking up, boredom, lack of general movement and free-grazing affects digestion, hoof care, breathing, etc. etc.) She's been on free turn-out the whole time and I haven't seen it cause any problems with the cut. Maybe it does slow the healing, but I'd rather that, then cause other problems.

Now ?'s to both of you

I agree with both of you on the moisture vs. drying out. So, in this case how do I find a balance? Maybe applying a disinfectant ointment, then a "sealant" like the blu-kote over it? I'm hesitant to do the bandage thing again because it's been raining a lot here and the bandage just soaks up the ground moisture/rain/mud. If it stays dry, I could bandage it I guess.

I've never used furacin or Corona at all. What can you guys tell me about it? I'll try to balance out each of your opinions and find some more info myself on it too.

Oh, and BTW, I'm not riding her yet anyway. She's not yet trained. I'm just doing ground work with her at this point.

Thanks.


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Well, furacin is a neon-yellow ointment available just about any livestock supply store. It's thick, creamy and anitbiotic. I've personally never had any trouble with proudflesh from it, nor the people I've suggested it to, but maybe that's just been luck. I'm a fan of it cause it sticks in place. It's about the consistency of vaseline. In fact, a vet got me started on it years ago, so I guess that's why I recommend it. Nitrofuracin is the drug name, I think and you can find brand names like "Furazone" etc. 

Corona ointment has antiseptic qualities too. It's waxier, and the label even suggests using it as hoof moisturizer (but I'm not a hoof moisturizer user, myself) but it does coat the wound well and provides a temporary barrier to flies, just as the furacin does. It might even stick a little better thanks to the wax in it. I think it's pretty much more of a "natural ingredient" thing. My only dislike for it is it gets hard in cold weather so it's difficult to get out of the container. 

I don't use Blu-Kote, so can't offer an opinion one way or the other.

Turnout, IME, does a lot more for healing wounds than confinement.Especially lower leg and hoof wounds, because when a horse stands around, the blood stagnates more in lower extremities. I think it's common knowledge that increased circulation means increased available oxygen, nutrients and anitbodies can reach the wound, while the debris can be carried away, and that for horses, movement equals circulation in the legs/hooves. Unless of course your horse has an unstable wound, like a broken bone, you would want to keep them from using it then...but for a surface abrasion/laceration? I'd let them go out on their usual routine.

Bandages tend to cause the tissue to "sweat" like your skin does under a band-aid, and after the initial cut, they seem to heal faster when dry. Just my experience, perhaps I'm just lucky? Plus, horses tend to pick at the bandages or otherwise scrape them off anyways, and then you have a mangled mess tangled up on there in addition to a dirty foot, yet that dirt seems to do less damage than them picking at the wound to get the bandage off. Depends on the horse for that one, though.

For the hoof part, I see a fissure at the heel wall. Is that not part of the cut?Or is that a scar? That will grow down and be a weak spot, eventually.Not something to panic over, just something I noticed and thought was part of the problem you were asking about. 

Guess I should just say that if it were MY own horse, I'd continue turn out, unbandaged, and clean it every day and put some ointment on it. It's not causing lameness, so other than keeping an eye out for signs of infection, I'd not worry about it more than that. Perhaps that's not the right protocol for everyone, but it seems to work for me, with no lameness, infections or proudflesh so far.


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## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

There is no way you are going to keep it totally germ and contanimation free unless you lock your horse in a stall, which I do NOT suggest at all (mainly because I'm VERY anti-"horse in stall")

Wrapping it would be hard also because not sure about your horse northern...but Sonny would NOT keep a bandage on! I'd say put some medicine on it, then put a layer of SWAT on it (to keep bugs away) and keep a close eye on it. If it gets to where it looks infected call a vet...but it doens't look like a vet is needed.

Is it sensitive at all? Is your horse lame?


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## hotreddun (Jun 27, 2008)

I agree with Barefoot. Even if it gets a little dirty...fresh water hosed on it daily will be an effective regimen. I personally love Corona. Smear on enough...and the dirt and germs that Ryle is worried about won't reach the inside.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

barefoothooves said:


> For the hoof part, I see a fissure at the heel wall. Is that not part of the cut?Or is that a scar? That will grow down and be a weak spot, eventually.Not something to panic over, just something I noticed and thought was part of the problem you were asking about.


Thanks for the info.
I don't know what fissure you are referring to. As far as I know the only issue here is the tissue cut. She came from the track 2 weeks ago; with that in mind, I consider her hooves to be in good shape (the others I've had varied from needing adjustment to nightmares). She might have a scar that I'm not seeing. The cut itself is the dark line that basically follows the upper hoof wall angle. I'd mark up the photo, but I don't have the ability at work to do that. Maybe you could circle the mark you are referring to?

SW -- no, she is no longer lame.

Thanks everyone. I guess I'll pop by the store and see what kind of ointment I can put on it. I was trying to avoid the goopy stuff, but maybe I should try it.


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

That's the fissure/split/crack however you want to describe it. :?: 

It's going into hoof wall from the heel, parallel with the hairline, more or less.Here's the other horse I was being asked about, below, See the little groove? It's a compromised area of hoof wall, but it's one solid piece. I think this cut had been in the hairline and healed,but the owner was concerned with the groove. The owner gave me permission to use her pics for examples of such things. Her horse isn't lame, either. She trail rides in the rocks and such in the Ozarks (Missouri).


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Well, we are talking about the same thing BFH, but this is an actual flesh cut, not in the hoof structure. It's as though I could put something between the flesh and the "top" of the hoof. The soft tissue is above and directly below is the hard hoof. I don't see that this will grow into the hoof. 

Anyway, tonight I put some polysporin on it and tomorrow I'll go get some "goopy" stuff. Mind you, I had forgotten about the polysporin and how well it helped heal a cut just below the fetlock on another horse. 

Thanks again.


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

It's much like cutting part of your cuticle of your fingernail. It's the softer part, but it's still part of the nail itself and could affect the nail material as it grows out.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I had similat cut (just bigger and little higher) this winter on ice. When I talked to my vet he said just clean every day and put the ointment cream twice a day (I use Horseman Dream one - the best I tried). I NEVER stalled her. The only other thing I did - I put bell boots (not the resin one, but the black fabric one) on both front feet to protect against the ice (actully it also kept mud away really well).


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Thanks all.

I didn't realize, BFH, that this would grow down the hoof. Glad you told me.


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