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Due to decreasing use over the years, I have decided to disable the forum functionality of the site.

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Sigh. Isabelle doesn't want a job.

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Just when I start to get her going nicely... I noticed today that she was leaving a little trail of fresh drops of blood so I haltered her and started looking for the source. I finally traced it to a slice through her front left frog. I cleaned it, buted her and shut her in her stall for now. Is this something I can wrap and let heal on its own or do I need the vet? It looked like a clean cut, almost like it was done with metal although I could not find anything so it must have been a sharp rock. She is very lame.

Monsterpony Mon, 03/22/2010 - 23:42

Vet. There are a lot of structures under the area of the frog (navicular bursa, navicular bone coffin bone, deep digital flexor tendon, etc) and the fact that there is blood means she hit living tissue. I would recommend having a vet out to determine if she hit any major structures (may involve x-rays). I would definitely wrap it until you can get it looked.

Morgan Tue, 03/23/2010 - 11:33

[quote="Heidi"][quote="Monsterpony"]I would definitely wrap it until you can get it looked.[/quote]
Got any baby diapers and duct-tape?[/quote]
I never have diapers around so my horses usually get wrapped with...feminine products. >.>

Sara Tue, 03/23/2010 - 11:34

[quote="Monsterpony"]I forgot to ask if you could tell how deep the cut is. Also, it is a lot cheaper to get it checked now than to treat a septic navicular bursa later.[/quote]

It doesn't look deep at all. I was surprised to see blood. How deep into the frog do you have to go to hit blood?

I'm going to cry. Getting the vet out is going to cost $300 minimum, more like $500 with x rays. I don't usually hesitate (remember this is the mare I spent $10,000 on last year in vet bills) but I was finally feeling like I was catching up and was able to start doing actual maintenance around here instead of just damage control. I'm kind of despairy.

Morgan Tue, 03/23/2010 - 12:10

Actually not that far, half an inch or so, depending. Google pictured of the hoof corium and cross sections and you can get at least a bit of idea of how the "quick" fits into the frog. Time to study anatomy! If that's all she hit you're fine, it's good at repairing itself. And it can make a LOT of blood..... when Chase hurt his heel it looked like murder but scabbed up cleanly in a week or so. Just worry if it's deeper, like MP said.

Sara Tue, 03/23/2010 - 15:18

Huh, it barely bled so I think she just nicked it. I really dug around in it this morning which she was totally fine with, and it seems to be a clean slice going across the frog, shallower on one side and getting deeper as it goes toward the other. I googled pictures like you said and I bet at its deepest it hit *just* far enough in that it hit live tissue and bled a little but it does not look like it went any further than that. I cleaned it again and she's inside with her hoof all wrapped in a diaper/vetrap/duct tape. She's screaming her head off to go outside.

I'm tired of her constant drama. This is why most horses like this live in padded stalls 24/7 like at my trainer's barn. :roll:

Morgan Tue, 03/23/2010 - 15:42

[quote="Sara"]

I'm tired of her constant drama. This is why most horses like this live in padded stalls 24/7 like at my trainer's barn. :roll:[/quote]
lol I know what you mean. Ali now has a hard bony lump on her forehead. I have absolutly no idea what happened but it doesn't seem to be going away. :? All I can think of is a kick and maybe a fracture? but there wasn't even a scuff mark. Just this big hard bump between her eyes . :BH It's going to look worse when her face sheds out....

Sara Tue, 03/23/2010 - 16:02

Weird! You would expect at least some hair missing there!

I have a little bony lump on the bridge of my nose. You KNOW that came from Isabelle -- she bucked and threw her head up at the same time, her signature move, and I smashed my face into her neck. I had a neat black eye for a week or so and I'm pretty sure my nose is broken.

Sara Wed, 03/24/2010 - 11:51

Loving this mare does. I didn't mention the hoof-shaped bruise I'm sporting on my right thigh. I had her on crossties last week, getting ready to ride her, and was talking her up to my student who needs a new horse. I was saying how she could show Isabelle while we're shopping, how she's Not That Bad really, and Belle hauls off and nails me with a back hoof. Apparently I was currying too hard. :roll: