The horse broke through the hooves and limped what to do. What to do if the horse starts to limp? Sick or large belly

Have you noticed that your horse is lame. What to do? If your horse is unable to lean on one leg or you see a bleeding leg, call your veterinarian immediately. This situation requires the intervention of a specialist, and you yourself can only exacerbate the problem.

But if the horse is able to stand on the affected leg for a while, there are a few things you can do before the doctor arrives to answer the questions he will ask. To determine the cause of lameness, the veterinarian examines your horse from head to toe. You will need to do the same.

First, look for swelling on the leg, any cut or wound. Run your hands over your leg from top to bottom, lift your foot and look at it from below. Examine the hoof rim, a place where an abscess often begins. If there is redness and discharge, there may indeed be an abscess. Lameness can also be caused by a pebble stuck in the sole. If you know how to take your fetlock pulse (a very valuable skill, ask your veterinarian to teach you if you don't yet), measure it on each leg and compare. Also note how the horse stands. Did she shift her weight off one particular foot, or did she lean back so as not to put pressure on her front legs? This stance is often seen in cases of laminitis (hoof inflammation).

If you can't tell which leg is injured, there are several ways to tell which leg the horse is lame. When walking or trotting, the horse will raise its head, stepping on the affected leg, trying to take weight off it. It's best to have someone else lead the horse so you can look at it from the side. (This will work if the horse is lame in the front leg. Lameness in the hind leg can usually only be diagnosed by a professional.) Another way is to listen to the horse walking on a pavement or other hard surface. The sound from the planted injured leg will not be as loud as from the rest. If you close your eyes and listen, it will be easier for you to catch the difference.

If these tests help you figure out what the problem is, call your veterinarian and share your thoughts with him. Based on this information, the doctor may recommend which anti-inflammatory medications to give the horse, or suggest giving the horse some rest. If the lameness is very severe, the doctor may schedule an appointment right away to have an x-ray and complete examination.

During this examination, the doctor will begin to examine the horse from head to toe. He will feel all the legs, examine the feet, check for swelling, wounds or cuts (just like you did during your examination). The veterinarian will then flex each joint to check for pain and tenderness. The doctor will probably ask you to trot the horse in a straight line or in a circle or both. In a circle it will be necessary to let the horse go in both directions. The veterinarian will then check the flexibility of the joints. He will bend each joint for a while, and then ask the horse to trot again. If it becomes apparent that the lameness has worsened after flexing the joint, the veterinarian will determine which joint has the problem.

The veterinarian will then block the horse with small amounts of anesthetic injected into specific areas of the leg, usually starting at the bottom and moving up. After each injection, the horse is allowed to trot. If the lameness disappeared, then the injection got into the affected area. In addition, an X-ray will help with the correct diagnosis. Based on the result of the examination, the doctor will recommend treatment. These can be therapeutic horseshoes, body wraps, dousing with cold water, rest, anti-inflammatory drugs and other medicines, and even surgery.

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Treating lameness in horses

Whenever your horse begins to lame, you should try to find the cause of the lameness by examining your horse from head to toe. But if your horse is unable to lean on one leg, or his leg is bleeding, you should immediately call a veterinarian, as this situation requires the intervention of a specialist.

Inspection of a lame horse should begin with an examination and finding out if there is a tumor on the leg, any cut or wound. To do this, gently run your hands along the leg from top to bottom, then lift the foot and examine it from below. First, examine the coronary hoof, where an abscess most often begins, which is characterized by redness and discharge. Even a pebble or other sharp object stuck in the sole can cause lameness.

Look closely at how the horse is standing. And if the horse has shifted his weight off one particular leg or leaned back so as not to put pressure on his front legs, then such a stance can show which hooves are inflamed (laminitis). But if it is difficult to immediately determine which leg is injured, that is, which leg the horse is lame on, you need to lead it at a walk or trot, and then the horse will raise its head, stepping on the injured leg, trying to take weight off it. This will work if the horse is lame in the front leg.

Lameness in the hind leg is more difficult to identify and therefore can usually only be diagnosed by a medical professional. And yet, when a horse walks on a pavement or other hard surface, the sound from the injured leg will be somewhat quieter than from the rest. And it's easier to catch the difference if you close your eyes and listen carefully. If you understand what the problem is, then call the veterinarian, and he, based on this information, can recommend what anti-inflammatory drugs to give the horse. For very severe lameness, the doctor may immediately schedule an appointment to take x-rays and perform a complete examination, during which the doctor will examine the horse from head to toe, feel the legs, examine the feet, check for swelling, wounds or cuts.

The veterinarian will then check the flexibility of the joints and check for pain and tenderness. If the veterinarian determines which joint is the problem, they will block the horse with small amounts of anesthetic injected into specific areas of the leg, usually starting at the bottom and working their way up. After each injection, the horse is allowed to trot. If the lameness disappeared, then the injection got into the affected area. X-rays can also help with correct diagnosis. Based on the results of the examination, the doctor will recommend the most suitable treatment: therapeutic horseshoes, body wraps, dousing with cold water, rest, anti-inflammatory drugs or other medications, and possibly surgery.

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The horse suddenly began to limp - probably every owner faced this trouble. What is the reason and how to help with such a disease?

Very often the cause of lameness is improper care of the animal. Pain in the limb can be caused by injuries and inflammation after them (much less often - infections). Injuries, in turn, are caused by poor conditions of detention, in particular a small room, a rotten floor in the stable, an uncleaned yard, as well as overload at work. Particular harm to health can be caused if you do not walk a horse warmed up by work for some time, but immediately put it in a stall.

With lameness, it is not always necessary to contact a veterinarian - often you can help yourself. To do this, carefully examine the limbs of the animal. Pay attention to each joint: there may be swelling, scratches, wounds, or pain from touch.

Reduce the performance of the horses of the growth of bones on the limbs, which pinch the nerves, ligaments and tendons, causing inflammation and lameness. In particular, due to chronic inflammation, which is called spar, the so-called rooster's step develops, when the horse abruptly and high throws its leg up. You can check if there is spar in this way: first make the animal move backward, and then abruptly start to lead forward: a quick change in the position of the joints during illness will cause pain - and the "rooster's step" will appear. Gradually, in the process of movement, lameness disappears.

With rheumatism, lameness also appears only at the beginning of the movement, and then weakens. But if its cause is trauma or injury, then in the process of movement it will intensify.

To determine the diseased area, you need to lead the horse at a walk or trot (no lameness is visible during a gallop). The animal will tilt the rider when it steps on the healthy front leg (hence the second front leg hurts). And when a sick pelvic limb, the horse will nod at it.

If both front legs are sick, the horse will try to put them as far forward as possible, on the spot. And if both hind limbs hurt, the animal will take short steps, stepping with the front of the hooves.

After that, carefully inspect the hoof and its sole for foreign objects that could be stuck in it. Look for any discharge, suppuration. Remember: the hoof grows throughout the life of the horse (in a month it can gain from 4 to 13 mm). Therefore, with insufficient mobility, it lengthens, wraps or breaks.

The hoof horn is very spoiled, leading to diseases, hard and stony soil, excessive loads, as well as early forging and insufficient walking.

When an animal constantly stands on a damp bedding, in pus and urine, softening of the hoof (maceration) occurs, pathogens cause decay and inflammation. It is also bad when, on the contrary, the hoof dries up - its strength decreases, it cannot withstand normal loads, which leads to various deformations.

If the problems are serious, call. In addition to the above diagnostic methods, the doctor will be able to apply another one: inject an anesthetic drug into the probable inflamed area. Under its action, the pain disappears - and with it the lameness. This makes it possible to identify the diseased limb.

Remember, whatever treatment your veterinarian prescribes, in order for it to be effective, you must first address the causes of lameness if they are due to improper supervision.

Therefore, daily wash and clean the hooves with a special hook from adhering bedding and dirt. They should also be lubricated with softening and anti-inflammatory ointments. A hard hoof horn can be softened with a wet white clay compress applied to the sole. It is also useful to regularly walk the horse for 20-30 minutes. over a shallow pond.

Taking on the trimming of another horse, quite often we see the characteristic shape of the hooves - high heels and overloaded toes on the front hooves and vice versa, heels crumpled under the hoof and long, overgrown toes on the hind hooves. While not in favor of the “everything that is not ideal, should be ruled by trim” approach, we always ask ourselves WHY the hooves deformed in this way and look at the horse as a whole. Incorrect hoof shape indicates that the horse is not loading them correctly, and this, in turn, can reveal important compensation and pain in the body. Being prey animals, for which it is important to be able to escape from a predator and not pretend that they have health problems, horses throughout their history have learned to perfectly mask and compensate for pain, and only a careful look can, by indirect signs, suspect that something it goes wrong.

So, what do we see in the horse's body when we encounter this shape of hooves? By allowing the horse to stand up as he pleases, we see the specific posture that the horse takes to rest - he will bring all his legs under the body, i.e. will put the front legs behind the vertical back, and the hind legs will substitute forward. This pose is also called “goat on top of a mountain” or “elephant on a pedestal”. When a horse stands up in this way, its weight is not evenly distributed on the hooves, and because of this they are deformed. In the front hooves, the main load falls on the toe area, which causes the toes to flare, the sole flattens, and the heels grow high. The grooves of the arrow become narrow and deep, dirt lingers in them longer and lighter. In the hind hooves, the load falls mainly on the heels, because of which they are crushed under the hoof, the side walls are bursting to the sides, and powerful bar walls grow compensatory in the hoof - stiffening ribs that try to prevent the heels from crushing and take on part of the support load, which is not can carry flared (and often breaking) side walls. In extreme cases, the heels of the hind hooves have such an unbearable load that they are crushed to the point of abscesses! The toes grow long, which creates more leverage when pushing off and increases the load on the flexor tendons and back muscles. In addition to problems with hooves, osteopaths note many muscle clamps in the lower back, shoulders and legs.

Front hooves. The sole in front of the apex of the frog is usually flat and thin, the depth of the lateral grooves at the apex of the frog is relatively small, and their depth in the calcaneal region is disproportionately large. This indicates that the coffin bone is not located correctly in the hoof: its front edge rests against the soles from the inside, pushing it outward, and its back part is too pulled up.

There is no toe flare in this foot, but it is present in quarters (on the sides). This can be determined by the direction of the fibers of the horn - in an ideal situation, the fibers grow in parallel in the toe area and on the side walls. In this hoof, the heel is narrow, but often it is, on the contrary, trampled and wide.

Hind feet with pustules on overworked heels. The dynamics of our first years of work, now we do the roll differently, however, this trim allowed us to reduce the toes and bring the heels out from under the hoof to a more correct position.

What causes horses to take such an unnatural posture that brings them so much harm?

Surprisingly often one can come across the opinion that poor hoof balance is to blame. There are photos on farrier and osteopath websites showing postural improvement immediately after stretched toes have been shortened and high heels lowered. However, in every stable there are a few horses who prefer to rest with their legs substituted under the body. What's the matter? Didn't they just have a farrier in their life who would properly balance their hooves?

First of all, I would like to note that the photographs confirming the “miraculous healing” are taken immediately after clearing, and not, say, after a month or a half. A natural question arises: how long was the effect of the clearing? Did the horse maintain this balance of hooves, henceforth placing the legs more vertically and loading the hooves more evenly, or did it continue to put them under the body and experience discomfort until the hooves deformed back? As the famous saying goes, form follows function. Not vice versa. It is impossible to force a horse to load the hooves differently by simply changing their shape. By setting the attack from the heel and, if possible, splicing the flare, it is possible to improve the shape of the hooves to some extent, however, this will be a struggle with the effect, not the cause, so the result will be only half-hearted and unstable, the deformation of the hooves will return, and without regular adjustments, intensify. The real reason for the habitual posture should always be sought somewhere above the hooves. Let's look at the most common reasons why horses put their legs under the body.

Sore back muscles.

The vast majority of situations when a horse is resting with all legs under the body is associated with an attempt to rest a sore back. When we see the characteristic shape of the hooves for this posture, we immediately feel the longissimus dorsi muscle and almost always the horse shows discomfort in the lumbar region or throughout the saddle area. There are several ways to check if a horse is complaining about its back. Some put their fingers on the longissimus muscle on either side of the spine and press down from the withers to the croup, watching to see if the horse will tense the muscles or sag down to release the pressure. Others vertically place their fingertips on the muscle on one side and hold with a little pressure. Still others put their thumb flat on the muscle, and when they run it along the length of the muscle, they monitor not only muscle tension and attempts to move away from pressure, go down, but also the presence of denser areas on the muscle, indicating that the muscle is clogged in this place, even if it doesn't hurt when pressed. Usually such tight areas and soreness can be found in the region of the pommel of the saddle, if it does not fit the horse well, as well as on the loin. In horses of some breeds, for example, in Arabs, pain in the lower back can almost always be found, since due to the genetically short back, it can be very difficult for them to pick up a saddle, many saddles will put pressure on their lower backs. Resistance in work, “collection of the reins”, movement under a rider with an arched back - all this greatly overloads the muscles of the back and forces during rest to take the very position that allows you to arch your back and give the muscles a rest. A kind of "cat pose" from yoga, when a person gets on all fours and rounds his back up, lowering his head.

We meet a lot of misunderstandings related to back health. Some owners simply ignore the problem. “The back has nothing to do with it, the vet examined him two years ago and said that his back is healthy!”, “Yes, I already changed her saddle, it still doesn’t help.” How fit is the new saddle? Unfortunately, it is a very common misconception when pain in the back is mistaken for a fear of tickling and no attempt is made to correct the situation. If a horse walks back and forth on the back and forth while brushing, this is considered bad behavior and not an attempt to escape from the pain of pressure on the back or from the expectation of this pain.

Sometimes owners admit there is a problem, but take only half-hearted measures. For example, horses from time to time after work are smeared with a warming gel on their sore backs. This, of course, helps the muscles relax better, but does not eliminate the cause of excessive tension, it will return again and again. Some people know that working forward and down has a beneficial effect on the muscles of the back, relaxing and strengthening them, so they try to work the horses in this way, but they do it not quite right, which is why the therapeutic effect is not achieved. Massage and osteopathic practices are great for removing muscle blocks, but the effect of them will not last longer than a warming gel if the horse does not fit the saddle, or the work overloads the muscles.

The most sensible approach that brings the best results is complex. It is necessary to evaluate all the factors that can affect the health of the back, and try to optimize them. Keeping track of how effective treatment and work is is easy enough. Make it a rule to feel your back before and after work. Are there areas where the horse is trying to get away from the pressure when pressed? Are there any denser areas on the muscles in the lumbar region, similar to a large lump? What is the longissimus dorsi muscle after work - evenly soft and relaxed, fingers falling into it, like in jelly, or tense and stiff? I met the opinion that tense and hard “clods” in the muscles on the lower back and on the neck in front of the shoulder are an indicator of inflatedness. Any osteopath will refute such a point of view, this is just an indicator of muscle clogging, an unbearable load that it has to perform. These lumps do not allow full use of the muscle and cause the horse to compensate and resist in work. You will immediately understand that you have chosen the right direction of work, as the muscles will quickly begin to soften, as after a good massage. If you do not neglect the work on stretching, relaxation of the topline at the beginning and end of work, as well as alternating load and relaxation during the main part of the session, the muscles will remain healthy, full, evenly soft and strengthened, the horse will no longer need to take specific posture to give them rest.

One of the options for palpation of the back and the horse's attempt to go down. The horse is clearly experiencing pain in the withers and loins.

In addition to the situations listed above, we have seen horses that did not show pain when pressing on the back, but the topline was generally "empty", muscleless, and for rest, these horses assumed the same posture, unloading and stretching the back. In this case, competent work forward and down also works wonders, but here the very attempt to stretch will be a load, you need to act carefully, offer this to the horse, but at the same time trust his resistance, giving you the opportunity to dose yourself with the load and rest from it.

Sick or large stomach.

The back and abdomen are closely related. By tightening the abs, the horse can round and relax the back, and failure to tighten the abs will prevent the horse from evenly rounding the topline and taking the rider on his back, the back muscles will be overloaded. I met personal observations of the owners that the horse stopped placing its legs under the body after gastritis treatment, although in general the posture characteristic of gastritis is not distinguished in the literature.

The size of the belly also matters. A large, heavy belly pulls the back down. It is not uncommon to find arched backs in mature mares, especially if they led a sedentary lifestyle. Fat horses and draft horses also carry a very heavy load on their backs due to a heavy stomach, and in order to unload them, they will adopt the same resting posture. Sometimes regular regular exercise works wonders for these horses, helping them keep their core muscles in shape and keep excess weight under control.

In this regard, I would like to talk about two cases from our practice. While trimming one horse, at some point I began to notice that with each trim, I had to struggle more and more with toe flare on the front and back and heels growing in height on the front hooves. The horse was fat, but such a condition for a long time before that did not prevent him from loading the hooves more evenly. Her walk was spacious and in the company, which meant movement throughout the daylight hours. The only thing that has changed is that she has ceased to bear the load, the exercise has been reduced only to walking in the paddock. A weak muscular corset could not resist the obese condition and the large weight of the abdomen, the back was overloaded, the horse gave it rest, taking a characteristic pose. The toes of the forelegs brought under the body received excessive stress and flared so much that by the next trim the horse began to step from the toe.

Another example of reverse dynamics, positive. For many years, one horse maintained a familiar posture with legs placed under the body, the front hooves were always flat with toes extended forward, and on the hind hooves, in addition to long toes, there were heels folded under the hoof. In each trim, we picked up the toes as much as possible and set the attack slightly from the heel, but due to the constant standing with the legs out, the toes were extended again by the next trim. We managed to maintain a certain average condition of the hooves, not to let them deform even more, but it was not in our power to fix them either. When I arrived again, I was amazed at what I saw - the toes on the fronts were reduced, the arch of the sole increased, I was able to lower my heels a little, and the hind hooves became less elongated! It turned out that during this month the horse began to be exercised 3-4 times a week on the lunge and under the saddle. This is the only thing that has changed in his life, and even though he is mostly standing in his small levada, the hooves have begun to change for the better.

Pain in the heels of the forehooves.

Soreness in the heel, whether it be deeply rotting frogs, weak, underdeveloped digital cushion, or inflammation in the shuttle block area, causes horses to put weight on the front of the hoof, unloading the problem area. Sometimes you can see that the horse puts only the front under the body, they are behind the vertical, lowered from the shoulder joint down, and the hind legs are placed evenly. In other cases, the horses substitute all 4 legs under the body.

Whether the hooves are the cause can be seen from the way the horse uses the heels of the front hooves. How does it come when walking - from the heel or from the toe? Is it ground sensitive? You can also assess the degree of development of the digital crumb and lateral cartilage, as described in the article "Heel of the hoof" on the Old Friend website.

If the reason for substituting the legs under the body is pain in the heel region, then the solution will be its improvement and strengthening. First of all, it is necessary to cure rotting arrows and, if necessary, treat them prophylactically in order to prevent the occurrence of new painful bundles. In addition, you need to evaluate how the horse advances - it must put a hoof when walking. If this is not the case, you need to experiment with the length of the toe and the height of the heel - perhaps the roll will need to be made more aggressive, and the heels left higher. Heel strengthening is not a quick process. The pelvic cartilage must repeatedly expand, contract and twist in order for the tissue of small ligaments inside the heel region to begin to harden and transform into fibrous cartilage, which will make the natural hoof shock absorber reliable to use. Such a transformation is possible at any age, but the older the horse, the longer it will take. However, some improvement in the situation can be noticed immediately, because with a more correct step, the muscles will no longer be overloaded, they will not need to be rested with a special standing posture during rest, the horse will stand more evenly, and the hooves will receive more uniform load. The vicious circle of compensation will reverse.

Pain in hind legs.

If a horse experiences pain in the hind legs, for example, due to arthrosis or a chip in the hock or fetlock, he will try to shift his weight from his hind legs to his front legs, substituted deep under the body, when standing. In extreme cases, the horse unloads the problematic hind leg so much that, from constant overstrain, its spine in the lumbar region arches upward.

There are many other less common reasons why a horse may rest with its legs under its body. We have seen such a posture with tendon problems, with severe lysis of the coffin bone - the horses did not stand in the classic laminitis posture with the front legs set forward, but it was so painful for them to step on the sole that they put their legs under themselves and leaned on the laminar wedge. And so on. It is important to understand that if a horse puts his legs under the body, the cause of this is always pain somewhere in the body, which should be tried to identify and, if possible, eliminate. In parallel with this, of course, you need to balance the erasing of different parts of the hoof with the help of trimming in order to guide them to the ideal balance - exactly guide them gently, and not try to cut the perfect balance by force. Perfect shape will follow perfect function, and as long as the horse continues to load the hooves asymmetrically, irregular hoof shape should be respected as a necessary link in the compensation chain. How well your treatment, equipment or work suits the horse, you will immediately see in the hooves - their shape will be better even BEFORE trimming!

A lame horse is a serious problem for its owner, and knowing how to treat lameness can positively affect both the speed and success of recovery. This article covers various aspects of lameness management in horses, from physical therapy to medical intervention. Just see step 1 below to get started.

Steps

Reduce Inflammation

Allow the horse enough time to rest. For many horses, stable rest is the mainstay of lameness treatment. Depending on the nature of the lameness, a horse may need to rest from a few days with a sprain to weeks (or even months) if the injury is more severe.

• Resting places are less demanding on the injured ligament surface, while continued use of the horse will lead to further inflammation. Continued use of a lame horse could potentially lead to further physical damage. For example, an inflamed cartilage pad can break off, resulting in permanent damage.
• In addition, the use of a lame horse provokes the production of additional prostaglandins, and therefore further increases inflammation. By letting the horse rest, you are trying to break this vicious cycle.

1. Water your horse's leg with cold water from a hose for 20 minutes a day. Cold water dousing is a simple form of hydrotherapy aimed at reducing swelling in a limb. The technique involves dousing the lame leg with cold water from a garden hose. This is usually done for 20 minutes once or twice a day. This is done because cold water removes the heat that is released in the tumor. In addition, the flow of water massages the tissues and helps to disperse the flow of fluids.

   • Ideally, the water should be very cold. The advantage of using a hose is that the temperature stays constant and the water doesn't get hot (much like using an ice pack). 20 minutes is the ideal time, as it is enough to disperse the heat, but not enough for the cold to slow down the blood circulation in the limb.
   • It's a good idea to lubricate the horse's heel with petroleum jelly or grease before watering. This will prevent the heel tissues from softening under the constant pressure of water, which can lead to cracking and infection.
   • Watering is done by two people - one person waters, and the other holds the horse (this procedure can only be carried out by one person if the horse is very well educated). Depending on the nature of the injury, your veterinarian will tell you how many days you need to water before the swelling resolves.

2. Try hot hydromassage for lower limb lameness. Hot hydromassage is used to treat the lower extremities if you suspect an abscess or a foreign body in the hoof as the cause of the disease, as hot hydromassage softens the tissues and helps the infection to clear out. This process involves immersing the foot in a bucket of hot water (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) containing Epsom salts to soften the sole of the foot and allow the infection to clear out.

   • Before immersing the hoof in clean water, always clean it thoroughly. If necessary, use a hoof hook to clean the sole and frog of the hoof, then rinse the hoof with water before starting the massage. It's a good idea to remove the handle from the bucket so you don't accidentally get your foot caught between the handle and the bucket.
   • Fill a bucket with hot water and add a cup of Epsom salts. Place the horse's leg in the bucket and hold it there for 15 to 20 minutes. Since the water cools down over time, you can remove your foot and add hot water to the bucket. After 20 minutes have passed, place the hoof on a clean towel and dry it well. The procedure can be repeated up to 3-4 times a day.

3. Use hot compresses to treat abscesses and upper limb infections. The indications for the use of a compress are the same as for hydromassage (suspected infection or abscess), but compresses are used when it is necessary to treat the upper part of the limb, which is impractical to be immersed in a bucket.

   • To apply a hot compress, soak a clean towel in hot Epsom salt water and wrap it around the swollen or sore part of your leg. Place the second towel in the bucket of water and Epsom salts.
   • When the towel wrapped around your leg has cooled, replace it with a hot one from a bucket. Continue this process for 15 to 20 minutes, and do it 3 to 4 times a day.

4. After training, apply poultices to reduce swelling. Poultices are used for a number of reasons - they shrink tumors after strenuous exercise and also draw out infection from an abscess. Bran poultices have traditionally been popular, but with the advent of many excellent commercial poultices (such as Animalintex), the need to mess around with homemade poultices has been eliminated.

   • Commercial poultices come as an impregnated sheet with a shiny side (place it away from the animal) and an absorbent side (apply to the injury). First, cut your poultice to the correct size so that the area of ​​injury is completely covered. You can use the poultice dry (ideal to reduce swelling) or wet (to draw out infection). Both methods are similar, but when using a wet poultice, the cut material is first dipped in hot water and allowed to cool to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
   • The poultice is placed over the injury or swelling and held in place with a bandage (such as Vetwrap). The bandage is tied tight enough that it does not fall down, but not too tight that the circulation in the limb does not stop.
   • The poultice should never be left for more than 12 hours and it is recommended to change them 2 to 3 times a day.

   Pain Relief

   1. Use pain medication to help treat lameness. Pain relief is very important in the treatment of lameness. Modern painkillers (analgesics) have a dual effect - they reduce pain and inflammation. They belong to the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

      • The job of NSAIDs is to inhibit the action of the cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2). It is the COX enzymes that release prostaglandins, which cause inflammation and pain. By blocking COX enzymes, we reduce the amount of inflammatory mediators (prostaglandins), so pain also decreases.
      • The most commonly used NSAIDs for equine bone and joint problems are aspirin, flunixin, and phenylbutazone.

   2. For mild pain, give your horse an aspirin. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is effective against mild pain, swelling, and discomfort. Some aspirin-containing medications can be purchased from pharmacies without a prescription, making them useful as a first-line treatment for mild lameness.

      • AniPrin contains acetylsalicylic acid mixed with a flavored molasses base so that it can be mixed into horse food. The dose is 10 mg/kg once a day.
      • For a 500 kg horse this results in 5000 mg (or 5 grams) of AniPrin. The product comes with two measuring cups: the larger one contains 28.35 grams and the smaller one 3.75 grams. Therefore, for a typical 500 kg horse, 1.5 small cups of AniPrin should be added to the food once a day.
      • If your horse is already on medication, never give him aspirin without first checking with your veterinarian. Also, always give her enough fresh water.

   3. Use phenylbutazone to reduce pain and fever. Often referred to as "bute" among horse owners, it relieves pain and fever. Phenylbutazone is a prescription NSAID and must be prescribed by your veterinarian first. It should not be used in combination with other NSAIDs, steroids, and should not be given on an empty stomach.

   4. Get a flunixin prescription to help reduce pain and inflammation. Flunixin is another prescription NSAID sold commercially under the name Banamine.

      • Banamine is a powerful inhibitor of cyclooxygenase. Its inhibition leads to inhibition of prostaglandin, and therefore to a decrease in inflammation. It is rapidly absorbed from the stomach and small intestine, and each dose works for 24 to 30 hours.
      • The dose of Banamine is 1.1 mg/kg once a day by mouth. Therefore, a 500-kilogram horse requires 550 mg (0.5 g), which is equivalent to one 20-gram sachet containing 500 mg of flunixin.

   5. Be aware of the possible side effects of NSAIDs. NSAIDs can reduce blood flow to the stomach and kidneys. Although this is not a problem for healthy, well watered horses (especially if drugs are given with food), NSAIDs should never be given to horses that are thirsty as this can lead to over concentration of the drug and this will increase the effect of kidney damage.

      • Other side effects of NSAIDs are stomach ulcers and possible worsening of kidney disease (if they are already sick). This can manifest as loss of appetite and increased thirst. Treatment consists of stopping NSAIDs and taking activated charcoal to protect the stomach lining.
      • A horse that has been diagnosed with kidney failure may need intravenous fluid therapy to flush out accumulated toxins that the kidneys have failed to clear.