- The sole being pierced by a sharp object such as a nail.
- The hoof wall cracks (sometimes due to bad trimming or hoof neglect), which allows a piece of gravel to enter and become ingrained within the sensitive tissue above the sole (the laminae).
- Damage is done to the corium due to factors such as decreased blood circulation from shoes, poor horse shoeing and/or trimming, etc.
- Other less common factors can cause a hoof abscess. Many times the cause or point of origin of the abcess will never be known.
When your horse develops an absces, purulent fluid (pus) collects as the body fights off the source of the infection. (similar to that tooth) Since the hoof cannot expand to accommodate the increasing collection of pus, the increased pressure within the hoof causes a great degree of pain.
The pus will attempt to escape via the easiest path within the hoof, which most often is the coronary band. If a hoof wall is weakened or contains a crack it’s possible for the abscess to develop there instead. Once the abscess drains the pus from the horse’s hoof, the infection generally ends and your horse becomes just fine.
So draining the abcess is the quickest way to relieve for your horse.
The number one way to prevent abscesses is to keep the hoof dry, clean and well trimmed. This means picking hooves daily and ensuring that bedding is kept as clean as possible. Regular trimming keeps the sole from trapping debris under itself.
Keep Epsom Salt Poultice on hand because relieving the pain and draining the infection quickly is of the utmost importance.
