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Spent 3 hours on a hoof with a hidden abscess track
Had a horse in last week with a slight limp, thought it was just a trim issue. Cleaned the hoof and found a tiny black spot near the white line, but the probe just went in a quarter inch and stopped. Kept digging with the hoof knife and found the track curved up under the sole. Ended up having to open a much bigger area than I first thought to drain it all. Anyone have a good trick for spotting those sneaky ones before you start cutting?
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spencer_owens5828d ago
Curved up under the sole" sounds like a bad magic trick. Three hours for one hoof, that horse owes you a six pack at least. What do you do when the probe just stops like that?
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Tell me about it, those hidden tracks are the worst. You think you've found the spot and then it just disappears on you. When the probe stops like that I usually start tapping around with the back of the knife handle, listening for a hollow sound. Sometimes you can feel a soft spot or see a tiny bit of moisture if you really squeeze the hoof wall. It's still mostly guesswork and a whole lot of careful digging.
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