Nail kick

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A nail kick is an injury in horses caused by a foreign object entering the hoof. The term is derived from draft horses , which often kicked wheel nails, but is now used for all sorts of foreign bodies in the hoof.

Symptoms

The penetration of the foreign body into the horn is usually not at all or only slightly painful for the horse. It doesn't start to paralyze until about a day or two later, which is even worse on hard ground. In order to protect the damaged part of the hoof , it usually only places the foot briefly and only on the toe or ball of the foot.

The entry point in the sole of the hoof is usually dark in color or covered with blood . At the fetlock a pounding is the pulse to feel at the metatarsal artery. The horse appears listless due to the pain and often eats poorly. The infection can cause body temperature, heart rate and breathing rate to increase. The inflamed part of the hoof is warm.

causes

The infection in the hoof is caused by bacteria entering the hoof through the point of entry. They multiply quickly and penetrate further inside the hoof, the infection spreads and can affect other parts of the hoof.

If the sclera is injured by the puncture, a purulent scleral inflammation ( pododermatitis ) forms. If left untreated , the infection quickly spreads to the coffin bone , coffin joint, or the deep flexor tendon .

Course of disease

The firm horn capsule prevents the pus from escaping so that it is distributed in the hoof. If it breaks through at the coronary hem , there is even a risk of the horn shoe becoming detached. It is therefore important for the veterinarian to cut open the infected area so that the pus can drain away. If the treatment is delayed and deeper hoof structures such as navicular bone or coffin joint are attacked, chronic lameness is usually the result.

treatment

If the foreign body is still in the hoof, it should not be removed as the direction and depth of the sting give the vet information about deep injuries. If the item is larger, it can be shortened. The veterinarian cuts the affected horn, in which the pus is stuck, from the hoof in a funnel shape, often until bleeding occurs, to remove any pus from the wound. In the case of deeper injuries, he will X-ray the hoof to identify damage to the hoof. He then disinfects the wound and puts on a hoof bandage to protect it from contamination. As tetanus pathogens ( tetanus ) can also penetrate the wound, a tetanus vaccination is recommended as a preventive measure .