'Tis the Season in the Pacific Northwest . . . for hoof abscesses, rain-rot, and scratches.

So when your horse goes from sound to lame, seemingly overnight, and not just a little lame—but toe-pointing, leg-dragging, melodramatic lameness—what are you supposed to think? In the absence of obvious heat and/or swelling in the joints, ligaments, and tendons, you might well have a horse with an abscessed foot.

This can present as dramatic lameness, with a very sudden onset. I'm not kidding when I say "dramatic," either. I know people who've hauled horses to the vet for a middle-of-the-night emergency call, because they were certain the horse had somehow broken a leg—only to find out the horse had an abscessed hoof, instead. If you do that with your own horse, prepare to be an extraordinarily good sport when the vet, interns, and techs you've dragged from their beds in the middle of the night snicker at you while they treat your horse.

So you go out to the pasture, and your horse is refusing to walk up and get his hay. He's toe-pointing, and non-weight-bearing on on leg . . . but he was just fine, a few hours ago. Once you ascertain that he hasn't been kicked by a pasture-buddy, the tendons and ligaments are cool and tight to the touch, none of the joints are hot or swollen on the affected leg, and there aren't any new joints and no bones poking out through his skin, it's time to suspect an abscess in the hoof.

There are a variety of causes for an abscess. Anything that compromises the sole of the foot—nail-punctures, bits of gravel or debris, improper trimming and shoeing, even a deep bruise—can result in this incredibly painful condition.

What do you do? The poor horse looks miserable, it's raining, and you're just not feeling up to performing exploratory surgery. If you go look it up on the Internet, you'll find a lot of contradictory and confusing advice: soak it, don't soak it, open the sole to let it drain, don't go digging around in the sole, get antibiotics for the horse, give him bute, don't give him bute, put him on stall rest, make him walk around . . .

If this is the first abscess you've had to deal with, first things first. Call your most horse-knowledgeable buddy, and ask them if they know anything about treating an abscess. Next, clean the entire hoof (sole, too) and leg. Check for visible punctures, bruises, and abrasions. When you look at the sole of the foot, look for black lines or pockets, especially where the sole meets the hoof-wall. Many times you can actually see where an abscess has formed.

Certainly, soaking the foot in warm epsom-salts water isn't going to do any harm, can help with the pain, and might help identify the problem area. Don't go poking around with a screwdriver or hoof-knife, though; leave that for your vet or your farrier, or your extremely knowledgeable friend/trainer whom you're willing to trust with your horse's future soundness. If your knowledgeable friend wants to poke around with a screwdriver, reconsider his or her participation and call your vet or farrier, instead; call whichever is most likely to be able to schedule your horse immediately.

Your farrier should be able to tell you whether or not you need a vet for a prescription for antibiotics, depending on how severe the abscess.

Regular hoof-care, regularly-scheduled trimming/shoeing, and keeping your horse's environment free of debris can all contribute to better overall hoof-health. If your pasture is muddy, try to find a way to bring in gravel or fill (hog-fuel is a Pacific Northwest favorite) so he's not standing in a constant environment of muddy bacterial soup. Keeping horses in a wet winter climate presents its own set of challenges and health risks. Fortunately, a bit of extra care goes a long way towards mitigating the adverse effects of the climate.

Next time: The Wild World of Scratches!