A hoof abscess that wasn't

Had a horse last month with a serious, hot hoof. Owner was sure it was an abscess. I spent 45 minutes digging, found nothing. Ended up being a deep sole bruise from a rock. The whole thing took over two hours from start to finish. Some guys say you should always dig until you find drainage. Others say you can waste time and cause more pain if you're wrong. What's your cutoff time before you reconsider the diagnosis?

2 comments

2 Comments

linda_murphy19d ago

My farrier told me he stops digging after thirty minutes if nothing shows up.

ray81619d ago

Set a timer for twenty five minutes and just dig like crazy in one spot. If you don't hit anything by then, move a few feet over and start a new hole. Found an old sprinkler line that way last summer after wasting a whole morning in the wrong place.