Why is my horse lame with a sore coronet lump? Abscess or ringbone?

This looks like a traumatic injury - small laceration above heel and abrasion to the heal bulb. These usually happen when the horse gets their foot stuck in something or scrapes it against a fence. I do not see signs of an abscess, but it's difficult to know without being able to examine the area. If there is infection, then it appears very mild from the pictures. I recommend flushing the wound twice a day with just clean water (no antiseptics) to prevent infection. It should also be bandaged to keep the wound from getting contaminated and help the wound heal quicker. Bute is good for the pain, but should only be used if necessary and should ideally be used per the veterinarian's direction. If there is a cornet band injury (not a picture of this shown here), then this will definitely need a veterinarian's assistance, because these can lead to longterm problems if they don't heal correctly. I understand that you were not happy with the vet that saw Lottie, but it would be worthwhile to have a different vet consult to help with the cornet band injury. I hope that helps and Lottie gets better soon.

Thanks for using pet coach! This is a hard picture to interpret - but it appears that there may be an injury to the coronary band with a 'mass' there. You need to have a veterinarian take a good look at it - if it were me, I would clean the foot up completely which will allow me to better evaluate it. I would also like to take radiographs of the area to see if there is any bony involvement underneath the mass. In addition, I would like to assess if Cayenne has any lameness in this foot/leg. I would be suspicious that this mass is granulation tissue (best case scenario) secondary to an old wound, but it could also be a type of cancer (sarcoid or squamous cell carcinoma would be high on my suspicion list). I would recommend taking a biopsy to figure out what the mass is and thus the course of treatment. All of those potential diagnoses easily bleed and can look similar. So please find a veterinarian to come and examine Cayenne soon. Thank you for using pet coach!

Hello. This may be a sarcoid, but without a biopsy there is no way to know definitively. Unfortunately, this site prohibits us from giving out any kind of medical advice, & ethically, it would just be wrong to do so. There are other advice sites that are more generous with information since we can have an actual chat. You might try to access one of these & see if someone can help you there. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This looks like the result of a chronic trauma or infection creating a proliferative skin inflammation (that is why it looks like a lump). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics or antifungal meds (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths.

Based on your description it sounds like Colin may have suffered a puncture wound with something in his rear end. The lump you are seeing could either be some purulent fluid building up inside, or it could be a foreign object that is still inside (whatever it was that caused the puncture). If you are feeling significant amounts of heat emanating from the affected area, it is likely there is an infection brewing. The area may have to be lanced, drained, and then the horse treated with systemic antibiotics. The dragging of the left toe is hopefully not related to an ascending infection to a joint, but instead I hope it is just from a generalized pain from whatever Colin is feeling. If you have some bute or banamine around the house, I would consider using some until you can get a vet out to come and check things out. Hope this helps!

I can’t be sure from the photo but this looks like a fungal or bacterial infection. Horses often get this from irritation and moisture. I recommend scrubbing the affected areas twice daily with iodine based shampoo, or another anti bacterial and fungal shampoo. Scrubbing the skin to remove the scales and debris will make it look more inflammed but will let the air get to the skin and speed healing. If this hasn’t cleared up in a week or two then please get a veterinary exam. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Diamond.

Unfortunately it looks like Cayenne has significantly damaged the part of her hoof from which the growth starts - her coronary band. Additionally the part of the foot that attaches the hard part of her foot to the deeper living tissues, the lamina, appears to also be damaged. The most likely cause of this was a bad bout of laminitis and, possibly, ongoing damage over the intervening years. When this happens, the coronary band cannot produce a normal hoof and the laminar damage makes the foot grow abnormally. These problems can also set her up for chronic foot infections along the white line. To maximize her comfort and health, you need to partner with both a veterinarian and a farmer. The veterinarian can do some tests to try and see why this happened and prescribe medications, if needed, to reduce the incidence of flare ups. They will also take x-rays to assist the farrier in providing the best foot trim and, likely shoes. This condition cannot usually be cured, but management can help make her more comfortable. Thank you for using pet coach!