The Third Theory

I spoke with the vet this morning, and she feels that Tonka's lameness is likely due to a hoof abscess. It turns out that such abscesses are not unusual in horses recovering naturally from founder. When normal circulation is not enough to get rid of the dead and damaged tissue, it can collect in one pocket of the hoof and cause and abscess. Sooner or later it will blow out through the coronary band, the sole, or maybe with some help through the hoof wall. We will start daily soaking in hot water and epsom salts to try speeding this process along. The end result we're hoping for is a lot of pus pouring out of somewhere -- yum!