Swollen Coronary band..

Question
I just walked out into the pasture and my Horse, Grizzly,  was standing at the
far side in the rain, and i wanted him to come into his stall to eat. Well ,when i
called him, he came, ears forward, but began limping. He wouldnt put much
pressure on his front right hoof. So  i met him halfway, and felt down his leg.
His leg seems fine, but when i got to the coronary band,just above the hoof,
it was swollen, and puffy to the touch. Larger in comparison to his other legs.
So i led him the rest of the way to his stall, and gave him his grain. I would
like to know if there is anything i can do for him myself, rather than call a vet
and pay 50- down at least, just to hear him tell me to go buy splints or
bandages or a cream, or to tell me to call a farrier.. (my vet is lame).
We have had ALOT ALOT of rain and i think he pay have  twisted his ankle or
pulled something in the mud.

Answer
Hi Jessica!

What *I* would do would be to hose the coronary and hoof and wait and see for a bit. No pain killers (although I might give some Bute - that would let me know if its an abscess ready to blow or not. Abscesses do NOT respond to Bute) but on the other hand pain can be a good thing to prevent the horse from moving around more than what is "good" for him. Check the hoof sole thoroughly - if you find a "soft spot" in the sole where you can move the sole with thumb pressure then that's another good indicator that you're probably dealing with an abscess.

I keep a large supply of different Homeopathic Remedies here on hand so I would also probably give a 200C dose of HEPAR SULPH hom. remedy to see if an abscess blows out. If one does in short time then I'd follow up with SILICEA 200C .. just one dose, to help resolve the abscess. (The Hep sulph will help a brewing abscess come to a head and blow out)  But, if no abscess then I would give LEDUM 200C ... one dose 3X during the day. That will help any puncture wounds or bites and is especially useful for swelling that moves UP the extremity.

You can find any of these remedies at your local Health Food Store. Or, you can order online.  They aren't expensive at all and if they aren't the correct remedy for the situation then absolutely NO harm has been done at all.  (Just means more searching for the correct remedy if desired.)

Horses generally will become lame very suddenly with an abscess. If you horse has tough hooves then more than likely, because abscesses work their way through the easiest path, will blow out the coronary band. If that's what happens then not only would I follow the Hep sulph with the Silicea, but I'd flush out the blown abscess with a mixture of Calendula and water (or soak the hoof in it) then load the open abscess up, as deep as I could get it, with Calendula OINTMENT. Bandage if needed. The Calendula is an EXCELLENT natural product that is an antibacterial, antibiotic, antiseptic and antifungal. So it kills off all the possible buggies ...

And that's how I would treat this. Time will tell. :)

DO CALL YOUR VET IF IT WORSENS!!!!

--Gwen