Reilly came in from the field non-weight bearing lame on her left hind. When the owner lifted the leg to have a look, she found a screw attached to a metal bracket stuck into the foot just next to the frog.
The owner was very sensible and left the screw in place until we arrived as Reilly was happy just resting that leg. On arrival she was given pain relief and antibiotics. Due to the position of the screw and the potential for tendon and joint involvement the foot was x-rayed with the screw in-situ. The x-rays showed that the screw was very close to the back of the navicular bone and the associated soft tissue structures. The metal bracket and screw were removed from Reilly’s foot at the practice.
Due to the risk of these structures being affected Reilly was sent for an MRI scan to ascertain if surgery was required. In this case she was very lucky and there was no joint or deep digital flexor tendon involvement. The screw was removed under standing sedation and local anaesthetic, and the puncture wound was debrided and flushed to minimise the risk of infection.
The foot was then bandaged and antibiotic course started. Reilly improved rapidly over the next week, she was comfortable to fully weight bear on that leg and was sound at walk. After two weeks of bandaging the farrier fitted a hospital plate which allowed the dressings to be removed whilst still protecting the sole and keeping the surgical site clean. This allowed her to start walking and being turned out. Reilly has since made a full recovery and is back in ridden work.
