Jacob gets back on the right foot
While harnessing Jacob one morning, Mahotometsa realised that his animal was limping and struggling to put any weight on his right front hoof.
The once strong, energetic stallion was listless, refusing to walk, and his appetite was poor. Seriously concerned for Jacob’s wellbeing, Mahotometsa arranged transportation for Jacob to travel the 15 miles to seek urgent treatment from the vets at our member SPANA’s centre in Randvaal, south of Johannesburg.
Jacob showed clear signs of discomfort as he was gently led into the treatment area, but he patiently waited while the vets examined the affected hoof. The vets discovered that he had a large, infected puncture wound in the hoof. Further inspection revealed the cause of his injury – Jacob had, at some point, stepped on a nail that had become stuck in his hoof.
The expert vets immediately set to work to remove the nail. They first soaked Jacob’s hoof to reduce inflammation, carefully removed the nail and then used a poultice (a medicated material applied to the body and kept in place with a dressing) to draw out the infection. They then gently trimmed Jacob’s hoof and sole, before fitting a special bar shoe and medical boot to help keep the area clean during the healing process.
The vets had Jacob return to the clinic for further check-ups while he recovered and were pleased with how well he had responded to treatment.
The relieved owner expressed his gratitude to the SPANA vet team. He said: “The moment I saw Jacob limping, I knew he had a problem. It was scary to see how badly Jacob was injured. I couldn’t believe how big the hole was when the nail was taken out. The vets did wonders with Jacob. Without them, I would have had to kiss my horse goodbye.”