If you have a horse, you may have already seen your buddy become lame after no apparent injury. If it hasn’t happened yet, chances are it will at some point.

A likely cause of this scenario is a hoof abscess, which can occur at any time but most commonly during wet weather. Bacteria can enter cracked hooves, foot wounds — even through horseshoeing nails set too close to sensitive tissue. Once trapped under the hoof wall, these bacteria create pus, which builds up extremely painful pressure that causes lameness and a throbbing pulse in the affected lower limb.

It’s important to contact your veterinarian as soon as possible when you see these signs, to relieve the pressure and pain and get the infection under control.