Surgery of the equine hoof: a review

Abstract

This article discusses common surgical conditions of the equine hoof and some practical considerations of operating on this unique anatomical site. Common conditions requiring surgical intervention include puncture wounds of the foot and associated sepsis of synovial structures, septic pedal osteitis, infection of the collateral cartilages (‘quittor’) and keratoma. The main difficulties in equine hoof surgery, as opposed to surgery elsewhere, include accurate preoperative localisation of the lesion, maintaining asepsis of the surgical site and gaining intraoperative access through the hoof wall to allow adequate surgical access.