How should I treat this?

Ok so my pony steped on something ( I have no idea what it is a circle with the bottom have of a non pointy screw poking out) and got it stuck in her hoof. The screw part that stuck in her hoof was only about 3-4 mm and left a little hole when I pulled it out. Should I put something on it to keep it from getting infected. It was right next to the frog but not in it. After I took it out she quit limping but I am keeping her up for the day anyway. Thanks!

The answer to that question depends on how experianced you are with feet and injuries.
It is possible to puncture a hoof and have the pony go sound after the object is pulled out, the pony will not feel the isolated pressure anymore , However if the puncture goes right through the sole of the foot then some lameness may not occur for a day or so.

Keep the foot as clean as possible and if you can apply some antiseptic solution to the area and some sort of barrier to stop dirt getting in .

Take the temperature of the horse - an elevation in temperature may indicate an infection even if the pony is not lame - also check for heat in the foot and any soft swelling .

I cannot stress enough that the foot of the horse , due to its structure and proximity to the ground ( and everything on it ) , is vital to keep healthy ( I wouldn't worry about a 3-4mm puncture on the rump ) .

If you have ANY doubt whatsoever - CALL A VET

NO FOOT ---- NO HORSE

I do not have hoof injury experience. I will probably call the vet in the AM and have him come out. In the meantime I will get some antiseptic andtry and figure out how to wrap her foot so that dirt can't get in. Thanks!

4mm is a tiny fraction of an inch. With you having no experience, I might call the vet to be on the safe side but I wouldn't think there is anything he can do that you can't do yourself. Keep it clean for a few days at least. Your vet should be able to recommend pretty much the same thing and be able to give you instructions over the phone to save you a farm call. If you are that worried about contamination, vet wrap or at least duct tape will help in wrapping it.

A good relationship with your vet is such an important thing to have so that, in the long run, they will talk to you about the problem instead of running out there each and every time you have a concern.

As for wrapping, you can wrap with vet wrap or you can get a diaper and tape it around the foot. =]

K you guys wont believe this but im going to tell you anyways :p I had the same thing happen to my mare. I went to pick out her hooves one day and go riding and I noticed a shiney object pointing out. I looked closer and it was a nail ! I have no clue how it got there because my pasture is very clean (honest it is) I don't have anything laying around that could possibly have nails in it. Anyways, the nail was stuck about an inch into her frog!!!! Yes I know unbelievable hey ! So I had some plyers handy with me in the quad and I just pulled the nail out. Its like she never even knew it was there !!!!! A horses frog is very sensitive and she never reacted when I pulled the nail out or anything I was worried it would get infected or she would limp badly so I put her hoof back down and let her walk around and everything was fine-no limp or nothing. I kept close watch on her frog though to make sure it did not get infected and it never. Nothing happend. I was really surprised. I still kept watch though for like a month, and nothing happend. I can't even see the whole anymore or aything. Bazzar hey !!

There is a massive difference between having a nail in the frog and the sole of the foot - and contrary to popular belief the frog is not a sensitive as most people think unless it is cut back too hard .
The frog of a hoof is designed by nature to be the a shock absorber - normally being first to contact the ground followed by the hoof wall which carries the strength.
The sole of the foot will have dead or shedding tissue - followed by live sole - followed by the digital cushion.

A ponies sole is thinner than that of a horse due to the size of equine - also what needs to be taken into account with a foreign object impacting the sole is when the hoof was last seen by a farrier. It would not be uncommon for a hoof to have 3-4mm of ' dead ' sole to be removed by a farrier before live tissue is reached.

Soak it in a warn saline solution twice a day, keep it wrapped with either a diaper and duct tape or gauze, cotton bating, vet wrap and duct tape. Only turn her out if you have a completely no dirt field to turn her out in. There should be no dirt or mud, only grass or if it is available a pen with wood chips/bark as footing. If all your pens/fields are muddy then put her on stall rest with as much hand walking as possible on only clean surfaces. Her stall should lso be kept very clean.
I personally would first of all soak it for as long as possible and clean it very well with bedadine making sure there is nothing in there and then keep it clean and only soak it for a few weeks unless it gets dirty then I would clean it again with the bedadine. Talking to a vet is always a good idea, no matter how "minor" the injury seems. Prevention is always much cheaper than dealing with the consequences later.

Clean and scrub the bottom of the food thoroughly. If there's no blood and you can't see pink or red flesh, then don't worry about it. If you can see blood or pink/red flesh, then you might want to call the vet and ask for his/her opinion on treating it.

For wrapping, I use non-stick gauze pads + vet wrap + duct tape on the bottom to keep the vet wrap from tearing. It's easy and fast, and it stays on, and is easy to remove.