My money is on the damage happening when he is struggling to get up - struggling being the operative
I have only seen hock sores on my horses for two reasons:
1. Lousy filthy shavings from Tractor Supply when DH was pretty sure the stuff we found in the shavings was recycled paper and wood from Hurricane Katrina - I'm not kidding.
2. The horse has arthritis issues somewhere in the back end. Could be anywhere from the sacrum clear down to bad or weak stifles.
Agree with everyone, that needs wrapped with meds before serious infection sets in.
Go to your favorite drug store (or Walmart
and buy
1. 4" X 4" or larger, gauze dressing pads. I think they are 2-ply or heavier.
2. Hemorrhoid ointment - that is one of my barn staples for a zillion different reasons
3. Diaper rash paste that says it is 40% zinc oxide. I buy Equate's at Walmart.
4. Cortisone 10 cream.
5. Some very cheap panty hose or knee hi's.
6. Vet wrap.
7. Duct tape if you don't have any.
7. Might even consider a couple of newborn baby diapers, if the panty hose won't work.
*****
Clean the sore out really good with Vetericyn or something similar that is sterile. I might even use eye wash if you don't have anything else available as it is sterile.
Make a heavy 50:50 mix of the hemorrhoid ointment & Cortisone 10 and cover the sore as deep as you can. If it turns out to be a deep hole, you might want to call the vet.
Put a heavy layer of diaper rash cream on top of that, since you know he is likely going to tear off all of your bandaging handiwork.
Cut a piece of the panty hose or knee hi and slip it over the leg, sliding up to the hock; panty hose let the leg still breath and may not bother him as much. THEN put the gauze pad on the sore and vet wrap it, being careful to not wrap too tight, since that is right in the bend.
Finish sliding the panty hose piece over the gauze pad. Duct tape the panty hose at the top and the bottom. Nice thing about panty hose is you can cut different lengths so the duct tape lands in a different spot.
Hopefully he will keep that on for the night -- which I would bandage at night and leave open with meds on the sore during the day, since you're pretty sure he does not lay down during the day.
If that doesn't heal or takes more than a week to make good healing progress, speaking from my perspective were it my horse, I would assume the horse is having a lot of trouble getting up and that's when I would have to decide which vet to call -- the traditional vet or the holistic vet/chiro.