Abcess advise please...

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Overgrown Pony

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My horse has a suspected abcess. He's all of a sudden lame on his off fore. There's heat in the bulbs of his heel and back of his foot in general, also in the back of his fetlock and a little above the fetlock. There's a little swelling above his fetlock too. I can feel a digital pulse and it feels stronger than in the good leg. My very experienced yard manager is convinced it's an abcess and i'm hoping it is.

My farrier can't get out until Wednesday. He said to dry poultice it and leave him out to keep him moving to aid it bursting.

Now i'm not one for ignoring a professional but putting a dry poultice on a foot that's not got a hole to drain anything from doesn't make any sense to me. I'm thinking a more sensible approach would be to hot tub it with epsom salts to try and draw it.

What do you guys think? Any advise is much appreciated.
 
Get a vet in straight away so that a proper diagnosis can be carried out. Your farrier is not qualified to diagnose a medical problem.
 
I would soak it in hot wate and Epsom salts at least twice a day and then dry poultice it just to keep it clean and then when its surfaced warm poultice it to draw it out, then when you think there isn't anymore gunk coming out and your horse is sound dry poultice it again for a few days just to stop dirt getting in the hole it's burst out of and ending in another abscess !
I always find that the abscess burst quicker if the horse is kept moving rather than on box rest, this is what I do with my abscess prone mare and she always makes a speedy recovery
 
Yep soaking for me too, and movement.

Im not that keen on vets where abscessing is concerned because they tend to like to dig large holes that you are then left to try and keep clean and dry!
 
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