abcess help please

diggerbez

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sorry know this should be in vets but don't think many people venture in there!
as some of you probably know V came in hopping lame the other day...vet came...dug out foot...etc etc. anyway, its not a proper abcess- she thinks that he's stood on something and basically chopped the end of his frog off- so now she's dug it out and there is a wide hole there and there is what i can only assume is frog tissue- its pink with white round the edge... have been hot poulticing and he's totally sound so decided to put him out (with it all bandaged up) for half an hour- cue him racing about like a div and the bandage coming off. now have washed it very thoroughly so is all clean again and re-poulticed... but now thinking that i should just keep him in till it looks better...but i don't know how long that will be. its not like its a real abcess that i can just pack with cotton wool/iodine as the hole is too wide/shallow.... i don't really know what i should do? any ideas?
 
it had duck tape on :rolleyes: admittedly not loads...so will try 500 layers of duck tape tomorrow and see if that fares any better :p
because its near his frog he's still got his shoe on so i don't think thats helping in the whole coming through the bandage problem. maybe he'll be a tad calmer tomorrow- i don't think bombing about at 700 miles an hour exactly helped

does anyone have any idea about how long it'll take to start healing?
 
i think you need a shoof, boot or similar over his shoe. his shoe will cut through just about anything else tbh, incl loads of duct tape...
i'd expect it to take a few weeks tbh, definitely worth buying a boot or similar imho.
 
i think you need a shoof, boot or similar over his shoe. his shoe will cut through just about anything else tbh, incl loads of duct tape...
i'd expect it to take a few weeks tbh, definitely worth buying a boot or similar imho.

argh frustrating...will go buy self a boot now :rolleyes:
 
would it be worth putting stockholm tar on the affected area?
says "A sticky, black vegetable tar with a natural anti-bacterial action. Traditional, thick formula seals and protects damaged areas of the frog, sole and wall of the hoof"
obviously with bandage over the top??
 
Horse hospital top tip:
1 find a plastic wrapped bale/ plastic surface (that tape will peel off) and make a duct tape pad by laying 5 slightly overlapped strips of tape then put 5 overlapping strips accross these lines so now have a double thickness square.

2 Use as light an under poultice as you can get away with then lift leg and slap square directly on bottom of hoof. horse usually puts foot down then but you've got it on... whooppeee

3 next fold up the corners of the square up the hoof (not onto skin) trim if necessary. then tape around hoof to hold pad on with small strips of duct tape again avoiding getting any on skin- could cut off blood supply.

4 Then turnout, will last 2 days.
 
Horse hospital top tip:
1 find a plastic wrapped bale/ plastic surface (that tape will peel off) and make a duct tape pad by laying 5 slightly overlapped strips of tape then put 5 overlapping strips accross these lines so now have a double thickness square.

2 Use as light an under poultice as you can get away with then lift leg and slap square directly on bottom of hoof. horse usually puts foot down then but you've got it on... whooppeee

3 next fold up the corners of the square up the hoof (not onto skin) trim if necessary. then tape around hoof to hold pad on with small strips of duct tape again avoiding getting any on skin- could cut off blood supply.

4 Then turnout, will last 2 days.

hahaha...not with my horse, i cant even tie him up outside while i much out without him breaking through that! 12hours on a thick straw bed is as good as it gets provided he does not get bored...if he does he will bite through it!
 
When mine had a massive hole in his foot we had to:
1. Poulice
2. Then a nappy
3. Wrap in cotton wool
4. Vet Wrap
5. A duct tap pad as described by moosehunter
6. A finally a welliboot!

Yes it was alot but he needed it (one of the worse cases of puss in the foot out vet had seen) and he even wore through the boot eventually... We also used manuka honey in the hole to help the healing process :)
 
Do you work in an office? Those plastic self-seal courrier packets are brilliantly strong. 15 inch square bag or bigger. Seal bag. Pop one corner into the opposite one to make a triangle. Put toe into triangle with nappy on if padding is needed. Wrap bandage tape around fetlock with 2 fingers "room to breath". Duct tape all base of over bag.
 
Hi, I thought I must post as I have tried every boot going from £20- £80 including the couple on here that I have just read, sorry not gone onto 2nd page tho. The only one that stayed on in the field and in the wet/mud was the BOA boot. I know they are expensive but I needed to keep a hole dry and clean. I did put cotton wool, cohesive bandage and duct tape on too to secure the fit and just to make sure ;)
The exposed tissue needs to go hard and dry before it will be safe from infection. I hope it all goes OK.
 
When we poultice and turn out, we
1.Hot tub the foot with Epsom salts
2. Pack the hole with Epsom salts
3. Use a nappy (shaped quite well!)
3. duct tape the nappy around the bottom
4. use surgical type tape around the pastern
(if very sore add a hoof shaped piece of carpet!)
5. use an old feed bag (the white types) around the foot and tie with twine
6. More duct tape!

Works very well :)

We used to use kaolin on brown paper, but have had far better results with the Epsom salts :)
 
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