Abcess vs bruise - advice please

[digitalangel]

My lovely old gal who is 23 this time round went dead lame last friday afternoon after being turned out sound that morning. As i couldnt get a farrier out same day and i was due to go away over the weekend, i decided to get the vet out. She was presenting as though she had an abcess - very lame, heat, digital pulse and ive seen her have abcesses before and she presented the same.

Vet came out she wasnt really responding that much to hoof testers but pared her sole and dug a litttle near her heel but no signs of a track. Felt it was an abcess ruled out lami and bruise. Advice was to poultice 48 hours wet, 48 hours dry, bandage the limbs for support ( she was not really bearing weight ) and bute for 4 days.. and to bring her in if no better.

She did improve but as soon as the bute wore off she hasnt really improved since. Had farrier to her tuesday he found a different sensitive area ( but no real overt pain signal ) in the toe, again pared back and no track. He thinks its a bruise.

Shes slightly off in walk and definitely head bobbing both reins in trot. Ive popped her in a small turnout pen so shes not stuck in the box itching ( her sweet itch is quite bad as well ) and so she can move around as she is stiffening up a bit.

No sign of any abcess and i would have expected to see more improvement day to day on a bruise. There is still heat and a pulse in that foot. Or am i just being impatient? Should i take her back to the vet?

 

[Slightlyconfused]

My lovely old gal who is 23 this time round went dead lame last friday afternoon after being turned out sound that morning. As i couldnt get a farrier out same day and i was due to go away over the weekend, i decided to get the vet out. She was presenting as though she had an abcess - very lame, heat, digital pulse and ive seen her have abcesses before and she presented the same.

Vet came out she wasnt really responding that much to hoof testers but pared her sole and dug a litttle near her heel but no signs of a track. Felt it was an abcess ruled out lami and bruise. Advice was to poultice 48 hours wet, 48 hours dry, bandage the limbs for support ( she was not really bearing weight ) and bute for 4 days.. and to bring her in if no better.

She did improve but as soon as the bute wore off she hasnt really improved since. Had farrier to her tuesday he found a different sensitive area ( but no real overt pain signal ) in the toe, again pared back and no track. He thinks its a bruise.

Shes slightly off in walk and definitely head bobbing both reins in trot. Ive popped her in a small turnout pen so shes not stuck in the box itching ( her sweet itch is quite bad as well ) and so she can move around as she is stiffening up a bit.

No sign of any abcess and i would have expected to see more improvement day to day on a bruise. There is still heat and a pulse in that foot. Or am i just being impatient? Should i take her back to the vet?

One of mine has just had to have xrays to find his abcess as after a week and him getting more lame after the vet had I had tried to find the exit site and the infection going up his leg. Once she saw it on the xrays and she could make the hole it burts really nicely.
whats her white line like? mine had his come out of there

Could be it just needs more time to come out, walking will help burst it. my boy is now sore from brusing but I'm not surprised after all that pus came out.

 

[digitalangel]

One of mine has just had to have xrays to find his abcess as after a week and him getting more lame after the vet had I had tried to find the exit site and the infection going up his leg. Once she saw it on the xrays and she could make the hole it burts really nicely.
whats her white line like? mine had his come out of there

Could be it just needs more time to come out, walking will help burst it. my boy is now sore from brusing but I'm not surprised after all that pus came out.

Thanks - shes less lame but frustratingly slow/no progress since tuesday so im just concerned something else might be going on in there. would have thought more reaction to hoof testers for a start or more lameness if its still brewing. no infection up the leg but still heat and a pulse. Her white line is lovely, hasnt stretched or anything and shes never had lami.

 

[BrynwayDuke]

Bruising normally comes up quite prominent, mine had bad bruising after he was turned out into a soggy field for a few days and then walked across a rough path to the yard. Warm hoofs is one of the symptoms of laminitis so I would maybe restrict her grazing until you can rule that out?

 

[Scatterbrain]

Not trying to worry you but symptoms are also those of a fracture in the hoof. Been there, convinced it was it was an abscess brewing, but X-ray revealed a fractured coffin joint. Hope yours is just an abscess or bruise, but worth bearing in mind.

 

[Gloi]

I had one which was being treated like this for bruising/abscess, improved on bute but no better when it stopped. It ended up being a piece of nail buried in the side of the frog which nobody had found but which eventually I found it changing the poultice as it had started poking out a bit. After removing it he soon got better.

 

[l_i_z_z_i_e]

Very similar situation to the one I have had this weekend. Came home sat even and horse was hopping lame.

20 yr old mare. Bad allergies and has been super itchy for last week, so having steroids etc.

Called vet out at 9pm sat night, as I can't bring her into stable as she will itch too much. Vet removed shoes and said to poultice for a couple of days and then get farrier. Farrier is coming on Wednesday to have a look. 2 bute a day for 2 days and the poor horse is no different really.

Thumping pulse still in her leg, and heat in the foot. Could poss be laminitis due to steroids but vet hopes unlikely as it is so focused on one fore leg.

Hope yours starts to feel better soon

 

[Vodkagirly]

The bute stops the abcess coming out. Something to do with it being an anti inflamatory - there is information on one of my old threads as I had an identical situation.
It was abcess (actually 2) took a week after the bute for the first one to come out but was still lame and then farrier found a second one another week later and we had instant soundness.

 

[digitalangel]

Thanks everyone

Sadly she has not improved, the farrier came out to have another look/dig around on tuesday to no avail, we discussed it - neither of us feel it is laminitis, but we have kept her off grass and shes in a sand and rubber turnout pen to keep her moving ( she is getting stiff being in all the time ) and im taking her to the vet on friday. i am a bit worried to be honest - shes in fab condition for her age but she is 23!