Abscess advice

H_J

H_J

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Horse has been diagnosed with an abscess by vet due to being hopping lame and digital pulse very strong plus hood warm. Farrier has dug out by the side along hoof wall and blood came out very easily, i poulticed and got some yellow liquid out with some blood and now that area has been dry on the last 2 poultice's.
Tonight when I took this mornings poultice off that area still dry but now some more yellowy liquid and blood out of the bottom of the frog.
Is it possible for an abscess to spread like this from the frog? Have poulticed the whole foot tonight to see exactly where I get some pus/liquid from!
Horse looking slightly more comfortable but lame anyway from no shoe. Swelling in the leg gone down lots but still slightly puffy around fetlock. Had vet out Monday morning so guess its still only been 2 days
 
OH's old TB was prone to foot problems and abcesses, once he grew a whole new sole and there was lots of fluid collected between the new sole and the old sole (he squeaked when he walked :confused:)

Maybe I'm not making a lot of sense, but I can certainly believe that an abcess could track across from the side of the hoof to the frog area.

Hope you find out where its coming from soon.

Fiona
 
An abscess left to its own devices, which many people now believe that they should be, will track either up to the coronet band, out through the side of the frog where it joins the sole, through the central sulcus in teh frog or, most frequently, back to the heel bulb, and burst out. The hole can then be flushed with hydrogen peroxide and the horse will typically take around another four days to come sound, sometimes a bit longer.

You do not normally get blood from poulticing an abscess, it sounds like your farrier might have cut too deep. I have had numerous abscesses in horses over the years (it's par for the course in horse owning) and they never bled, even in the days when I used to get my farrier to dig an exit hole for them. Yellow liquid is as likely to be serum from the wound as pus from the abscess and it's quite possible that your farrier didn't hit the abscess at all, which is why it has burst somewhere else entirely.

YOur horse should be fine in a few days now it's broken it out for itself.
 
Its entirely possible the abscess has underun back along the foot. My horse is still recovering from one diagnosed as a result of a puncture wound about 3 weeks ago. Have a chat with your vet/farrier. You need to keep poulticing until pus stops coming out. It sounds like it has burst out around the frog. I personally would tub it in some epsom salts twice a day to draw out any pus which may be stuck in there. Is there a big hole where farrier dug out? This may need plugging with some cotton wool & iodine while it heels over or a pad putting on when re shod to keep dirt out.
When farrier came to re open mines hole, it did bleed alot, this is because the original hole was soft tissue. It stopped straight away however after tubbing it.
Similarly to Fiona (although minus the squeaking!) the sole on my lad went very squishy where the pus was stuck inside.
 
I think i have found it!

I think the yellow bit around where the farrier had dug was just the serum from where it was dug a little deep, the abscess/injury is actually a crack in the sole near the edge of the frog it is a cross shape so must have been a stone or something, he is jumping through the roof when i squeeze it so must be that! Plus it is seeping a bit, im now hot poulticing that area so hopefully he will be more comfortable tonight. The sole has also gone squedgy around it.
Ill get some epsom salts today and soak the foot tonight :)
 
If the sole has gone squidgy it sounds like there is definatley some pus in there. I would recommend a chat at least with your farrier. He might think it necessary to pop down & open the hole up a bit more to allow it to release easily.
My farrier had me tubbing twice a day for 20 mins in hot (not too hot - check with back of hand) water & epsom salts. Not easy on a back leg of a temperamental tb! But it definatley helps.
Hope it is sorted soon. :)
Is there any swelling now?
 
I spoke to farrier this morning and he said as there is a crack and it is drawing slightly that it should continue to draw without digging out, ill see what I get out later and suggest maybe he comes tomorrow and digs a bit.

I will definitely hot tub tonight. The swelling has almost gone in the leg now :)
 
I too now leave an absess to find it's own way out, I will poultice the frog area and coronet band to soften it as soon as lameness is apparent and I will dose with liquid citricidal (natural antibiotic) this will then fight the infection and the abcess finds a small hole and drains with the help of the poultice. The citricidal will completely clear up a small infection, I have found this way much more effective at reducing the risk of a secondary infection from the dig hole. Touch wood none this year!
 
I would poultice the whole of the bottom of the foot. My method is usually clean the foot up, apply wet hot poultice (animalintex - either foot shaped or cut into a square to cover foot), then vetwrap around. You will usually see when you take it off exactly where goo coming from as it moulds around the shape of foot.
Oh and then gallons of duck tape...stops it from wearing through & from absorbign any water/wee/poo from stable etc.
 
Horse still hopping lame :( ive been poulticing since Monday now and hot tubbing since yesterday morning, I can see the area thats caused it its a cross where he has trodden on a stone (flat footed TB!) and when I press its soft and he jumps but nothing coming out now :(
vet coming again today, dont know what to do :(
 
Sounds like farrier/vet needs to dig it out further. Sounds like there is still infection trapped in there.
Usually once the pressure is released horse becomes much sounder.
 
It is a regular and normal occurance for an abscess to track around the hoof and find a second exit. Continue with the dry poultice under the whole hoof until it is clear. Don't hot/wet poultce any more. I usually hot tub only, but that's my choice of action and not everyone's.
 
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