abscess again!!

dunthing

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My highland who is oversized at 15.1Hh and therefore, a bit of a heavyweight, has very hard feet But he gets an abscess on average three times every winter. Usually it's the fronts but this time he has one high up near the coronet band on a hind hoof. The farrier has just been but the abscess is not open yet and although he has dug a hole, no pus so far. My question is, does anyone know of any really good hardener for the SOLE of feet. He seems to have quite a soft area around the white line and the farrier thinks that this is where the abscess is starting and then tracking up to the coronet. Any ideas would be gratefully received and save a fortune on bandages and animalintex.
 

kick_On

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Keratex
but i would also see if i could improve where or what the feet stand in, ie does your field become very muddy or wet etc... as this is a factor in hoof going soft
 

dunthing

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It is a nightmare in winter with lots of natural springs. We are going to sort it out in spring. With 5 horses all milling around the gateway it's bound to get bad. Our yard is open straight onto the field and they come and go as they like. They prefer to be out and usually only come onto the yard to be fed.
 

liet1

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Keep your horses away from the mud while he has a hole in his foot that will help stop reinfection. Also for my two cents, try putting your horse on bute so that he moves around on the sore foot that way the abscess will blow out of the coronet band.

Next try and identify why your horse got the abscess. By this I mean is it stone bruise, puncture or similar. Is your horse active or not as alternatively one of my vets also advises that horses with not great circulation can also get abscess in their feet as a result. It is something to do with horses naturally carrying bacteria in their blood and as a result, developing abscess in their feet due to the extremities being a long way from the heart. So using hardeners would IMHO could cause the circulation to be worse.

May be get a second opinion on your horses foot health from another farrier in case there is some underlying issues like white line separation, fungus or other. If you think it is the result of circulation issues, look at diet as a way to resolve the issue for example apple cider vinegar is great for the lymphatic system but it would be best to consult with a professional dietician.

Hope that helps and good luck seen quite a few with abscesses and it really distress me just looking at them.
 
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