Abscess/Barefoot Question Please

[LJS1984]

Hi
My horse usually only wears front shoes as he is retired.
He recently had a bad abscess in one of his hind hooves, the abscess was massive and took nearly a month of box rest with polticing and hot tubbing. He also had 3 courses of antibiotics and x-rays as it just seemed to be persisting, anyway he eventually came through this and the vet adviced packing the hole, which was pretty big and deep due to the amount of digging he had to repeatedly do, and putting back shoes on to protect it. The hole is in his toe right on the hoof wall so the shoe completely covers it.
He has been out in the field for 4 weeks with out any problems.
However I would like to move to a retirement grass livery yard as I think this will be better for us but they insist (which is understandable) that all horses have there back shoes removed, so my question is how long do you think I need to leave his shoes on before he can safely go barefoot again?
The vet made it sound like it could be 4-5 months!
Just wondered if any one has any views or experiences with this. The last thing I want to do is set him back again.
Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give

 

[be positive]

Your farrier will be the best person to ask, one of my ponies had a really bad time with an abscess, he had a huge hole cut into his toe, half way up the wall as well as plenty of sole removed, it took 4 months to finally come out fully, my farrier did most of the work on him, after the vet had recommended he was pts, another story, he never had shoes on, apart from a few days in heartbars which made him sore and came back off, he was turned out with padding on, then with nothing once the holes were fully closed, they grew back remarkably quickly.

 

[Brightbay]

Mine had an abscess in June, which we think disn't fully drain. It flared up again last week. Vet visited and cut a larger hole to drain - it's right at the very front of the toe (front hoof). The horse lives out. He has a piece of hot poultice packed into the toe every morning (a week later we're still getting black gunk on it), then I coat the rest of his hoof in Lanacane powder to absorb the sweaty gunk on the frog/heels from being wrapped, vetwrap the hoof, and apply a duck tape boot.

This stays on no problem for 24 hours - although when it snowed yesterday, he wore through it at the toe from digging for grass... but when I went to repoultice, the poultice packing in the abscess hole was still in it, even without bandage/duck tape.

I am certain the movement is helping to drain the abscess. Could you experiment with this kind of approach?

 

[LJS1984]

Thanks for your replies. He no longer needs it dressed or treated at all, all the infection has gone, it is just a question of if the hoof should be bare without shoes if the hole is still there? The vet was worried that the mud being pushed up into the hole may cause another infection.
Thanks

 

[TigerTail]

[/IMG]

My horse has been living out with this one, which blew out of the coronet back in feb, and its been fine. I clean it every now and then and put some field paste in but thats about it.

Vets digging big holes isnt always that helpful with abscesses

 

[Honey Pony]

We used to fill the hole with cotton wool after all infection gone and seal with tar. Stopped anything getting in the hole.

 

[Brightbay]

He no longer needs it dressed or treated at all, all the infection has gone, it is just a question of if the hoof should be bare without shoes if the hole is still there?

That's what I'm suggesting All you have to do is pack the hole - I am using a piece of poultice, but you can also use Red Horse Hoof Stuff (or Artimud), Keratex Hoof Putty, cotton wool with manuka honey and tea tree oil - anything that is a bit sticky and can be packed in. Once it's in, it doesn't come out - you can change it every day, or you can leave it in for several days at a time, just check it every day

As the hole gets shallower, the packing tends to fall out, but that's OK, because it's pretty much healed at that stage.

Vets digging big holes isnt always that helpful with abscesses

Sometimes, it is necessary - but anyway, in the case of the OP, the hole is there and there's no going back

 

[LJS1984]

Thanks for clarifying. That's really helpful, I will pack it as you have suggested when his shoes come off then he can move to his new home. Thank again!