Abscess experts

[star]

Will give the full history so you have all the details.

Tue 19th Mar - pulled left hind shoe off in field

Wed 20th Mar - farrier came for routine shoeing - warned me he had to put a couple of nails a bit high to avoid some crumbly hoof wall below. He was fine after shoeing and went SJ that evening no problems.

Thur 21st Mar - schooling on the flat - no probs

Fri 22nd Mar - took him for a hack and he took a few short steps left fore but nothing convincing, seemed fine the majority of the time

Sat 23rd Mar - it snowed - no riding

Sun 24th Mar - took him to local dressage - warmed up for Novice no probs and won it on plus 70% - no doubts about soundness. Stood on lorry for half hour, came off for 2nd warmup and took a few short steps left fore but then felt fine and did his Elem no probs.

Mon 25th Mar - didn't ride as was waiting for farrier to be able to come and look at him

Tue 26th Mar - farrier came and took high corner nail out but couldn't see anything that concerned him and there was no pain over nail or with hoof testers. At this point was lame in trot on the left fore a circle on the left rein but otherwise ok. Started bute.

Wed 27th Mar - day off

Thur 28th Mar - still lame on a circle but now starting to look slightly lame on a straight line as well. pulses up in his fetlock, heat in the hoof.

Fri 29th Mar - farrier came back, still no reaction over nail holes or with hoof testers, took shoe off, nothing obvious to see, some bruising on frog so put some Magic Cushion over it then put a pad on. Stopped bute as was hoping to compete him this weekend.

Sat 30th Mar and Sun 31st Mar - more obviously lame trot straight line, ok in walk. Started poulticing and tubbing with Epsom salts.

Mon 1st April - lame in walk. Some sensitivity over outside coronary band, right at the back just behind where the high nail was. Some filling of the leg in general and felt warm to the touch. Still obvious pulse at fetlock and hot foot.

Today - hopping lame in walk, standing with weight off foot. Leg more filled, slightly warm obvious pulse, hot foot. Farrier came to take shoe off, no reaction to hoof testers, slightly sensitive over coronary band in same place as before. Nowhere that looked like it wanted to burst. Decided to get vet out as concerned might be missing something deeper in his foot and thought might be headed for xrays. Vet came this afternoon and by this point pony had decided that actually his heel really hurt and the heel bulb was noticeably swollen. Even touching gently around the back of the coronary band or the heel bulb resulted in him pulling his foot away. Hoof testers on the outside heel had same effect. Some bruising on sole in the heel area. Nowhere that looked like it wanted digging out through the sole. Vets advice - carry on poulticing and tubbing until it bursts. Given me some antibiotics to give him once it bursts to try and get it to heal up quicker as he's an eventer and has lots of entries in so really need to get him back on the road asap. He said to keep him in for now as he's got soft flat soles and feels he's likely to bruise very easily out in the field without a shoe on.

So, what I'm wondering is how much longer it's likely to be before it bursts and once it bursts how long is it usually before he's likely to be sound? What's best to clean it with once it bursts? Can I get the shoe back on as soon as it bursts?

I've had horses 12yrs and no abscesses until this year. My other horse got on in Jan that took 2mths to sort itself out after lingering around for ages then simultaneously bursting out of sole and coronary band and under-running the entire wall at that level leading to ongoing lameness for several weeks. He's just come sound last few weeks and now my eventer's turn!

 

[AdorableAlice]

How long is a piece of string. I have had them rumble for weeks and also had them burst in days and be immediately sound. Hopefully your horse will burst and recover asap so he can get back out competing.

I thought you were a vet after reading many of your posts.

 

[star]

I am but vet school was an awfully long time ago, they hardly teach you anything about feet and I've never been in equine practice. Just going to vet school doesn't give you the answers to everything. There are people on here with a tonne more experience of abscesses than me. This is the 2nd one I've ever dealt with.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I am but vet school was an awfully long time ago, they hardly teach you anything about feet and I've never been in equine practice. Just going to vet school doesn't give you the answers to everything. There are people on here with a tonne more experience of abscesses than me. This is the 2nd one I've ever dealt with.

Fair comment ! didn't realise you are not an equine vet !

My big horse had 2 abscesses recently, one in a front and one in a hind at the sametime (he had been on boxrest for a very long time and had various infection problems when turned out).

Did you know horses cannot stand on 2 legs when requested even though they can when being naughty ! - poulticing was beyond difficult, took four of us ! he was crippled but both popped within 24 hrs of each other, one upwards and one downwards. He was immediately sound on the foot that popped upwards, but the hind gave him pain for weeks for no apparent reason. It did clear up eventually, my vet gave me a foot wash called 'Equi Data' to run through the hole and around the white line.

I hope you can get him sorted quickly, very frustrating and the cost of entries is not small.

 

[Circe]

My horse had an abscess which brewed for nearly 4 months. He would go lame, then be better the next day. I had xrays taken, which showed just the abscess.
Eventually, he got extremely lame, ( hopping on 3 legs ) and the farrier was able to find and relieve the abscess. It also started draining from other areas in the hoof, despite being given a hole by the farrier.
He was about 90% better immediately, and 100% sound in a couple of days, although the abscess drained for 10days. ( it really was the mother of all abscess's ).
He was kept in for the first 3 days, with turnout in a sand arena, but then we realised that he is such a dirty horse in a stable, that it would probably be cleaner to turn him out with a nappy taped on.
Most horses I've know with an abscess burst within a couple of days and are sound pretty soon after.
I was told not to give antibiotics though, as that can dry up the flow of pus before the abscess is fully drained, so it will flare up again later.
Hope your boy is feeling better soon.
Kx