Abscess

Errin Paddywack

Errin Paddywack

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We found my sister's 19yr old gelding in a lot of pain yesterday evening. First impression was acute laminitis but he was much worse on his off fore. He was shaking presumably with pain and hunched up. Offered him his tiny feed and he was more than willing to hobble after that. It was so strange as he is on restricted grazing, has been for 3 yrs and in the morning was charging round the field.
We shut him into a very small area that is virtually bald and gave him hay. Vet came this morning and he thinks, hopes, it is an abscess. He did a lot of digging, well more like chiselling, as his feet are rock hard. Couldn't find any pus so we are now to poultice for a couple of days in an attempt to soften his foot and hopefully allow the abscess to find a way out. If no improvement then possibly nerve blocking and x-ray.
Praying we have a better outcome than some people on here have had.
 
See my experiences below. My horse was very lame last Sunday, but his feet were rock hard, so I put on a poultice to soften his feet as much as anything, and hoped something would come out, but it didn't then. The farrier was supposed to come on Thursday, but he was really busy, so I got the vet instead. Vet came again yesterday, and the farrier came this morning. Lots of pus in the poultice this morning, more than I've seen before. The farrier said the hole is very small, so he cut a wedge out of the side of his hoof rather than dig into the bottom of his sole. He did say that he thought it must have been there for a long time but he wasn't lame until last Sunday as I make a point of watching them walk about, and they always trot when I open the gate for an evening feed.

However, this is the 10th day of being lame, I feel at last that I'm getting somewhere. I am still soaking his foot in hot water before poulticing, and he has had his course of antibiotics.
 
My sister has managed to get the farrier booked for Friday. Vet dug a couple of holes and used a needle to probe deeper but found nothing conclusive. We have now been poulticing for three days. Still no pus but clefts beside frog are looking very black and gooey. He is now spending all day standing rather than lying down and is not hunched any more so some improvement. I am still not happy about how much he is struggling to move around and wouldn't rule out laminitis as well. He is on soaked hay and only a tiny feed of fast fibre to carry his supplements.
Hopefully our farrier can find something otherwise we will be going down the x-ray route. Thankfully he is cheerful and has a good appetite.
 
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