Abscesses- how did yours present?

[BBP]

I have no experiences of abscesses, but hear people talk about their horse brewing an abscess. How do you know? Having been on incredible form lately BBP is not ok tonight, vet coming in morning. Sister thinks it might be abscess coming, I’m not so sure. I just wondered how they can present, the usual and more unusual.

 

[milliepops]

Mine very rarely have them but its been either sudden acute 3 legged lameness, or grumbling on-off lameness over a week or so. with no swellings or other red flags.

 

[L&M]

The ones I have been involved with presented as very sudden onset lameness - on the verge of non weight bearing.

However I have also heard of low level ones that grumble along, and not always presenting such dramatic lameness.....the other thing to look for is heat in the hoof wall.

The lesson I have learnt with lameness is have your farrier check first, they can help discount hoof issues, and often save a costly vets bill!

 

[L&M]

Mine very rarely have them but its been either sudden acute 3 legged lameness, or grumbling on-off lameness over a week or so. with no swellings or other red flags.

We must have been typing at the same time! Great minds and all that...!

 

[doodle]

Any time I have dealt with them with mine they have gone very lame very quickly. The only exception was Minto after laminitis. He got one in each foot a couple of months later. He became lame but not as quickly or as badly. But the second one we were expecting so picked up quickly.

 

[Carrottom]

Usually I find that if they are near the toe you get extreme lameness and less so if at the back of the foot, then it's more a change in the gait. Huge generalization though.

 

[Shilasdair]

I have learned never to let a vet hack away at the sole of the foot in a vain search for an abscess.
They never find it, and you are left with a horse with gaping holes in its feet that you can't turn out for an eternity.
Get painkillers from the vet if needed, then get your farrier to look for any abscesses.

 

[Maryann]

I was doing some light schooling in a field when the horse suddenly went lame. The farrier happened to be in the yard and, to his surprise, found an abcess. My experience of them is that they can present in diferent ways.

 

[AUB]

Rode my horse on a saturday, something felt off. Hopped off, lunged to see and took video. Not really lame but not quite right. Free sunday. Monday I got a call from the yard that horse was very very lame when brought in.

So something was definitely brewing there.

 

[Carrottom]

I agree with "get the farrier'" before the vet. My unshod tb was lame a couple of months ago, the farrier and I both thought abcess but as he couldn't see anywhere on the foot to indicate where to dig he said to poultice &/or tub. Dirty poultice next day and 2 days later sound.

 

[irishdraft]

My horses very rarely if ever have them but had 2 last year as shoes were removed . Lame , non weight bearing and in absolute agony .

 

[TheHairyOne]

Sadly my horse is very prone to them over the last 2 winters after a yard move having never had one in his life previously.

I get all sorts.

The 3 legged totally dog lame ones come on very fast usually, but are gone just as quickly when they burst. Farrier is very good at finding these with minimal hoof interference. Poultice for a few days.

Then I have the rumbling ones. These normally start with a change of gait on changing surface, soft field to hard drive, but in the early stages they 'walk off' on the way into the yard. My guess is at this point its not too much of an 'ouch' after the initial change in surface. Can normally see these if I trot on a tight circle on hard. They then are either nothing or they progress to a bit short in walk, a bit lame in trot on hard in a stright line at which point I hot tub in epsom salts twice a day. Normally enough to draw them then i poultice for a few days.

Winter before last I worked my way around all 4 feet and then 2 more for good measure. Almost always happens when it freezes solid for a few days after being wet.

I dont even call the farrier other than for the
3 legged ones anymore, leave the shoes on and poultice over the top. Ive got so good they will stay on 12 hours in the field!

Not going to talk about this year since its still winter, but a change of feed has improved his foot a lot its just not quite reached the ground yet.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Feel for a digital pulse too. Abscess can make it stronger. My experience has been much more of the grumbling kind than the acute kind really.

And most of these grumbling ones have been under a bar and come out of a heel bulb.

Tub and wet poultice to get them out. I'm dubious about digging around in the foot but farriers are better than vets for that.

 

[Surbie]

I've only had the acute version. This was when mine was still an RDA horse - I went to bring him in, called and he wouldn't move. I thought he had broken a leg at first. He hopped in on 3 remaining, wouldn't weight bear at all, stood in stable resting against the wall, shaking and sweaty, very upset.

He had been a bit off colour for a few days if I remember right, but I wasn't there every day.

It was a front leg and the abcess was half-way round the foot. Vet dug and unfortunately it took a long time and a partial resection to heal and has left him with distorted white line 3 years later.

2 others on the yard also abcessed at different times but those healed quickly and easily.

 

[BBP]

Thanks. It sounds like they can present in quite a few ways. But looking at most descriptions I think it might be wishful thinking that it’s an abscess (not that they are nice but alternative unknown is scary).

 

[TheHairyOne]

I did have heat in the fetlock and slight swelling there with the one that popped out the coronary band. That one caused a huge digital pulse too.

 

[Shilasdair]

I think pretty much any kind of injury/problem in the foot will cause heat and a stronger digital pulse...

 

[BBP]

He’s got no heat and no obvious pulses. Seems like ok to weight bare but a delayed flight phase of the stride and is looking to the left whilst listing slightly to the right. Worried it might be nerve damage.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

How is the horse standing compared to normal?

I found that if they are slightly pointing a toe that can be because something is going on in the toe so they are putting more weight in the heel.

From the front, if the hoof is slightly tilted so more weight is going on one side, the 'lifted' side is where something is brewing.

If your field is sloping, it is normal to rest the uphill hind leg. So if they always face the same way to rest that can be a sign especially if they don't want to be turned the other way and stand for a while.

Tight circles can also give a clue even if they look OK on the straight.

I've spotted a few really early this way as the standing oddly (it is subtle) appears to happen before they look lame.

 

[BBP]

How is the horse standing compared to normal?

I found that if they are slightly pointing a toe that can be because something is going on in the toe so they are putting more weight in the heel.

From the front, if the hoof is slightly tilted so more weight is going on one side, the 'lifted' side is where something is brewing.

If your field is sloping, it is normal to rest the uphill hind leg. So if they always face the same way to rest that can be a sign especially if they don't want to be turned the other way and stand for a while.

Tight circles can also give a clue even if they look OK on the straight.

I've spotted a few really early this way as the standing oddly (it is subtle) appears to happen before they look lame.

He is standing with both square under him but I did think he has been looking more pigeon toed lately. This is why my sister thinks it could be an abscess as it looks a bit like he is trying to weight the outside of the left front foot so is bringing it more to his midline and pushing his weight out through his right shoulder, causing him to lose his balance as he moves. Just started today, absolutely fine yesterday. Very definitely off even on a straight line, bumped into me as he went to walk past, also into the stable doorway. Currently living on a flat sand/fibre arena and hard standing. But since the freeze I noticed he must be lying down in the field shelter and I wondered if he may have slipped on the flooring getting up today, as the rain had come up through the gaps between the rubber mats in it.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

It does sound like *something* is causing discomfort from what you describe he has altered his stance and isn't moving normally. I really hope that it is an abscess that resolves without issue and nothing more serious.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I would have a close look at the bar on the side of the foot he's trying to keep weight off. I've had an abscess on the outer bar/heel of a front foot where the first sign was a niggle in the stride, rather than an obvious lameness, and standing with the foot just a little out to the side (so weighting the inside edge). Turned out to be a big one but grumbled for an age before it came out. Feel for subtle heat in the heel bulb. And I'd tub it anyway. If nothing else it cleans the foot up so you can get a better look.

 

[chaps89]

I have learned never to let a vet hack away at the sole of the foot in a vain search for an abscess.
They never find it, and you are left with a horse with gaping holes in its feet that you can't turn out for an eternity.
Get painkillers from the vet if needed, then get your farrier to look for any abscesses.

Also not to mention the substantial difference on cost if the farrier does it rather than the vet!

OP, I hope it doesn't turn out to be anything too serious, will you keep us updated?

 

[BBP]

Also not to mention the substantial difference on cost if the farrier does it rather than the vet!

OP, I hope it doesn't turn out to be anything too serious, will you keep us updated?

I will do. Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone. Im keeping fingers crossed for the morning. Think I would have slept in stable with him if I could leave the dog that long!

 

[SEL]

I've tended to find that if it's a deep abscess then bute doesn't massively help, whereas if they've pulled / strained something it does.

 

[BBP]

I was super worried he had gone all neurological on me. But he is walking better this morning in his stable and bit of yard. I’m going to go back up in a bit once ice has thawed to take him to arena so I can see him move more freely. But no heat, pulses or marks anywhere that I could see or feel. Possibly had trapped a nerve?
He’s been on such epic form lately, so playful and energetic and annoying everybody all the time, which drives everyone mad but is lovely because it’s so him. So I’m hoping no more set backs for a while.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Hobbling, 3 legged horse. The vet got out a drill and got immediate pus, very satisfying to see and immediate relief for the horse.

 

[doodle]

Also not to mention the substantial difference on cost if the farrier does it rather than the vet!

OP, I hope it doesn't turn out to be anything too serious, will you keep us updated?

I made the mistake ONCE of saying yes when the vet offered to poultice the foot after they had found an abscess. How much???

 

[Louby]

A couple of weeks ago I went to get my horse in after a call to say they had been running round like idiots, she was very lame. Initial thoughts were oh no shes pulled something, she was turning like a laminitic would and was basically hopping. It did point to her hoof with the way she was walking and standing. I did call the vet as couldnt really have waited for the farrier. He suspected an abscess, strong digital pulse, heat in fetlock, no swelling and had to remove her shoe which I was aaaagh about as shes typical TB feet and can not cope without it. After hoof testing, dug away at her hoof with me cringing and couldnt find anything. Poulticed for a week, no pus but she was improving daily, meanwhile farrier came to hopefully get her shoe back on, didnt think it was an abscess, thought more bruising, was OMG at how much the vet had dug and put her shoe back on. The heat has gone from her fetlock, she is sound on the straight but I lunged her and she was lame on one rein. This has since improved and we are putting it down to the bruising and the digging out of her hoof!
Ive always been told farrier for suspected abscess's but it was over the Xmas/New Year period, I knew my farrier was off and knowing they had been running around I did worry she had pulled something. So a nice vets bill instead lol.

 

[Carrottom]

My farrier refers to our eminent equine vet as the butcher with a hoof knife ?