Abscesses

TheresaW

TheresaW

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Went to get Mac in from the field yesterday and he could just about manage to walk. Took half and hour to get him into the yard. Was so so worried about him, because he looked exactly like Dolly did when she injured her annular ligament. Anyway, called vet and she isolated the pain to his foot. Had a dig, and a small amount of pus came out, so she suspects an abscess. Got him out tonight and he seems at least as bad, if not worse than last night. Took poultice off and nothing has come out. Got to phone vet tomorrow, and also farrier is coming. Have put a new poultice on tonight.

It is the first time I have dealt with anything like this. Could it be an abscess?
 
Yup - sounds just like it to me. My mare had something similar several months ago and I thought she had done a tendon. Was sound as a bell at 0800 and by 1200 noon, could hardly walk a step. Vet did all the usual tests but couldn't find any reaction with the hoof testers. Gave her pain killing injection and anti-inflammatory. 24 hours later a load of pus came out of her coronary band...sound as a bell once again. Don't worry, I think it is an abcess - *crosses fingers and hooves frantically*.......!
 
My horse was so lame with his abcess even the vet was suprised as he was almost non weight bearing. It was such a relief to be told that it was only an abcess. If nothing has come out of the hole onto the poultice then I would ask your vet or farrier to have another dig around and increase the size of the hole. I know this sounds obvious but are you sure you had the poultice the right way up, ie. shiny side outwards? Did you use warm-hot water to soak the poultice in prior to application. Although Animalintex works both dry and wet it is probably better applied quite hot to the hoof. I always have to remind myself to do check if the shiny side is outwards facing.
 
Farrier is coming this afternoon and he is going to have a dig. Have never poulticed before, but yes, did have shiney side out. Water was almost boiling as well. Farrier has said it is probably very deep.
 
would def say abcess as one of my liveries came in like that last week..if your horse is good try hot tubbing in a bucket of hot just bearable water and epsom salts for half hour each day..will help draw the pus..be prepared if its deep it might come out through the coronory band but your farrier should be able to dig about a bit more..remember to plug the hole with something like cotton wool and cornecrecine or stockholm tar before putting back out!! ..
 
Are you hot tubbing it with epsom salts twice a day? it helps to draw the infection and gives it a good clean out, rinse with hibi scrub and put a hoof boot on to keep dry and clean during the day, let the hoof dry out and rest, then just poultice on a night.

It can take up to month or more to get over a bad abcess, along with antibiotics.
 
My experience was that my pony had to have antibiotics in the end to get rid of the infection. The vet resisted for a while, but it was quite an aggessive bacteria - the first antibiotic didn't work... The abscess tracked around the white line all the way round and took ages to go. Even when it had apparently gone, the farrier came (along with the vet) to discuss the possibility of shoeing and more pus came out, despite the pony being sound. He was x-rayed a couple of times to see if there was a reason behind the abscess. I understand they can come inside the hoof if the laminae is damaged - so if the horse has had laminitis in the past, it's a good idea to get that checked.
My other pony had an abscess a while back - she was intermitently lame, so I didn't get it investigated, until one day when the farrier came and announced that she had had an abscess and it had burst out the coronary band. Nature had taken it's couse; the hole grew down her hoof wall and she was sound.
Personally, I would always get the advice of the vet and the farrier - they will differ, but education gives you choice.
 
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