after a foot abscess?

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mazziek

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ok so on tuesday last week, mare came in not wanting to put any weight on front foot, farrier came out a put hole in her sole, it was an abscess starting but he says we caught it before it could turn into anything huge. so after few days of blood on her dressings there is now nothing coming out so at what point can i leave her bandage off? she is getting hydrogen peroxide scooshed on her foot to kill anything else off and harden the foot, its starting to heal. im going to keep her in for a few more days but as nothing was coming out i was windering if i can clean it 3 tmes a day and leave dressing off?
 
Shall be watching the responses as I had to have vet out today to one of my boys for a foot abcess. Was advised 3 days hot polticing followed by 3 days dry poltice. Then shoe back on if all o.k. and healing.
 
Blood? Correct me if I'm wrong but I've never known blood to come out on a foot abcess! How deep did he dig it out?!!

I put keratex hoof putty up mine or/and a tiny bit of cotton wool so it stops the mud and abcessing all over again. Keep it clean everyday after the horse is turned out and it soon re-grows.
 
Hi there,

One of my little ponies has got a tendency to foot abcesses.

My vet has always treated her from field. Basically, I have had it pared, cover in hot poultice,wrap in vetrap and then wrap in duck tape and keep out. Continue hot poultice for 3 days and then dry poultice for 3 days. Then fine to uncover if drained and sound.

Obviously not great if very muddy,but it IS manageable. How about a hoof boot or something similar to keep it covered?
 
i was not there when the farrier came out yo was but he pared a hole to allow it to drain, thats what the blood was all bout. i shall dry poultice tommorow, im not even going to attempt turning her out with a boot on the fields r in a terrible state. shes happy enough being in for few days, she has plenty things in her stable keeping her occupied!
how long does it take for the hole to heal?
 
My TB had a nasty abscess last year that the farrier had to open up. Once there was no more pus/blood on the dressings, I left it off for a few days but avoided turnout for a couple more just to be safe.
 
my pony had a foot abcess last winter and the vet cut a HUGE hole in his foot as it was so deep! after all the puse had gone I then dry polticed it for 2days to dry the foot up a bit, then chucked him out in the mud and stuffed cotton wool soaked in disinfectent in the hole and changed this once aday for 3/4days.
 
As long as you have covered the dry poutlice in vetwrap and duck tape he should be fine to turn out even in the mud. One you have had a couple of dry poultices it is normally reasonably well healed. I turned mine out after an abcess with nothing on once dry and sound with no problems. Just washed off when he came in and chucked a load of disinfectant on it. Hard sometimes to know the right thing to do but check with the vet if you are worried! I hate the winter and the mud - always makes it more tricky!
 
If it's finised draining you just need to keep stuff out of it until it's started to heal properly.

Seal it with Keratex Hoof Putty - if you're near edinburgh I can give you a blob instead of you buying a whole tub!

Then a small square duct tape over the hole - I used to actually glue it in place with superglue (try pound shops for sheet of cheap glue tubes) which worked brillaintly on a clean dry foot.
 
Ours have always been turned out with foot abscesses - we have just poulticed them and vet wrapped, duck taped etc round to keep the dirt out. Also hot tubbed in salty water morning and night to help clear out the gunge and then shove peroxide in the hole.

Blood can be quite normal so isn't a problem. If your horse is now sound I would advise to turn out with a well covered foot if possible. If you have a hoof boot/boa boots then they would be very useful to keep the foot clean
 
Once vet has cut out poison and cut a good drain, I only use a sugar and Iodine poultice, plenty of duct tape, changed or finished with 48 hours later. Field ones turned straight out. Jumpin horses might need it changed to get studs in at shows!!!
 
Once the dressing is clean, leave off and turn out, nothing else needed regardless of mud.
 
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