Another abscess... What am I doing wrong?

[mightymammoth]

Just wondering if anyone else's horse is having problems with abscesses?

Shod in front only but gets abscess in Both front and back. We're now looking at our forth abscess in 6 months.

Friends say its just one of those things but why is it always mine that gets them? There's are kept in the same way but don't seem to get them. So where am I going wrong?

I've had him a year but prior to me he only had the odd one but now they seem to be a permanent fixture.

It's really getting me down now.

Can anyone offer advice please?

 

[Gingerwitch]

Loads of horses have been getting them this year, due to the hooves becoming so soft through all the wet.

It is hard work and pretty distressing for you and the horse.

I cannot give you any advice really-but what has your farrier said ?

 

[mightymammoth]

They don't really say anything about it except as you say it's common this year as its so wet. Just feel there's more I could do to prevent them just don't know what.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

My chestnut mare got lots of abscesses when her white line was stretched after my previous farrier let her toes get far too long. The other horses living on the same land and eating the same food didn't get abscesses.

 

[YasandCrystal]

Only thing I can add is to always make sure you feed a low protein diet as high protein can cause abscesses.

 

[samstar]

My pony has had 3 abcesses in the last 3 months, in the end her leg swelled up to her hock, she couldnt weight bare at all, called vet out and we couldn't find entrance of abcess, he decided to put her on anti flams and biotics, after 3 days nothing had changed. he then decided xrays was the only way, while she was sedated for them he used a drill to look further into the hoof, we found the culprit, he opened it up so it could drain well then filled the hole with cotton wool soaked in iodine and silaged taped it up. Only with the viewing of xray did he find the abcess had gone into her bone, luckily only a small amount, she had to then have baytrill for 2 weeks to kill that off. Not trying to worry you but I'd get her seen to if it persists any longer as this abcess never really cleared up from the first time

 

[amandap]

Thin soles, low mineral status? Ring Sarah at Forage Plus for advice. Read this story. http://www.forageplus.com/forageplusstories.html It might be relevant.

 

[Ginger Bear]

I use an antibacterial sole hardener made by my vet.. Started to use it when my horse got an abscess & never had one since..

 

[ghostie]

Friend swears by aromafrog painted all over sole. Her mare had endless problems until they started using It but hasn't had one since. Could be a coincidence but maybe worth a try?

 

[Holly Hocks]

Have you tried Red Horse Field Paste?

 

[mightymammoth]

Thin soles, low mineral status? Ring Sarah at Forage Plus for advice. Read this story. http://www.forageplus.com/forageplusstories.html It might be relevant.

this is what I thought but I feed pro hoof extra magnesium and low sugar high fibre feeds.

Will have a look at the link thanks

 

[muff747]

How old is your horse - I'm thinking Cushings maybe??

 

[cptrayes]

Only thing I can add is to always make sure you feed a low protein diet as high protein can cause abscesses.

Y&C I have never heard that before. Is it documented anywhere you can point me to?

 

[amandap]

this is what I thought but I feed pro hoof extra magnesium and low sugar high fibre feeds.

Will have a look at the link thanks

Pro hoof is very good but you might have a particular imbalance, depletion or excess or need a higher spec. Forage analysis might be worth a shot to check?
Just ideas.

 

[mightymammoth]

Pro hoof is very good but you might have a particular imbalance, depletion or excess or need a higher spec. Forage analysis might be worth a shot to check?
Just ideas.

Hi, have just emailed forageplus but I don't know if it will work for me as he's on 15 acres and the hay is whatever the yard gets often from more than one source. But I'm prepared to look at anything at the minute so thanks

 

[mightymammoth]

How old is your horse - I'm thinking Cushings maybe??

hes 13 and fine otherwise will have a google though

 

[mightymammoth]

Only thing I can add is to always make sure you feed a low protein diet as high protein can cause abscesses.

hope this doesn't sound daft but can you think of an example of a high protein feed, would it be grains?

 

[muff747]

hes 13 and fine otherwise will have a google though

Some hoof pics are quite important for us to help you.
My TB has been barefooted for nearly seven years now and hasn't had (touches wood) an abcess yet.

There is an offer on for free PPID testing this month, your vet should know about it.
13 is not too young to have Cushings, and lots of horses are not typical looking cases, mine has no visible signs at all. Also PPID horses are at their worst at this time of year.
Please keep us posted and good luck. Abcesses are so painful for them.

 

[Nari]

I've never heard of a link with protein, but one high protein feed is alfalfa & that's a popular feed as it's a low sugar fibre.

 

[Shysmum]

Something you could do straight away is to put your horse on an immune boost supplement (Naf do a pretty strong one) and see if that helps.

I spray Shy's feet with eucalyptus oil every few days to prevent thrush, after a wash with hibiscrub (dilute), from a bottle (99p at Superdrug) and it's supposed to be really good for feet. Shy's feet are much stronger now. I also use Red Horse Field Paste which contains eucalyptus and tea tree oil.

Garlic may also give an immune boost.

 

[mightymammoth]

Something you could do straight away is to put your horse on an immune boost supplement (Naf do a pretty strong one) and see if that helps.

I spray Shy's feet with eucalyptus oil every few days to prevent thrush, after a wash with hibiscrub (dilute), from a bottle (99p at Superdrug) and it's supposed to be really good for feet. Shy's feet are much stronger now. I also use Red Horse Field Paste which contains eucalyptus and tea tree oil.

Garlic may also give an immune boost.

thanks will look at this, his feeds are looking more and more just like a bucket of powders these days

 

[flirtygerty]

My farrier recomended using purple spray on ours feet, making sure frog and sole is covered, that was for an unpleasant smell, (not thrush) it has made such a difference, do it every time I pick feet out now as we have very muddy conditions. Having wet feet does make them softer, try keeping your hands in water, your nails go soft, it's the same thing

 

[YasandCrystal]

Y&C I have never heard that before. Is it documented anywhere you can point me to?

I don't know if it is documented. I do know (and this is documented) that too much proteins can give a horse the appearance of looking 'very well and muscled' when infact it is fluid retention in the cells, where they are desperately trying to get rid of the protein via water retention.

The abscess comment I made is in relation to a friend's horse always fed a good portion of my favourite feed to hate - Copra (I really think coconut is unnatural to feed a horse). The horse always looked 'well and over developed' a bit like a body builder. Well it kept getting abscess after abscess and my hubby (farrier) who trims it suggested to the owner that he believed that the excess protein from this feed may be causing the abscesses. Well she stopped feeding it and no more abscesses. I know that may not be amazingly scientific, but he seems to have been right. I haven't researched online about it, but a quick search found this:

http://www.buckarootexan.com/tag/horse-hoof-abscess/

.The Horse Hoof: Diet
The most important thing in care of the horse hoof is diet. Horses need adequate protein and trace minerals to build a healthy foot. The quality of the protein is critical because certain amino acids such as methionine are especially important. Simply feeding a high protein feed does not guarantee the correct balance of amino acids and in fact excessive protein in the diet can damage the feet. If the diet is higher in protein that what is needed the extra protein is excreted in the urine. A horse on too high a protein diet will urinate more causing a wet stall and the ammonia in the urine is caustic to the hooves. Most adult horses do not need more than a 10% protein diet.

OP - example of high protein - would be micronised linseed fed at a high level and Copra (Coolstance is the one I used ) Oils can be high in protein. Alfalfa too as one poster pointed out.

I was told to never feed more than 12% protein which is the equivalent of a mare's milk. For supplements this is easier to stay within - once you start feeding a staple feed which is high in it then problems can occur. Coolstance for example is 21% protein and micronised linseed 23%

 

[YasandCrystal]

Here is another interesting website speaking of the effects of too much protein in horses:-

extract:

Increased chance of disease

Because alfalfa is so high in protein, which the body digests as acid, the horse is more likely to have decreased resistance to parasites and diseases. Too much acid in the intestines will cause the good gut bacteria to go into dormancy and even die, while the bad bacteria actually thrive in an acid environment. The good bacteria in the gut are actually the body's first line of defense against disease. Parasite, bacterial, and viral infections all proliferate in an acidic body, plus with the population of the beneficial gut bacteria being decreased, this gives the infection(s) more ability to survive and overpower the body's immune system


http://www.womenandhorses.com/protein20050517.html