Another foot abcess post

The_snoopster

The_snoopster

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Had the vet out today as my infoal mare was quite lame yesterday and although she was not as lame the vet diagnosed a abcess, she found the painfull area and tried to dig it out but could not find it just signs that it was there.
Anyway back to my question on another post about foot abcesses I read about soaking the foot in warm epsom salt bath to draw out the abcess, how much epsom salts do you use.
This is my first foot abcess after 17 years of owning horses and the first time to be honest this mare as been lame in her life, she is poulticed and on 1 sachet of bute a day.
 
Hmm, I don't know about the soaking with the epsom salts but my vet thought that by hot poulticing it tonight, it should hopefully draw some of the abscess up and then she will be able to release the pressure as she will see where it is? She is coming back tomorrow to see.
 
The poltice should draw the abcess down. It worked for Lucy. Yest she was hopping lame on her right hind. Vet couldn't find the abcess so i polticed over night. Farrior came out today dug a small hole had haypresto loads and loads of puss.
If you soak in epsom salts put warm water in a bucket enough to cover the foot and sprinkle the salts in so they dissolve. I don't use an exact mesurement just put a load in.
Good luck with your mare i hope the abcess shows soon.
Hope my rambelings make sence. :o
 
Yes they totally made sense after reading my posts back sometimes I,m surprised anyone can understand anything, *starts looking in cupbaords for epsom salts*
 
Sometimes an abscess is too deep rooted for a poultice to draw it. Tubbing really helps in these cases, especially if you're not sure where in the foot abscess is. The water needs to be warm, not hot, and make sure it comes up high enough to completely cover the hoof, up past the coronet. I don't know exactly how much epsom salts I use. I buy them in a large tub and use the lid as a measure - so however much that is! (Sorry that's not much help.) You need to keep the foot in the bucket for at least 10 minutes, but 20 is better if you can manage it.
Horses usually try to lift their foot out at first but they soon get used to it if you persevere.
Sometimes a day or two is enough, but I have occasionally had to keep it up for a week before the wretched thing drew. Hope it does the trick quickly for you.
 
Well...my vet came back today and guess what? I have to soak Inca's foot in epsom salts too! She is very well behaved but I just cannot see her standing with her foot in a bucket for 15 minutes twice a day and then standing still for poulticing afterwards.

Anymore advice much appreciated! I guess I will give her food at those times in an attempt to keep her quiet. I hope the soaking works!
 
I second tubbing - when we used it for a horse with a nasty abcess, the amount of pus that came out into the water - the water stank for about four days, tubbing twice a day for about 10 mins, then it started to clear. Horse was poulticed as well, but the tubbing really got into the infection. sm x
 
My boy has been suffering over the last couple of weeks too :(

He's had a couple of small ones that have burst out (wasn't lame until immediately beforehand), but we have been concerned that there may have been a bigger one lurking in there.

When I went to the tack shop to get stuff to poultice, I found this stuff:

http://www.tackdirect.co.uk/prod_show.asp?id=95

(I suspect you can get it cheaper elsewhere, though - as I paid £9.50).

We used it with a dry poultice and it really seemed to help, I usually struggle as he does not enjoy co-operating with the tubbing process. Touch wood, he is almost back to sound again.
 
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