Another Possible hoof abcess nighmare

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Archie73

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Sorry for posting in here but Vetinary is like a ghost town.

Horse came in hopping lame right fore last Friday, warm cornery band only detectable symptom, vet out, hoof tested etc, no reaction. Danilon 1 twice a day until sunday night.
Have hot poulticed until this afternoon, vet out again, had a dig all over, no sign of abcess other then same heat in conery band. horse walked out a few strides slightly more comfortable but still about 2/10 lame in walk. vet said hot poultice again until Thursday afternoon.....
background, horse had HY-50VET and coutisone injection Friday before in same lag pasturn joint, no infection but has had recent xray and ultrasound and no abcess seen a week earlier. horse was completly sound after injection and 3 days box rest to avoid infection and then started work for 2 WHOLE days!!
Horse plays non-stop in field and is 17hh warmblood, not really overweight more out of work. Obvously I am going with the vets advice and have actually avoided the net for weeks cos all the horror stories scare me but I am getting very worried and my horse is getting really fed up.
So advice, opions and comparable experiences please....i will be swapping poulitce in 12 hours so will know then if any puss (never have i wanted to see puss so much) has appreared!!

Thanks guys.x
 
Some abscesses can take a while to pop but generally the horse gets progressively lame. My gut feeling is its more to do with the injection or other problem but over the internet who knows!
 
If it is an abscess then it could well be slow to pop because your vet gave him anti-inflammatories before it had burst.

My feeling is that it's more though, too, I would expect him to be crippled lame by now if it was about to go at the coronet.
 
I'd get your farrier to have a look/dig around.
I've seen an excellent vet be unable to find an abscess when an equally good farrier, who was on the yard at the same time, found 1 in each hind.
I doubt that an abscess would show up on an x-ray.
 
teddyt said:
Some abscesses can take a while to pop but generally the horse gets progressively lame. My gut feeling is its more to do with the injection or other problem but over the internet who knows!
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hmmmmn, this is what im thinking too, I couldn't understand why he seemed a bit better unless it was the fact that before he had been out and now he has been in 3 days solid it really was only about a 20 foot and back walk....

re: the injection, it was in the pasturn and the entry marks are nearly invisiable. i did get the vet to phone the lamesness expert who treated him at the horsepital and she advised that it was too late for infection in her opinion, incidently I also saw a vet from a rival practice today and had a moment to ask her (she saw him walk out) she also said could be an abcess, could be loads of things.

I thought a pedal bone fracture the rival vet said he would be worse not better after rest (forgot to mention my poor broken wreck of a horse also wears pads)...

and yes I will call farrier tomorrow.
anything to add guys? most grateful....
 
My experience of abscesses is that the horse is usually hopping lame, almost as if they had broken a leg, rather than 2/10ths lame, so would be wanting further investigations....

Good luck and hope it only is nothing serious.
 
I've got a thread in veterinary about an abscess in the coronary band. There's a picture in the thread. My mare is now hopping lame. She did get abit better but then the abscess surfaced last night.

I've been flushing the wound with hydrogen peroxide as recommended by cptrayes.

If it is an abscess then it will surface of its own accord. Hope you get it sorted soon :)
 
My horse had an abcess that took months to erupt.

It started showing with slight intermittent lameness, I could ride her in walk but when asking for trot it showed as a slight, and I mean slight, lameness. She would get a few days off, look absolutely fine and ride sound for a few days, then it would return.

The vet could find nothing and at this point neither could the farrier. It went on for weeks, a few days sound when ridden then the next day probably 1 or 2/10ths lame.

Eventually I went to get her in one day and she was hobbling, really couldn't put any weight on the foot at all and refused to move from the field to the yard. Cue complete panic, tears, hysterics, wailing call to emergency vet etc. He came out that night with pain relief, did the usual checks & found a tiny bit of pus when digging around but nothing major. The next day I called the farrier who also couldn't find anything but felt it had drained itself overnight with help from the vet digging around.

24 hours later she was galloping round the field like a loon blissfully unaware of what it had all cost and the amount of grey hairs she had given me!

I think my point is they can be only slightly lame with an abcess, and also appear sound at times. In addition there may not be much pus even when they are on 3 legs so if you don't find any when poulticing it doesn't mean you can rule out an abcess.

I know it's a worrying time so fingers crossed for you x
 
LaurenM said:
I've got a thread in veterinary about an abscess in the coronary band. There's a picture in the thread. My mare is now hopping lame. She did get abit better but then the abscess surfaced last night.

I've been flushing the wound with hydrogen peroxide as recommended by cptrayes.

If it is an abscess then it will surface of its own accord. Hope you get it sorted soon :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, have read your post and viewed your picture! it does make me think just maybe it could just be an abcess, the vet did say my boys hoof was really hard.....i just hope i am doing the right think waiting a few more days.

on the plus side i suppose he would only be on box rest anyway no matter what it is, so hopefully not too much harm done if it is a mis-diagnosis, i just hate my horse being in pain

thanks so much, all replies are gladly received!
 
LaurenM said:
I've got a thread in veterinary about an abscess in the coronary band. There's a picture in the thread. My mare is now hopping lame. She did get abit better but then the abscess surfaced last night.

I've been flushing the wound with hydrogen peroxide as recommended by cptrayes.

If it is an abscess then it will surface of its own accord. Hope you get it sorted soon :)
Click to expand...

FORGOT TO SAY GOOD LUCK WITH URS!!!! sorry head up mr a*** with worry.xx
 
My vet advised it's best to keep them turned out and moving if it's an abcess so that the increased circulation can push everything out. I know it's difficult as you aren't sure what's going on, but if the time comes that you're convinced it's an abcess I wouldn't keep him on box rest.

I hope you find something out soon x
 
sonjafoers said:
My horse had an abcess that took months to erupt.

It started showing with slight intermittent lameness, I could ride her in walk but when asking for trot it showed as a slight, and I mean slight, lameness. She would get a few days off, look absolutely fine and ride sound for a few days, then it would return.

The vet could find nothing and at this point neither could the farrier. It went on for weeks, a few days sound when ridden then the next day probably 1 or 2/10ths lame.

Eventually I went to get her in one day and she was hobbling, really couldn't put any weight on the foot at all and refused to move from the field to the yard. Cue complete panic, tears, hysterics, wailing call to emergency vet etc. He came out that night with pain relief, did the usual checks & found a tiny bit of pus when digging around but nothing major. The next day I called the farrier who also couldn't find anything but felt it had drained itself overnight with help from the vet digging around.


24 hours later she was galloping round the field like a loon blissfully unaware of what it had all cost and the amount of grey hairs she had given me!

I think my point is they can be only slightly lame with an abcess, and also appear sound at times. In addition there may not be much pus even when they are on 3 legs so if you don't find any when poulticing it doesn't mean you can rule out an abcess.

I know it's a worrying time so fingers crossed for you x
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WOW....now ur making me think !!!!!(have had intermittent slight lameness for months ending in expensive vet trip, injections etc..) that maybe this has been problem all along and not what he has just had costly treatment for!.....i knew i shouldnt have come on here!!!! LOL. i have to say he had pads on the whole time the vet saw him and the bone growth on the xray was half the size of my thumbnail on the front of the top of his pasturn bone....optamistic i know

Could be the most expensive abcess in history!

I guess will just have to wait and see.....thanks so much!
 
Just a thought as I don't know if you've menioned it but is your horse shod? and if so has the shoe been removed. I only ask as I had a very similar situation (minus the injection etc) earlier this year and after almost 4 weeks box rest and trying all sorts of different poultices for a suspected abcess my farrier took my horse's shoe off and 3 days later he was sound again. We put it down to a sore sole probably caused by standing on a stone that was being aggrivated by the shoe pressing on the sore spot. My farrier flattened his shoe a little to take the pressure off and replaced it and he's been fine ever since (touches wood lots)
Your case is most likely different as there is no other horse quite like mine lol but I would also echo what other poster said and recommend getting your farrier to come and take a look. Good luck, I hope you get to the bottom of it xxx
 
Hi, yes he is shod with wedges on the front and the shoe was taken off in the first instance of investigation which is why he is now in.

thank you
 
Archie73 I was in such a state of worry for months so I can totally sympathise. I looked up so much on the net and was convinced that every time I had the vet out he would tell me she had to be pts. I was going down the vet route as I had the farrier out a few times and he couldn't find anything, mind you neither could the vet but I had ruled out an abcess when the farrier drew a blank so I thought it was something much more sinister.

Some days she would look sound in the field, I'd tack her up and lead her out, turn her to close the gate and notice it so back in she'd go. Some days she was sound on the turn and in walk but would be footsore in trot so after riding for 5 minutes I'd take her back. Some days she wouldn't look sound in the field and some days she would be totally sound in all gaits - these days I would come back from riding so happy I'd text everyone telling them she was now sound only to find her unsound the next day! Believe me I went through it for probably 8 - 10 weeks until it came to an end.

At this time she also had gel pads in for underrun heels so every time I called the vet or the farrier it would have to be taken out (sometimes having to remove the shoe to get it out) and it was costing a fortune to replace every time.

I'm not saying yours in an abcess as obviously every case is different and you are clearly on to it in terms of vet care etc, but it is possible this is what it could be so don't be too worried for the time being.
 
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Thanks :)

I've got mine in tonight as it has been raining here all day (trying to keep wound clean) and all the other mares have been brought in because it has been raining.. odd I know! I think she'd be a lot better off being turned out but she can't stay out on her own.

Her first abscess was around the beginning of March and took two weeks to 'heal'. It is thought that this second abscess is a result of the first one not been cleared before the skin closed. When I was poulticing the first time I rarely seen any puss. It felt never ending.

Both the vet and farrier said to use warm poultice for a few days, cold poultice and then dry poultice. Her shoe came off which made it easier to probe.

Let us know what the farrier says :)
 
Laurenm how is she now? She shouldn't be getting more lame now it's open, that would be a bit of a worry, and if she doesn't start to get gradually less lame soon, you should ask the vet what he thinks is going on. On second thoughts, as I typed this, she was on bute, wasn't she? And that will have worn off, which would make her lamer, so ignore me!
 
LaurenM said:
Thanks :)

I've got mine in tonight as it has been raining here all day (trying to keep wound clean) and all the other mares have been brought in because it has been raining.. odd I know! I think she'd be a lot better off being turned out but she can't stay out on her own.

Her first abscess was around the beginning of March and took two weeks to 'heal'. It is thought that this second abscess is a result of the first one not been cleared before the skin closed. When I was poulticing the first time I rarely seen any puss. It felt never ending.

Both the vet and farrier said to use warm poultice for a few days, cold poultice and then dry poultice. Her shoe came off which made it easier to probe.

Let us know what the farrier says :)
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UPDATE

Farrier came and said no abcess after 5 days hot poulticing. He thought knee or shoulder as did I. Put shoe back on (weds night last week) my boy trotted up saound (5 days box rest) I turned him out as vet was due next day and did not want them to say turn out after seeing him sound and he goes lame! So he came in sound after 2 hours having fun with just a few of his mates...lots of trotting 5m circles sntorting and pprancing and just the one full gallop on release...

Nest morning he is of course lame again off fore. Called Vet and said please can you come and nerve block as i think its higher up...vet said that they want him back at horsepital to have full nerve block as cant do upto shoulder on yeard and wants lameness expert who norammaly sees him (she does not come out) to do it. They also want him to come when MRI nurse is on site even though I think they can only MRI to knee?? and have said he will need full body bone scan....

I have been told to turn him out and keep him lame until then...another 10days still :(

Some days he plays more then others and comes in worse but each morning he goes out a bit better then when he comes in.

I am waiting to see if the insurance will pay for half MRI (if needed) and bone scan but in the mean time I have booked a thermal imaging company for next week in the interim period just as I am so desperate for a direction to diagnosis....

I am so worried.
 
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