burst abscess

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jbramhall

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Just wondering if any of you could give me advice while i wait for my vet to call me back?

My horse had a abscess burst a few weeks ago but the vet couldnt get any pus to come out so i was advised to hot pack and keep the area clear to see if any pus came out. well it didnt.

Gone out to see her this moring and the hole the vet made is now leaking pus out, ive cleaned it up, there is no blood init just a yellow snot like pus, Horse is fine in herself, eating and acting like herself and didnt mind me prodding the area which is all soft?

Is this common or should i be worried that its taken so long to drain ? Could it just be a secondary infection or maybe shes caught it somehow? ..
 
It's best that the infection is out. Make sure it is kept clean & not allowed to close to soon, as it will close with the infection still inside her. Where is the abcess?

If you can flush with a syringe all the better, keep a close eye on it and make sure it is kept clean. Will you get the vet out to check it or are you confident enough that it will heal with your own care?
 
It is on her left side of her lymph node.
I will do with whatever the vet suggests as im baffled that nor me or the vet could get nothing but blood to come out an now a few weeks later it obviously has burst.

Ive made sure ive kept her hair clipped back so you can see the area well and its been kept clean, although the lump in the last week has gone from being hardly noticeable to being back up and from hard to soft but even when we were hot packing it was would go down in size but never as soft as it is?
 
Sounds like a text book abscess to me, albeit one slow to mature. From hard to soft is good. The hardness is the abscess maturing, with pressure building up inside. Once it starts draining, the lack of pressue means that it is soft. Just keep it clean, as you are and don't let the hole heal up until pus stops draining out.

Hmmm, I've just repeated what Girla said, sorry! I use a syringe to flush, but some horses will go nuts with the sensation. Without a needle, obviously, if you do try that!
 
ill definately try a syringe, shes a big girl an im short so everytime i hot pack i end up with a wet arm, luurverly in this weather, not !!

Would you still hot pack on top of that or just do the syringe?

I think inside im panicing cause the abscess is from a bout of strangles that was brought into the yard, into the field she shares with 5 horses, we were on a countdown of the 30days til the swabs could of started. Will we have to restart the 30days now as she's now draining?

I feel so impatient but i would just love my vet to call me back already haha !
 
One of my horses was lame. Vet couldn't find an abcess but gave her antibiotic. About three weeks later she was so lame I thought at first she had broken her leg. It turned out that the infection had remained inside and then eventually burst out at the top of the coronet.
I have found salt water very good if you can get your horse to soak foot in bucket of warm water and salt. One teaspoon ful of salt per pint warm water is the recommended amount. Any more and you will kill off healthy tissue.
 
My pony's had three - two on his leg and one on his tummy and yours sounds like its taking the usual path. Could be when the vet made the hole its just not been quite deep enough to puncture it. My vet never touches my pony's and lets it come to a head and burst itself. The downside is the hole is bigger when it burst the upside is it drains very quickly and its easier to clean. I hose it twice a day and it clears up really quickly. I find puncture type wounds harder to maintain.

My vet gave me an amazing spray called TETCIN - its actually for cattle but it heals Tubs abscesses a treat. Its absolutely fantastic stuff and I wouldn't be without it in my first aid kit. Its not nippy so its easy to apply and bright turquoise so you can see if you've got it on the right spot or not.
 
Ah! Minxie

I think i have some of that Tetcin? its in a aerosol can ? I had it from a previous injury she done to a puncture wound? Ill ask the vet is that would be any good for it once the pus has all cleaned out or even if i can use it now? i didnt even think of that so thankyou!

My vet only lanced her as she said it would release quicker but sadly this was not the case
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Mal i have been hot packing with salt water, but as its under face/cheek. its been a case of padding together some cotton wool.

Given the situation of it, im glad she hasnt gone off colour again. She's no different to her usual self which wasnt the case when she 1st went down with it.
 
Really sorry. All my experiences of abcesses have been in the foot so I just assumed your case was the same. Feel really insensitive and stupid now.
I do hope your horse recovers. Good luck.
 
Yup LL its an aerosol but its not too pppssssstttty if you know what I mean. I'd used it as the ponies field is so muddy that i couldn't keep it clean so my vet gave me the Tetcin.

Obviously don't do anything without the advice of your vet but I found it fantastic and Tubs was neither up nor down with the abscess.

Good luck - they are horrible blighters and hopefully its just a one off.
 
Not to worry, thank you for your imput! Youve no need to feel insensitive or stupid!

Thankyou! The way she's going christmas will be cancelled haha! Already have a huge vet bill with her ( thank god for insurance) and now this too, im sure i should be intitled to some shares with my vets practice haha
 
Yeah, definately is the one i have! I shall remind the vet about me having some and see what she says! Excellent idea though, thankyou!
 
When I was dressing an abscess (in the chin groove) I was just using Kaolin poultice after flushing. I found that it helped keep the wound draining. It did get rather messy, though, and I knew where he'd been resting his chin on the gates, doors, his knee...
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I did ponder on dressing it with a poultice to get give it somewhere to draw into too !! Thanku for all the ideas, i shall throw them all at my vet when my phone rings ( hopefully sooner than later) im soo impatient when it comes to my girl.
 
saying that, im not in my brightest moods today, how would i get the poultice it stay in place in the area the hole is?! ive always used vetwrap on top, but i cant see her wanting to fashion a wrap around her face? ..
 
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