Girth gall or not?

[Birker2020]

I was grooming my horse last night when I noticed a little scab, a bit like a mud fever type of scab where his girth sits, about a third of the way up between his belly and his back. So I pulled it gently and it came away, typical of a mud fever scab with them hair follicles all joined in a little scab. When I looked underneath there was a red area, like a circle, slightly raised but with a flat surface (if you understand me) but in the centre of the surface was a bead of what I presume was white pus.

My horse is very good natured so whilst he was eating his hay I washed my hands and then tried to get the pus out with my nails but it wouldnt' come. So I put warm water into a bucket and kept dabbing his side so draw it out but it still wouldn't work. So in the end i put some dermagel on it and rugged him up and went home.

Before I left my friend kindly rang her vet husband to see if he could suggest anything other than a poultice to draw the pus out. My Dad Mother used to use black jack in the olden days (ichtamol) for boils and things like that, but my friends vet husband suggested magnesium sulphate paste which I can get from the local chemists having had a google search this morning.

I am assuming that the gall or whatever it is needs the pus getting out otherwise it will never heal.
Anyone any idea whether a girth gall presenting with pus inside it is normal?

 

[Birker2020]

Thanks for all the replies!

I bought some magnesium sulphate paste from the chemists last night for under £1.50 for a small container, no questions asked which was good as I was dreading explaining I had a spot somewhere dodgy (they won't supply you with stuff for animals and get proper funny about it sometimes) even though a vet said it was stuff to use.

It looked a lot better last night, the bead of pus was still evident but looked smaller to my imagination so I put some of the paste on in order to draw out anything left. I lunged him for 20 mins and then put him away and put some more of the paste on and the YO has put some on this morning for me. If its started healing I might try and ride him tomorrow with a nice thick fleecy girth sleeve. I think it must be the new dressage saddle girth as I don't have a sleeve for it as its wider than the normal ones as its a shaped wintec padded one. I haven't ruled out a bit of stalk of hay or shavings stuck in it, but if the infection comes out it should be fine.

If the pus has gone do you think its better to leave it to dry up or put some sudocreme on it?

Unless it gets worse at the stage its at its not worth getting the vet out for such a small thing, i think I would be laughed out of the stable.

 

[SuperH]

I had something similar on one of mine over the summer, the only thing that cleared it up was a course of antibiotics and it was about 10 days until she was ok to ride. It was a fairly deep hole but has healed nicely. I used some antiseptic cream (like savlon) on it to keep the flies off.

 

[Tnavas]

Be very aware that Magnesium Sulphate paste on raw skin hurts like hell - tried it on an open wound of my own once - it stings like salt does but it doesn't stop.

Good old Germolene is good for things that can't be bandaged or Rawleys green ointment - once upon a time I think it was called Zambuck