Good news stories please...

[FlyingCircus]

I have no idea how anyone manages an actual season of doing things with their horses. Mine catch wind of anything and they break

Friday I agree to buy a horsebox pending inspection.
Sunday mare comes in hobbling on a foreleg. No heat, no reaction to testers but defo hobbling.
Box rest until this morning when vet has seen her. Doesn't think abcess or laminitis as only pulse in the bad leg, but not ruling either out.
Farrier coming Thursday anyway so will box rest until then, have shoes pulled and see what is what.

Anyone have same kind of issue and it be a non issue!? We're talking about needing to xray

Have absolutely no luck. Las time i nearly bought a box she ended up in colic surgery!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Sorry to hear about your horse, hope its something simple. Not quite what you asked but I've put off buying my boys new turnouts. I have one who hates being out and an elderly one. I'm sure if I buy new one will demand to come in til spring and I'm worried something will happen to the oldie. Stupid I know ....

 

[SEL]

My lot read from the same rule book - usually it's new saddles which lead to vet call outs. Both cobs had new saddles last week so I'm anxiously wondering which page of 101 Ways to Get Out of Work they're on this time.

Hopefully yours is just a knock and will be fine

 

[Indefatigable]

Like buying horses, buying saddles is a proper can of worms. Over the years I've learned that an expert, text book fit is no good when the horse tells you they hate it. Several of mine go the best in saddles 'that don't fit'. Answer that someone!

 

[FlyingCircus]

Well, we had a week out soundness and now back to hopping again

Have been box resting and poulticing on vets request. They're due out Monday but need to try for an emergency vet earlier as she looks just awful.

Sounds like something else than an abcess, doesn't it? :'( I just have a feeling this isn't going to end well.

 

[dixie]

Still sounds like an abscess to me.
they can go sound and then lame again looking as if they’ve broken a leg.
Fingers crossed that’s what it is for you.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Still sounds like an abscess to me.
they can go sound and then lame again looking as if they’ve broken a leg.
Fingers crossed that’s what it is for you.

Do they get worse the closer they are to bursting? In my 25 years of horses...I've totally lucked out and never had a horse with one!

So horrible to see her so sore

 

[catembi]

Sometimes they get very bad before they burst. I had a mare pretty much on 3 legs and I was beside myself thinking something like a deep puncture wound that had broken a bone inside the foot. It burst out of the coronet and was fine.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Sometimes they get very bad before they burst. I had a mare pretty much on 3 legs and I was beside myself thinking something like a deep puncture wound that had broken a bone inside the foot. It burst out of the coronet and was fine.

This is what I'm hoping for! I'm crossing all fingers and toes. The going then coming back is making me hopeful...but its a blooming long time for it to be rumbling?!

 

[catembi]

My current chap had one for a couple of months. He failed the vet on 4/10ths lame in front lunged on concrete in a tight circle. Did xrays - navicular changes. Vet said to return him. I didn't because I just didn't think that he stood or moved like a navicular horse. A month later - went very lame & I thought, oh ****. That will teach me for thinking that I know better than the vet. Poulticed like mad, hot tubbed...nothing happened, nothing happened... Farrier came out & had a poke about...and found pus! Hurray! Poulticed & hot tubbed for another few days - sound horse & is still sound 6 months on.

The signs with him were that he had warmth in the hoof that moved about. The hoof wall felt warm on one side even though it came out through the sole. He is b/f & eventually when the foot exfoliated, I could see a pocket where it had been! Quite a big pocket! Good luck!

 

[dixie]

They can be a nightmare especially if it’s running along the sole or up to the coronet.
I had a horse once that rumbled along for ages and in the end the vet managed to chase it up his foot to his coronet. That took months and at one time he was sound enough to ride then it came back with vengeance.

 

[FlyingCircus]

We have pus!!

This is for all the people who do what I did and search every abcess thread going ??

We're many days on from end of Oct when problem was first identified. She has been on/off lame in same foreleg and last 2 days been 3 legged lame. Managed to catch my farrier at lunch today and he dug out a fairly large abcess under her shoe!

 

[Ratface]

We have pus!!

This is for all the people who do what I did and search every abcess thread going ??

We're many days on from end of Oct when problem was first identified. She has been on/off lame in same foreleg and last 2 days been 3 legged lame. Managed to catch my farrier at lunch today and he dug out a fairly large abcess under her shoe!

Phew! What a relief for your horse, you and, possibly, the bank balance. I'm so glad that your farrier was to hand. Ours ranges over two large counties and is always booked up weeks in advance. I do know that, in an emergency, he would do his best to attend as soon as possible.

 

[Winters100]

Always such a relief! Very pleased for you.

 

[dixie]

Yeah, what a relief ?

 

[Barton Bounty]

Thank goodness! At least now you know what was brewing! ?

 

[HorseMaid]

Hooray for pus! When I first bought my mare I soon thought I'd bought a lame horse and she was on and off lame for a couple of weeks, but not hopping, until eventually she went really lame and had to call the vet on a Sunday which resulted in a satisfying spew of pus across the yard, I've never been more relived, never lame since!

 

[FlyingCircus]

Thanks everyone, I'm very lucky farrier happened to be down the road when I messaged him planning for someone to hold her for him on Saturday. He deserves several beers for saving me £500 worth of xrays!!

It's bizarre how happy one gets when draining rancid pus from their horse's hoof! My other half thinks I'm absolutely bananas and just didn't understand why I was taking forever soaking, poulticing etc repeat to (seemingly) no return.

I still think if farrier hadn't been there to dig it out, it would have had a good few days left to come out as despite soaking, her feet are still rock solid. Wonder how far we'd have got with the vet before they decided to pull the shoe and have a look! Dread to think.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Next question is...how long do you guys leave it to stop poulticing? We don't seem to have any more drainage from the abcess. Mare is pretty sound as far as I can tell (shes stuck in stable as entire yard is one big puddle!).

Would like to get her out again ASAP for her own sanity but it is very wet here.

Have packed it today with cotton wool doused in purple spray and popped some hoof clay over the top to hold it in. This should stay in place in the stable, but doubt it will in a wet field.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Once the puss has stopped ,I would let it dry out now ?

 

[MissTyc]

Petplan spent £3k on investigations on my mare for what turned out to be an abscess. They can be tricky and they can take a while - hiding and coming back. Agree that was pus has stopped for a few days, then I let it dry out. I tend to dry poultice and use a feed bag to make a turnout "boot" and let them walk it off.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Aaand we are non-weight baring again. Same hoof.

I really wish I could just give up. Have 2 horses and I've managed 3 months on and off riding max in the last 12 months.

 

[meleeka]

I think i’d x-ray the foot at this point. My horse was like this and ended with up laminitis in the good foot due to having her weight on it for ages. She had an abscess that wouldn’t resolve too. How old is your horse? Just be firm about not taking more x-rays than they need and it shouldn’t be too expensive.

 

[FlyingCircus]

I think i’d x-ray the foot at this point. My horse was like this and ended with up laminitis in the good foot due to having her weight on it for ages. She had an abscess that wouldn’t resolve too. How old is your horse? Just be firm about not taking more x-rays than they need and it shouldn’t be too expensive.

She's 7. Was quoted £300 or so for xray previously.

Will be giving the vets a call once I've had chance to see how she is tomorrow morning Have poulticed again and given her some bute for the moment as vet would only do the same initially.

What was outcome for your mare? Was it another abscess rumbling?

 

[meleeka]

She's 7. Was quoted £300 or so for xray previously.

Will be giving the vets a call once I've had chance to see how she is tomorrow morning Have poulticed again and given her some bute for the moment as vet would only do the same initially.

What was outcome for your mare? Was it another abscess rumbling?

The x-rays were approx £300 for me too. The x-rays showed possible changes to the pedal bone which could indicate infection (Liphook saw x-rays and couldn’t decide either). The vet prescribed an antibiotic Karodox (not licenced for horses) and she came right. She wasn’t a candidate for surgery, but if there’s an infection I think surgery is the most common treatment. The vet did say that with pedal bone infection the lameness tends to get better than worse repeatedly.

Unfortunately that was only the start of the saga. Sadly she then went lame in the good leg and I suspected an abscess as she’d also had one in that leg a few months before, but it was in fact laminitis and because of her size and age I decided to pts to prevent suffering.

 

[FlyingCircus]

The x-rays were approx £300 for me too. The x-rays showed possible changes to the pedal bone which could indicate infection (Liphook saw x-rays and couldn’t decide either). The vet prescribed an antibiotic Karodox (not licenced for horses) and she came right. She wasn’t a candidate for surgery, but if there’s an infection I think surgery is the most common treatment. The vet did say that with pedal bone infection the lameness tends to get better than worse repeatedly.

Unfortunately that was only the start of the saga. Sadly she then went lame in the good leg and I suspected an abscess as she’d also had one in that leg a few months before, but it was in fact laminitis and because of her size and age I decided to pts to prevent suffering.

Eep! Sorry to hear.

I do hope it doesn't get to point of her needing surgery as I'm not sure I'd put her through another - she only had colic surgery in March of this year

 

[Floofball]

My lad has had a run of abscesses since July ? mostly silent ones where he starts to feel a bit off and then you notice an exit hole on his heel bulbs. One obvious ‘ouchy’ lameness that the vet was called for, he dug out a lot of heel bulb/frog and LOTS of puss was released. He’s barefoot with lots of sole hence them tracking back to heels. If he gets any more next step is to X-ray to check for gas pockets or bone infections. I’ve been quoted about the same price.
In the meantime I have made changes to his diet to optimise hoof growth (being previously metabolic he’s been on a fairly restrictive basic diet for a few years now - although I’ve always been told by pro’s that he has good feet ?‍)
I’m aware it’s been a bad year for abscesses due to the drought/hard ground followed by the very wet weather but it’s a puzzle to whats causing them now. Colic surgery is a massive strain on the immune system so it maybe that feet went through changes during that time or her system needs a boost? Just what popped into my head - I overthink ? hope she gets better soon ??

 

[Pinkvboots]

I've had an abscess rumble on and off for weeks, I would hot tub it at least once a day and go back to a hot poultice for a few days, it only needs to be a bit more still there and they go lame again.

 

[cjwchez]

So glad I've found this thread. My mini shetland has been hopping lame since Saturday in one front leg. I got the vet out and they said "due to the time of year lets just say its laminitis, if shes no better in 7 days call us back and we will x-ray it" - gave me some sachets of bute and off they went.

I wasn't convinced and have since been poulticing it. no luck as of yet with any abscess bursting but the farrier is coming out Thursday so I will ask him to have a look. Hoping it it an abscess and not anything broken!

Did your horse recover well?