catembi
Well-Known Member
I very strongly suspect that my new chap has a grumbling abscess, which is currently flaring up. He had thorough xrays of both front feet a couple of months ago which showed nothing iro abscesses - but I am not sure if they show up on xray? About 2 months ago, the front of the hoof wall was very warm (warmth comes & goes) especially near the coronet band. I hot tubbed in sea salt for 3 days & wet poulticed, and turned out with a boot on - no pus. I poulticed the sole & heel. It died down for a bit, but he had a 10 day course of ABs for cellulitis, so that might have interrupted it.
Very definitely lame now & the foot is warm. The farrier is coming tomorrow (horse is barefoot) so I will see what he thinks. I am not sure whether I should start hot tubbing again, & poultice the coronet band as that seems to be where the warmth is, but do I WANT it to burst out there or might it cause permanent damage to how the hoof grows? Common sense would seem to dictate that it would be better for it to burst out in the sole area so that gravity can help it to drain? But I poulticed the sole before & it didn't do any good.
For full disclosure, he failed the vet on lameness in front while he was in his 28 day approval period, I got his feet xrayed, he had slight navicular changes, I thought that they were a red herring & that he was lame for another reason (I thought abscess), he was -ve to hoof testers & once the vet saw slight changes on xray, he was determined that that must be what the lamenness was. I thought he had an abscess then & I still do (although it has got better & worse repeatedly - he has been sound enough to place 5th in dressage & do some clinics between episodes), but now it's worse, I need to take stronger action.
(Please no hate for buying a 'navicular horse' when I should have sent him back. I have had horses continuously since I was 3, I am now 51 & he is without a shadow of a doubt my favourite out of all of them - and there have been a lot. I don't think he's a navicular horse. I think he's a horse with a grumbling abscess who coincidentally has slight changes on xray. Perhaps I'm stupid & deluded, but...meh.)
Very definitely lame now & the foot is warm. The farrier is coming tomorrow (horse is barefoot) so I will see what he thinks. I am not sure whether I should start hot tubbing again, & poultice the coronet band as that seems to be where the warmth is, but do I WANT it to burst out there or might it cause permanent damage to how the hoof grows? Common sense would seem to dictate that it would be better for it to burst out in the sole area so that gravity can help it to drain? But I poulticed the sole before & it didn't do any good.
For full disclosure, he failed the vet on lameness in front while he was in his 28 day approval period, I got his feet xrayed, he had slight navicular changes, I thought that they were a red herring & that he was lame for another reason (I thought abscess), he was -ve to hoof testers & once the vet saw slight changes on xray, he was determined that that must be what the lamenness was. I thought he had an abscess then & I still do (although it has got better & worse repeatedly - he has been sound enough to place 5th in dressage & do some clinics between episodes), but now it's worse, I need to take stronger action.
(Please no hate for buying a 'navicular horse' when I should have sent him back. I have had horses continuously since I was 3, I am now 51 & he is without a shadow of a doubt my favourite out of all of them - and there have been a lot. I don't think he's a navicular horse. I think he's a horse with a grumbling abscess who coincidentally has slight changes on xray. Perhaps I'm stupid & deluded, but...meh.)