Hoof abscess, how long?

[4faults]

Im hoping for a bit of advice because I'm getting a bit worried about one of my horses who has had an abscess for two weeks now.

Background is horse was on schooling livery and ripped a shoe off. Shoe was replaced but 2 days later had a call to say horse non weight bearing on leg.
Farrier pulled shoe and pinch tested but wouldn't dig foot out. Horse was tubbed with Epsom salts and wet poulticed. Vet came next day and dug abscess out but very small draining hole. Horse immediately 80% better.

Wet poultice and bute for 5 days but there never appeared to be much of anything on poultices.

Have now been dry poulticing for 8 days one of which she managed to pull poultice off and horse is still 2/10ths lame with heat in foot. Tonight I tubbed again and put another dry on.

I'm worried because I have never had one take this long before. Is there something I have missed? What would you do if it was your horse?

I'm going to put her on the list for a different farrier this week and ask his opinion as well. Pizza and corona on offer for anyone who got this far

 

[Ibblebibble]

surprised your farrier didn't dig out mine did a much better job than the vet.
my mare went 3 legged over night and i got vet out, he only made a small hole and although mare was better she was not right, 4 days later back on 3 legs farrier came and had a real good dig and i poulticed again, 4 days later she was starting to look off again so i started tubbing and hot poulticing with epsom salts stuffed in the drain hole. from then on she got steadily better and i think i changed to dry poultice from about day 5 for another 3 days, had to turn her out at that point too as she was weaving like a loon in the stable

sounds like you still haven't quite beaten it yet, get a farrier to have a real good look and stick with hot tubbing and poulticing for another week. i was beginning to wonder if i was ever going to win with my mare but it suddenly seemed to happen and i never saw any gunk on the poultice!

 

[ladyt25]

Well, my horses just loves to get these! Well, he goes through phases, normally starts as nailbind as he can have issues after being shod. Anyway, the worst time he had one niggling away for 5 weeks!! He was barely lame in a straight line but it was very evident on a turn. Farrier (who is normally excellent at finding them) couldn't find it and vet failed and one vet thought hed injured his shoulder. I was concerned then BUT it did turn out to be an abscess as the hole was eventually found when he was trimmed further down the line!

You just have to keep at it really - with our TB we found hoof boots helped him. You shoukdn't really poultice for too long, if there is a drainage hole it should come out - I usually hot tub like you have and then even try hydrogen peroxide. At one stage my horse did need some ABs just to fully get rid of the infection but this was after a couple of weeks.

Mine has never been non-weight bearing though although our TB was when he got one - you'd have thought his leg was broken. He too took a long time to get rid of it and ended up with one in the other foot as he was putting excess weight on that! They can be a real pain in the backside. I don't know if yours is turned out put ours always are and I think this does help the abscess to work its way out as opposed to having the horse just standing in. Hoof boots can be useful if your horse is very sensitive. Otherwise just a dry poultice, vet wrap and a load of duck tape should keep it clean enough!

 

[4faults]

Thank you both, there is still hope then

Ibblebibble- I was a bit annoyed that farrier wouldn't dig it out but put it down to being because I wasn't there I was away working. I will tub and poultice a bit longer while I wait for farrier. Thanks

Ladyt25- I have been trying to figure out what hoof boots to get but I have never had any so am I bit of a fish out of water. What type did you use? Have been walking her put for 10 mins a night to keep her legs from swelling and she starts off looking sound and steadily gets worse so I think turn out may be a good idea. She is a total madam with the poultice, have caught her trying rip it off a few times so she's duct taped up and has nappies on and more duct tape!

 

[sychnant]

Bute is an anti-inflammatory and will therefore reduce the abscess, but it may then build up again when the bute stops. I didn't think vets recommended bute for abscesses any more?

 

[4faults]

Mine did, she was on it for 3 days has had none since

 

[jellyshark]

Had two horses with absesses recently one has been for 4 weeks absess burst last week and still has pus coming out - this mare has had two lots of antibiotics as whole leg was swelling, she is weight baring now and hopefully will be OK soon. Second mare could barily walk vet came out had a dig, nerve blocked and then we polticed for a 4 days seemed better although no obvious burst, blacksmith came to shoe but mare was very lame so he dug a huge hole but could not get to the absess, vet out again - no luck I took her to thier surgery for xray - they renerve blocked and found pus in heel - sent home to poltice expecting a burst in a couple of days - 4 days later I decided to wrap her in loads of gaffer tape and turn her out she had been in for 10 days by then - that night her absess burst - lucky through the hole that was dug. She is now reshod and sound - so all taken a long time - we are brilliant at poltices now!!

 

[4faults]

Jellyshark that sounds like a nightmare! Glad all is getting better now. Going to tub and re poultice her shortly, farrier cant come till next week so hoping things will improve before then. Vet definitely did hit it because it burst in her face im just worried that when she got the poultice off the other day its blocked the hole or made it worse. Although OH did give it a squeeze on the day she got it off and it bubbled, tried again yesterday and nothing.

Such a pain but I think im just going to get a hoof boot and bite the bullet and put her out