Hoof abscess

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TogGoBoge

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Can anyone help? I've got a horse with a (suspected) hoof abscess... Vet has done some digging but can't find anything (and X-rays have ruled out any chips or breaks); have been poulticing and tubbing for a couple of weeks now to no avail. Has anyone been in the same situation - and, if so, how long did it take the abscess to find its own way out?
Thanks for reading - any thoughts would be much appreciated.
 
Have they nerve blocked the affected foot? Just asking because a pony i used to have got diagnosed with an abscess, I spent two weeks poulticing and pony just got lamer. Eventually another vet came, blocked that foot, pony was hopping lame on the opposite foot - laminitis. Worth checking if your horse doesn't improve soon.

I hope its just one of those deep abscesses that's taking its time to go pop though!
 
funny enough my mare has been lame 3 weeks now ,
3 weeks cold bandages ice boots ( suspected tendon issue )tonight i asked to see if it is an abscess.

Vet dug around as much as she could, but my mare has hard feet. Tonight she said hot tub her twice a day and poultice twice a day for 2 days to see if it is an abscess. She said it could be as feet are very hard due to box rest
Friday i am to call if it doesn't, abscess will find a way out eventually.

she said if still badly lame they will xray

MY mare has a strong pulse in the off fore which is the one she is lame on the other foot is normal, , she is in work 6 days a week so vet ruled out laminitis
 
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Thanks Flame, we have nerve blocked and the problem's definitely located in that foot. Hope your pony's laminitis is improving.

Does sound like you've got an abscess too, Leviathan - my boy has a strong pulse and swelling in the leg concerned (but problem definitely in foot not with tendons). Good luck with your poulticing and tubbing.
 
My pony had a an abscess last oct. it didnt finally clear until feb!!!!
I was constantly tubbing/poulticing visits from farrier and vet.
It was above the pedal bone so just took ages to work down and wouldnt go up to the coronet either.Keep going, it will work its way out,I thought it never would without surgery.
Good luck.
 
Thanks for that, bp... Sounds like it could be a long haul but good to know that the time it's taking doesn't mean it's been misdiagnosed.
 
Charlie has not been right on his right hind since the beginning of May. One minute sound the next lame. Had endless phone calls with the vets, best diagnosis was a locking stifle, vets came and did bloods for tying up and Charlie just did not seem to improve went from lame to sound and back again. 3 weeks ago in came in from the field on 3 legs. Another phone call to the vets, who asked for me to bring him in for a lameness workup. Once in and nerve blocked in the fetlock area, he became instantly sound and then they dug a hole in his hoof at the white line area and out came a stone and a lot of black pus. He stayed in for 2 further days to be kept an eye on. When he came home I spent the next week poulticing following their instructions and no further pus came out. Just about ready for the farrier to come and fill the hole in and Charlie went lame again. Que a further phone call to the vets. This time the coronet band appeared to be bulging and the abscess could possibly burst out through there. However, a further week of poulticing again brought very little pus out of the hole, but instead the pus appeared out on either side of the frog. At the worst point last weekend, the area above the coronet band was very hot to touch and sensitive as well. By this point there was pus coming out through both the hole and by each side of the frog. I am now waiting for the farrier to come and put the hoof putty in to the hole, as for the past 3 days, no more pus has been seen. This abcsess has been going on since the beginning of May and has taken 3 weeks of daily poulticing to get it out. It has been very frustrating waiting for all of the pus to drain out.

OP it can take quite a long time for an abscess to drain out. I did ask my farrier and vets if I could have done anything different, but each said no, the abscess will burst when it is ready to. I hope my experience helps you.
 
Well vet came tonight as well he looked, no trace of abscess. She still very lame, now over the weekend continue the poultice and revue Monday also up to 2 bute a day, suspect could be infected pedal bone or fracture X ray next :(
 
Thanks Helen - sounds like you've had a bit of a nightmare there, but reassuring to know that other people are finding abscesses taking their time to out.

Hope it's nothing too horrendous, Leviathan, but perhaps it could be an abscess anyway - vet hasn't actually been able to locate an abscess with my boy but that is what he's favouring, given that we've been able to rule breaks and chips and soft tissue injuries.
 
Oh how this thread has helped!

Mine has just had a week box rest and 2 bute a day. Suspect something has gone through his hoof. Nothing came out of poultice and he's still lame... Not as bad but certainly obvious.

Vet had a dig about and found nothing but bruising on hoof wall.

He is shifting weight on back legs and struggles to lift hind legs.

So next step is a re-call to the vet... I suspect more box rest, poulticing and bute :(

Farrier is due next week also to take a look.

Fingers crossed.
 
Milesjess Try and get farrier out they are much better at getting to the abscess ,if there is one , than the vet, in my experience.
 
My pony a few years ago was lame and when the farrier came out found he had an abscess. He cut it out, we poulticed it and he soon became sound. He then bacame lame again so we repeated what we did again keeping a poultice on until no pus came out. This kept happening untill it got to the point we couldn't cut away anymore hoof so off he went to Liphook where we found he had an infection on the pedal bone. He had to have an operation on his hoof to remove the infected pedal bone but once it healed it hasn't caused a problem since (he just needs to be shod on all feet because otherwise it will happen again). Terribly frustrating so i can feel for you, as this all started in late march until June/July when he had the operation and then i started riding again in october of that year :eek:
Hope he improves soon! Get a farrier out as they are better at dealing with feet!!
 
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