Hoof abscess

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Palominopony68

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On Thursday we noticed my boy was lame. Having trotted him up it was difficult to see where in the leg the lameness was coming from but it was decided to treat him for an abscess. I hot poulticed for 48 hours and gunk did come out of the frog and sulches, and one night even from the bulbs. It was black which I am now thinking is thrush as he does suffer with this when there is a change of weather!!
Although the foot is smelly, there is no track or cavity, and the lameness has gone. The vet said that it wouldn't hurt to dry poultice as now the heels are very soft, but he is now snatching the foot away so the poultices are not that tight, so she said to leave open to dry out.
What are peoples thoughts please.
TIA x
 
Personally I'd keep in for a few days and continue to dry poultice.
I made the mistake in winter of turning out one of mine when an abscess had burst - turned him out a couple of days after the poultices were clean. Two days later he was hopping lame. Started to wet poultice again, kept him in and it was a good 7 days before the poultice was fully clean. I did another 2 or 3 days of hot poulticing then went to dry poultices. Once the poultices were cleaned, I turned him back out but well wrapped up in a nappy, layers of feed bags and vast quantities of Gorilla tape.
 
Thank you. It's just so difficult to know what to do. Our farrier is ill so not working and can't get hold of him. I don't really want the vet as they can go all around the houses!!
How many times a day would you change it? X
 
Ok. That's what we had been doing. Hes just ripping his feet away from us now as he's getting so annoyed haha!
He's feet are really bad so in the past the farrier has always said to leave his shoe on as long as possible as he won't b able to keep it on when it can finally go back on. Our problem is at this stage we still don't know if it is an abscess :-/
I'm awaiting vet to call back as I can't get hold of our farrier.
 
If you have pus coming out then I'd say you have an abscess. I would want the shoe off, personally, in case there is somewhere under the shoe that needs to drain. If you are just pulling a shoe then get a different farrier.
I would dispute what your farrier says about being unable to put shoe back on - if that was the case then he'd never be able to get them back on when he is re-shod at his normal 6-8 week intervals.

Thinking longer term, have you looked into why his feet are so bad? Could be diet, bad farrier (sorry to say it but it's perfectly possible!), any number of things that you might be able to change.
 
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