Laura1989
New User
Hello, I do not know if anyone can help, I have had horses for many many years but this is the first time I have dealt with an abscess. So I took on a 16.1hh very underweight TB that was going to be shot, 10 years old as a project. He came to me with out shoes and was barefoot and sound but many wounds, we got all these healed. Then, Nearly a month ago he started to become slightly lame- no obvious signs. It is very wet and muddy in our field so I assumed his feet were sore from being so wet or potentially a bruise from some of the stones. Over the week it started to get worse and then he went really really lame. I called the vet out who tested his feet and found an abscess on his front right leg on his toe so she made a hole in the sole of his foot and a small amount of puss came out. We stabled him for 3 days. Used the iodine and sugar mix to pack it with and then poultice, vet wrap and duct tape. He went sound right away and then after 3 days he was turned back out with the above still being done (he was going to break out of his stable otherwise and vet said he would be fine. Obviously it didn't stay on for long and no boots would fit over it. We carried on changing the dressing but within the first couple of days no more fluid was coming out of the foot, but we continued packing it and dry paulticing vet wrap and gaffer tape. Then about a week later he started to get lame. We carried on and he would go sound and then lame again. 3 weeks later we have just started to use hoof putty to block the whole as nothing else is draining and I am concerned about mud and dirt getting in the whole as the pack would only stay on over night when he was on the yard but He is still lame. We have the farrier coming out in 5 days to do the usual trim and while he is here obviously have a good look. My concern is the abscess has not fully drained and the hole rehealed with some infection left in there or he has another abscess? He will not let me soak his foot. But it is getting really frustrating as I hate seeing him in pain. Any advise or tips would be great. Antibiotics have not been used as per vets advise. I cannot keep him stabled as he goes mad (the first 3 days we stabled him he was very out of it on the pain killers the vet gave him, but by day 3 was ready to break out). Should I carry on with hoof putty to try and keep it clear and hope him standing in some wet would help either re burst or back to paulticing over night? Ahhhh!!!
