Hoof abscess

[Laura1989]

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!!!

 

[be positive]

I suspect that the abscess did not fully drain and that some infection remained even though he was sound initially or that there was more than one place affected, either way get the farrier to have a good look and take his advice on what you do next, it may be tricky to keep a dressing on in the wet but do what you can putting a fresh one on every evening when he comes in and wrap up really well before he goes out you need to use loads of tape and if possible something like a strong plastic bag on as well, the farrier will probably make a smaller hole than the vet so it should be easier to deal with, most complain that vets take too much off and it can take ages to grow back.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I don't like making holes so I just poultice it. Check out horse crocz. I got one and it's made life so much easier. You could put a bag on then this, and turnout no problem.

 

[paddi22]

my tb is a devil for abcesses... his take ages and even if farrier gets a bit out of the hoof, about a week later more will burst from the heel or coronet band..

 

[Hepsibah]

It sounds as though you are doing all the right things. Last winter my Fell pony had three separate abscesses in one hoof, it was like a hydra: kill one and another appeared! My farrier was very helpful in finding the exact point of pain and making a drainage hole for me to concentrate my poulticing efforts on. Turnout is beneficial too as it makes it easier to drain and hoof putty does a good job of sealing the hole once everything has drained.
If the horse is still lame it is completely possible there is a second abscess brewing.

 

[NZJenny]

IME an abscess will still travel and find it's own way out, no matter that you have drained some of it through a hole in the sole. Just keep poulticing!

Movement also helps, but I always let the horse decide on that.

Abscess's are sent by the dark side to torture horses and their owners!

 

[bonny]

Could he be sore where the vet has made a hole in his toe ? I would ask your farrier what he thinks and maybe consider if shoes would help ?

 

[YorksG]

Agree with get your farrier out to have a look, second the horsecrocz recoemdation. I put one on my Appy mare's hoof, on top of nappy, vetwrap and duck tape, it kept everything in place and stopped her slipping, which made turn out much easier. I think this has been a bad year for abcessess, the constant wet has softened soles and then they appear to bruise and infect more easily. I would always get the farrrier to an abcess in preference to the vet, they seem to be able to get to the source with less overall damage
Good luck

 

[missyclare]

I agree whole heartedly about everything that your vet has advised you to do so far. If he has opened the drainage originally and it has closed, then he needs to come back and open it up again and show you how to keep it open and draining. Changing the environment like overnight on shavings clean and dry, will produce a drier, harder hoof that is more resilient to the ground. That same drier hoof will now have the power to spit the abscess out with movement....a lot better than a mushy hoof. A good balanced trim, get the abscess flowing again. lots of movement and a drier hoof that works both that trim and at resolving the abscess. If it is totally wet out there I would be looking to dry poulticing applications to back up that drier hoof instead of continuous soaking, but ask the vet. I think you've got a great vet.

 

[Cocorules]

I agree whole heartedly about everything that your vet has advised you to do so far. If he has opened the drainage originally and it has closed, then he needs to come back and open it up again and show you how to keep it open and draining. Changing the environment like overnight on shavings clean and dry, will produce a drier, harder hoof that is more resilient to the ground. That same drier hoof will now have the power to spit the abscess out with movement....a lot better than a mushy hoof. A good balanced trim, get the abscess flowing again. lots of movement and a drier hoof that works both that trim and at resolving the abscess. If it is totally wet out there I would be looking to dry poulticing applications to back up that drier hoof instead of continuous soaking, but ask the vet. I think you've got a great vet.

This I have learnt a lot on the last 6 months about abcesses. In terms of preventing recurrences my vet advised a good hoof supplement, picking out hooves and then getting them really clean every day and keeping them in dry conditions. The latter does not happen as they are turned out on grass. Also keep them moving. Mine live out 24/7 but the condition of my ridden pony's hooves is way better than my non-ridden. I do not think I had previously appreciated what a difference working hooves makes to the quality of the hoof.