Horse still slightly lame after absces

[Myotto]

It's me again worrying about my boy. 3 weeks ago he had quite a nasty abscess burst out of his front left heel bulb. We soaked and poulticed it as directed. The farrier couldn't find a second drainage hole in the sole (which he thinks is strange).

The vet has seen him and believes we have got out all the pus (the smell has gone as well) but that the abscess has damaged the coronary band. The heel bulb is still a bit warm and he doesn't like it to be touched.

We have put him in a heart bar shoe to try and balance the foot. I walk him in hand for about 20 minutes each night. The vet actually said I could bring him back into gentle ridden work in walk but I don't want to do that until he's fully sound in trot.

The problem is that he is still very slightly lame on it when I trot him up on a hard surface or on the lunge. He puts his ears back at me and turns in when I ask him to trot which is not like him. I'm not in a hurry to bring him back in to work but I can't help thinking there's something else I'm missing. The vet and the farrier believe that it will just take time for the bruising to settle.

Do I just need to give it more time?

 

[bonny]

It's me again worrying about my boy. 3 weeks ago he had quite a nasty abscess burst out of his front left heel bulb. We soaked and poulticed it as directed. The farrier couldn't find a second drainage hole in the sole (which he thinks is strange).

The vet has seen him and believes we have got out all the pus (the smell has gone as well) but that the abscess has damaged the coronary band. The heel bulb is still a bit warm and he doesn't like it to be touched.

We have put him in a heart bar shoe to try and balance the foot. I walk him in hand for about 20 minutes each night. The vet actually said I could bring him back into gentle ridden work in walk but I don't want to do that until he's fully sound in trot.

The problem is that he is still very slightly lame on it when I trot him up on a hard surface or on the lunge. He puts his ears back at me and turns in when I ask him to trot which is not like him. I'm not in a hurry to bring him back in to work but I can't help thinking there's something else I'm missing. The vet and the farrier believe that it will just take time for the bruising to settle.

Do I just need to give it more time?

Yes, to your final question, foot problems can take a while to settle back down.

 

[ycbm]

Yes I think you need to give it more time. The wound was really nasty, from the photo in your last thread. In spite of being assured it wasn't an overreach, and having overreach boots on, I'm not convinced from the photo that it wasn't a damned great bruise from a a bad overreach, which then abscessed. Especially since its still sensitive to touch. Abscesses from inside the foot, imo, aren't sensitive at the exit wound once they've burst.

I'd give it at least another week.
.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

If you are still worried , you could ask the vet to x-ray the foot to check that nothing else is going on inside but it probably is just taking time.

 

[Bellalily]

I’d be looking for any evidence that it’s travelled up to his coronet band. I also would be removing the shoe, and whacking a decent poultice on the whole area for another week. Mine wasn’t right for ages after his burst at the coronet band and then quite suddenly a load more pus came out and bingo, he was sound again. Abscesses can grow again very quickly if any pus is left behind. Good luck

 

[Barton Bounty]

Take off the shoe and poultice… two wet days and rest dry and poultice until there is no pus left. I would also be either doing an iodine bath or hot tubbing with epsom salts. Some abscesses can last a week and some a lot longer depending how deep they have travelled

 

[Bellalily]

I’ve done six weeks of poulticing with results Thought I was going mad until I posted on the barefoot fb group, some people were longer.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I’ve done six weeks of poulticing with results Thought I was going mad until I posted on the barefoot fb group, some people were longer.

Honestly there is no time limit, it all depends where it is and how deep it is. So I have found out this last week. And just when you think it has gone… bam out it pops again