How to get an abecess to pop

flirtygerty

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My lad has had a swollen pastern for the last few days and is pretty lame, put a cold compress on it and kept him in the barn with company, went to check his bandage and hay before bed and noticed what appeared to be a blister on his coronet band, light in the barn is rubbish and my eyes no better, next day in daylight, I had a better look, it seems to be an abcess, so I held a hot cloth to this blister, then poulticed and bandaged, as soon as my lad took a step, the bandage moved up taking the poultice with it, how do I keep a poultice on his coronet band without resorting to superglue, swelling is down on his pastern, is this a vet job or farrier, never needed to bandage a foot before
 
I would cut a long strip of animalintex, soak in hot (but not burning water), wring out the excess and then place it so it goes under the hoof (over the sole) over the hoof wall and up past the coronet band. Then put a nappy over the hoof (get a size that goes above the coronet band) and wrap some vet wrap over, but not right to the top. Don't pull the vet wrap too tight (a quarter stretch to half stretch is tight enough) and make sure that the movement of the joints isn't restricted. Then gaffer tape over the hoof and sole section (but not the coronet or pastern).

100_1950.jpg


Hopefully you can see how the nappy and animalintex goes up over the coronet, but the blue gaffer tape is lower. Sorry, I don't have a better photo.

ETA - I hope it pops soon. If it doesn't and the legs swells more, get the Vet as although antibiotics are contraindicated for abscesses, if the infection starts going up the leg, you will need them.
 
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I would cut a long strip of animalintex, soak in hot (but not burning water), wring out the excess and then place it so it goes under the hoof (over the sole) over the hoof wall and up past the coronet band. Then put a nappy over the hoof (get a size that goes above the coronet band) and wrap some vet wrap over, but not right to the top. Don't pull the vet wrap too tight (a quarter stretch to half stretch is tight enough) and make sure that the movement of the joints isn't restricted. Then gaffer tape over the hoof and sole section (but not the coronet or pastern).

100_1950.jpg


Hopefully you can see how the nappy and animalintex goes up over the coronet, but the blue gaffer tape is lower. Sorry, I don't have a better photo.

ETA - I hope it pops soon. If it doesn't and the legs swells more, get the Vet as although antibiotics are contraindicated for abscesses, if the infection starts going up the leg, you will need them.


As above, poultice the life out of it!
 
Thanks all, the little bit of poultice I got to stay on did the trick, one popped abcess, my lad was happy enough to lead the escape bid into a 15 acre field tonight, nice to watch, but a beggar to round up, how to bandage a hoof committed to memory, again thanks a lot Faracat, this lad is very special to me
 
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