Infected wound following tooth removal

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corrinajaffa

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Long story (nearly 6 months long). 6yo TB's tooth removed forcibly from lower jaw as in pieces. Don't ask me how it got like that within six month check ups by EDT. Many complications later we're at the point of an abscess on side of face that is infected with a strain of e coli for which there are no suitable antibiotics. Vet has been amazing (and is no longer charging me as insurance not paying out (dental clause - nice)).

Has anyone else had to deal with this ? I don't want to go down the removing section of jaw route to possibly get rid of all infection. What do I do ?
 
Similar story but just without the e-coli
If theres an abscess there has it burst yet? Think thats usually how they clear up cos antibiotics can b pretty ineffective in the jaw/mouth area
My horses tooth abscess tracked down thro the jaw bone burst out (it was ahuge swelling) left a track thro the bone & took a year 2 fully recover. The cap put in place of tooth had 2 b removed & so food stuff went in thro space down the abscess tract & out her jaw (not nice 2 pick pus covered grass out on a daily basis)
Eventually vet put another cap in (couldn't b done straight away cos of the damage the 1st cap had done) & few months after that the jaw bone finally healed by itself
Horse was left with what felt like scar tissue in the space Btwn her jaw bones (underneath) & strange lumpy jaw bone but that was all
 
I had a tooth removed, very traumatic, should have sued the dentist. Due to negligent lack of aftercare advice, I developed an infection in my jawbone. They don't give antibiotics as it doesn't reach bone. I managed mine through scrupulous mouth hygiene, mouthwashes and time. How you do this with a horse I don't know! Might a 2nd opinion be helpful? One of the big veterinary schools eg Liverpool? Nothing against your vets at all.
 
Chocy that is very similar. Thanks for your reply. Yes this an abscess that has burst. He's had bone cement put in to seal the tract from above but looking like that's failed as there's grass coming out the side of his face again this morning. Curses ! Waiting to hear back from the vet now.

What did you do for daily maintenance while you were waiting to put that second cap in? I'm washing wound with gauze and dilute hibiscrub, followed by salt water flush/ dry and Vaseline around area so keeps easy to clean. Takes a good half hour as he's not happy about it (and I'm avoiding daily sedation/ twitching for as long as I can) but we get there in the end.

Also, what was the cap like ? Do you think it could sit on top of bone cement ?
 
If grass coming out abscess tract the plug is def not a total seal but think it can b v difficult 2 get complete seal due 2 the nature of where they r working in mouth/ lack of space 2 work in etc!
For cleaning I used big syringe & sterile water & just syringes as much up the abscess hole as I could. When abscess 1st burst I had 3 separate holes 2 deal with largest about 3inches long then 2 about inch long. I picked the dried puss off cleaned with swans then syringes. It was not pleasant but horse didn't object I think she'd been on so much pain before than when it burst it relieved that a lot.

Both caps were just bone cement plugs 1st 1 caused a lot of trauma 2 mouth & was removed after 4 wks of her being unhappy (puss leaking up side of it) then vet came out every other days for 2wks packed the tooth hole with stuff (think just soft swabs etc) & another 4wks l8r the abscess finally burst out

Vet had hoped that the gum & scar tissue would hav filled the tooth space, closed the gap when the plug had been & that would hav solved the prob but v small spaces left allowed food/grass 2 go down the abscess tract & that's y had 2 hav 2nd plug put in. But this wasn't done until a ling time after as it was assumed it was just taking a long time 2 heal due 2 severity of it. Think was 6/7 months after abscess burst that 2nd plug was done
 
Thanks Chocy. Vet has advised patience now to see which way it'll go before we look at next step. Will be easier to be patient having read your comments
 
It can take a long time 2 heal just cos of where the problem is. I was a whole year b4 the abscess tract had completely healed & closed but was back riding etc not long after 2nd cap was put in & was out competing with the tract still open- luckily hers was right under jaw so no1 saw it & thot it mite strangles- that was my worry!
 
One of mine has a mouth wash twice a day for teeth problems.

My EDT told me to use a weak solution of Listerine (Fresh Mint). I use a 50ml bladder syringe and wash the mouth out with this. It keeps any nasty things happening to the teeth.
 
It depends on the location of the tooth but I did a lot of flushing with a hosepipe (in mouth then turned in). Use as much pressure as the horse will tolerate - i was able to get the hose into the open socket for thorough flushing . I then used alcohol free corsodyl mouthwash and a 50ml syringe to clean the wound for two final rinses. Another horse had to have a piece of jaw bone removed about the size of a two pound coin. As horrific as it sounds she was instantly better and only on 1 Danilon a day for a week. The wound rapidly healed after being a mess for a few months although hers had not burst through the bottom of her jaw but into her mouth.
 
I would have thought using corsodyl or possibly peroxyl mouthwash for cleansing would have been better than Listerine tbh. Gengigel is great stuff for healing wounds/ulcers in human mouths
 
Has your horse had his jaw x rayed to check that there are no remaining bits of tooth or pieces of bone that need removing? That is the most common reason for this type of problem. Also has your vet tried potassium iodide as an antibacterial agent? in my experience this is the best treatment for a deep seated infection of this type, and can be used for a prolonged period with minimal risk.

As others have said, if you are not getting anywhere, a fresh pair of more expert eyes might be the best way forwards.
 
I'm going to speak to my vet again about mouth flushing. I do like the idea but I prob need to be careful what comes down through that tract. I gave my boy a super succulent apple this morning and I swear apple juice came out through his wound.

He's had a few xrays done now - we've had multiple issues and he's on potassium iodide long term. You know your stuff GreedyGuts !

My vet's also a BEVA / BAEDT equine dental technician and a lecturer and examiner on toothy things !

We persevere !
 
I'd b speaking 2 vet about putting another bone cement plug in tooth space. While food stuff is going down the tract it can never heal & if the skin closes over its just likely 2 abscess & burst again.
 
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