It's an abscess! Wooohooo! Hints and tips please!

[Charmin]

Following previous post of my homebred mare who was on 3 legs and lots of worry as I'm at uni and she's down at home, but vet this morning said almost definitely an abscess behind the coronet band that tracked up the outside of the hoof from the white line through a nail hole.

She's currently poulticed with animal lintex and on bute so hopefully get pain under control.

It's not burst yet and apparently is too deep to burst manually, it should come out through the coronet.

Are there any alternatives to animal lintex? Preferably less expensive, I've heard nappies are good? What do you put on them to draw the infection out though?

She's tubbed with epsom salts, how often should this ideally be? Vet said once a day and change poultice every 24 hours.

And is there any way she can be turned out with a poultice on? Or will the poultice just get wet and useless?

Thank you!

 

[suestowford]

I turn mine out with a poultice on. I cover the whole thing with duck tape, you will know if you have done it right if the poultice doesn't fall off
You used to be able to buy poultice boots for turn out but I haven't seen one of those for a long time.
Alternatives to animalintex - you could get some kaolin paste but probably that would cost much the same. I know someone who used bread as a poultice material but that was on a sheep's leg, not underneath a horse's foot! Not sure how bread would cope with that tbh.

 

[Highlands]

I use nappies, change twice a day, Swimming nappy into turn out boot.

 

[Tiddlypom]

So glad that's it's an abscess!

I have only ever used animalintex, so can't comment on alternatives. I use animalintex, vet wrap , duck tape lattice followed by more duct tape, and turn out ok as long as ground isn't too muddy.

The 'fun' part, I find, is the tubbing..

 

[Sandstone1]

I have used nappies but only to cover the animalintex, don't think nappies work on there own to draw out infection.
My vet said they are best out as the movement helps to burst abbcess.
Animalintex covered by nappy then strips of duct tape to cover.

 

[Illusion100]

If the ground is wet I cut the corner off a plastic feed sack and use that as a 'boot' cover for an extra bit of re-inforcement.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

If under the sole I use a hoof sized piece of animalinex, breast pad, bit of vetwrap to secure then silage tape. (Silage tape is a bit stronger than duck tape I've found and will hold on in the field too!)

 

[cobgoblin]

You can make a good emergency poultice boot out of an old pair of jeans - just cut an appropriate length of leg off (you need to measure round the hoof so that you get it wide enough, not skinnies ) and machine along the bottom or sew a circular sole in if you want to be posh. Slit down the side a bit so that it can be put on easily and fix with duct tape.

 

[Charlie77]

Just been though this and it just took much longer than any other absess. I suppose because it came up rather than down once it burst it took almost 2 weeks to stop producing junk x all good now though x x

 

[YorksG]

Soap flakes, sugar and warm water in a nappy, duck tape then plastic feed sack then more tape.

 

[JFTDWS]

It's amazing how excited and happy us horsey people can be to find pus in a situation like this

 

[debsflo]

good news.i use loads of duct tape which keeps it secure and dry over the poultice and some vet wrap...

 

[Charmin]

Still no pus but vet said could be in for the longhaul due to the position of it, but apparently today she came careering up the field, so feeling better without the shoe already! She's happy to stand tubbed for 20 minutes but after that apparently steps out and kicks it over. Let the games begin!

 

[Pie's mum]

So glad for you! Fingers crossed it pops soon.

 

[skint1]

My mare and I have been battling a huge abscess, the farrier made 2 very deep drain holes in her sole. I soaked her foot in Epsom Salt and poulticed with animalintex, she didn't improve too much so she was on box rest anyway. Then it did burst out of her coronet band, at that point I used magnesium sulphate paste to keep it drawing out, it took days to drain. Then, I kept the wound clean and sprayed Hypocare on it. But she was on box rest for the first few days after it burst out and then it was in the midst of the dry spell so was relatively easy to keep clean.

When she has had solar abscesses and been footsore I have made her a boot as follows:
Animalintex
Nappy (or even Pull Ups) or even 2 nappies
vet wrap
Duct tape
a bit of old carpet cut to the shape of her foot
Duct Tape- Gorilla brand seems to be the best

I've never lost one in the field yet, even in muddy conditions, though generally my field is not muddy, except by the gate. And you need some good scissors and steady hoss to remove it!

 

[Bantry]

Delighted to hear its an abscess. If you can, fill a bucket with quite hot water and get her to stand with her foot in it. The hot water helps to draw it out and they quite like it once they get used to it.