Lameness following abscess

[sanjo]

Does anyone have experience with intermittent lameness following abscesses? My draft gelding had a few stubborn abscesses over winter that drained with poultices. A few months later, he was lame again on the lunge, same foot. Assumed it was another abscess but farrier couldn't find anything after several attempts. There remains a hole in his foot from the previous infection point so I wonder if there is something there. However nothing is showing with pressure on the hoof and not lame enough for an abscess.

 

[AmyMay]

Has the foot been xrayed?

 

[ycbm]

Agree with AM, after a second abscess I would want x rays, plus a Cushings test.
.

 

[sanjo]

Not yet, the vet instead did nerve blocks but results were inconclusive. Scan/ xray suggested after a week of rest.

 

[meleeka]

I would x-ray too at this point.

 

[Orangehorse]

My horse went on for weeks seeming to be sound and then going lame/tender after an abscess. The vet suspected a broken pedal bone, but the X ray showed no break, but the abscess had tracked round his foot. While he. was still sleepy from the X ray sedation the vet had another go with the hoof knife, which made the hole a bit larger. Not much came out but he did eventually become sound. A few weeks later I was cleaning out his hoof and a great chunk of sole came away. I leapt back in horror, but it was where the abscess had tracked round so there was a sort of gap. He was absolutely fine after that.

In my experience a vet will always make a larger hole than the farrier.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Yes my mare had a few abscesses and was lame we x rayed and the infection had tracked to the pedal bone so she had part of it removed.

She had other soft tissue damage in that leg as well so she never returned to any sort of work, she had cushings and ems so definitely worth testing and treating accordingly.