Lameness returned - absess help!

[MagicMelon]

So one of my horses was kicked by one of my others before Christmas (I saw it happen) and a few days later she became a bit lame, not hopping definately-absess lame but this continued. Vet checked leg etc. fully and no heat/swelling anywhere so felt it was probably an absess just not doing much. I poulticed and did box rest (was very wet outside), she had bute etc. An absess then did appear out of her coronet band (on the outer edge) but only a small hole, then a few days later a much bigger hole appeared on the opposite side of the coronet band. I poulticed etc. and she seemed to come sound and all was fine. I was about to begin riding her again a few days ago but she then went lame again! Same leg/hoof. So I began poulticing yet again, but nothing was appearing so have been using black stuff from Equine America which a few people told me was amazing at drawing out absesses. I put her back on bute. She's out in a hoof boot currently (far from ideal with all this mud but due to such awful rain we've had in my area, my stables are currently flooded so I have only my tack room as a dry place to change her poultice, ie. she can't stay in). Ive had her on bute last few days again.

I will get the vet obviously if necessary but it must still be this absess - is it normal for an absess to fester like this, to get better seemingly then come back?? She's not prone to them, this is her first and she has no other lameness issues (always been sound). I just want to get rid of it once and for all! I dont want to get vet if they cant do anything more than just advising me to keep poulticing... Is there any other kind of medication she could be put on to try and get rid of this? I've had her on turmeric as well but not doing much in this case.

 

[Birker2020]

So one of my horses was kicked by one of my others before Christmas (I saw it happen) and a few days later she became a bit lame, not hopping definately-absess lame but this continued. Vet checked leg etc. fully and no heat/swelling anywhere so felt it was probably an absess just not doing much. I poulticed and did box rest (was very wet outside), she had bute etc. An absess then did appear out of her coronet band (on the outer edge) but only a small hole, then a few days later a much bigger hole appeared on the opposite side of the coronet band. I poulticed etc. and she seemed to come sound and all was fine. I was about to begin riding her again a few days ago but she then went lame again! Same leg/hoof. So I began poulticing yet again, but nothing was appearing so have been using black stuff from Equine America which a few people told me was amazing at drawing out absesses. I put her back on bute. She's out in a hoof boot currently (far from ideal with all this mud but due to such awful rain we've had in my area, my stables are currently flooded so I have only my tack room as a dry place to change her poultice, ie. she can't stay in). Ive had her on bute last few days again.

I will get the vet obviously if necessary but it must still be this absess - is it normal for an absess to fester like this, to get better seemingly then come back?? She's not prone to them, this is her first and she has no other lameness issues (always been sound). I just want to get rid of it once and for all! I dont want to get vet if they cant do anything more than just advising me to keep poulticing... Is there any other kind of medication she could be put on to try and get rid of this? I've had her on turmeric as well but not doing much in this case.

She may have a haematoma under the sole of the foot. This can develop sometimes due to a deep bruise within the foot and mimics the same as an abcess. My horse developed two after each shoeing, although the same farrier had been doing his feet for four years prior and about two years hence without a problem, so I think the shoeing was just a co-incidence as he is an excellent farrier and well thought of by the vetl.

If it is found to be this then digging out the sole of the foot, will sort the problem out, followed by two days hot poultice and three or four days of dry poultice with an iodine/sugar mix under the poultice. The blood practically dripped out of my horses foot.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I have been told by my Vet that bute is contraindicated for abscesses. As far as I'm aware (and I have had the vet and farrier for same bad abscesses in the past) there is nothing that you can give orally for abscesses. Antibiotics should only be given if the leg becomes swollen and hard. I wonder if giving the bute has actually dragged this on a bit?

If the abscess has sealed up again, you want the pressure to build, so it pops again. I personally have given up with poulticing for long times and keep the horse out so that it moves (yes, even in mud) as this really seems to help. I wash the hole out with diluted peroxide or diluted iodine in a syringe and try to get the abscess hole to flush through. Tubbing in warm water can be very helpful before flushing. Tub, then flush and hopefully the flushing water will go in the hole at one end of the abscess and flush out of the hole at the other. I do this two or three times a day, for a few days. This keeps it draining and seems to kill the bugs inside the abscess hole.

I did have one horse with two abscesses that never popped at the top (they were related to nail holes from horseshoes) and the farrier had to cut away some hoof wall to solve them. As the bacteria are anaerobic, being exposed to the air fixed the issue instantly, the horse was sound and everything grew out with no issue. As your horse has popped it's abscess, you shouldn't be in this situation.

Do keep a close eye for the leg swelling though. They do sometimes get a bit of soft swelling before it pops, but hard swelling of the leg means you need the vet to have a look in case antibiotics are required.