Nappy as poultice

Clodagh

Clodagh

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In many years of horse ownership I have got my first abbcess. Well, horse has! Farrier suggested nappy as poultice. Sounds good to me, do I realy not need animalintex and vet wrap underneath? Just a nappy? Damped with warm water I assume? I didn't want to look ignorant by asking him!!
 
I use nappies for an abcess but I put the hot animalintex on first then vet wrap, then nappy and tape up with a feed bag so you can turn the horse out, change it twice a day and hot poultice for at least 4 to 5 days then a dry poultice for a few more days.
 
Thats good. Thank you. I put a warm damp one on this morning after posting thread - farrier not coming til this afternoon. Would be good to think I might be able to turn him out, he is only rising 4 and doesn't think much of being stabled, he has lived out pretty well since a yearling.
Will do a proper job after farrier been. Funnily enough I went and got nappies on the school run but they are too small, he is wearing two, one each way!
 
Hot 'lintex inside the nappy, then secure with a little vetwrap and plenty of carpet tape. The nappy just negates the need for endless layers of cling film/plastic/gamgee and yards of bloody vetwrap :)
 
the gel that swells in the nappy has drawing properties, once the abcess is draining and open I use animalintex for a couple of days then after that just a nappy, plastic and gaffa tape
 
dunkley said:
Hot 'lintex inside the nappy, then secure with a little vetwrap and plenty of carpet tape. The nappy just negates the need for endless layers of cling film/plastic/gamgee and yards of bloody vetwrap :)
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Same ^^ had lots of practice last winter.

Am trying to visualise how big OP's horse feet are if you've had to use 2 x nappies..or were they really tiny ones lol.
 
Well the farrier dug it out and the pus was running out, poor boy. He is poulticed but he isn't any sounder? Still not weight bearing? I thought they were instantly better when the pressure was relieved?
 
Clodagh said:
Well the farrier dug it out and the pus was running out, poor boy. He is poulticed but he isn't any sounder? Still not weight bearing? I thought they were instantly better when the pressure was relieved?
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It might take a day or so I find the bigger horses seem to take a bit longer to want to stand on the foot, I buy Asda newborn nappies either size 2 or 3 are a good fit cheap too.
 
Clodagh said:
In many years of horse ownership I have got my first abbcess. Well, horse has! Farrier suggested nappy as poultice. Sounds good to me, do I realy not need animalintex and vet wrap underneath? Just a nappy? Damped with warm water I assume? I didn't want to look ignorant by asking him!!
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I use animalintex directly over the hole boil to draw then I use the nappy.
 
Well he is pretty well sound now, thank goodness, slightly lame when turning on it.
Farrier said it was a good free draining hole so I can turn him out with bare feet. I might do it for an hour or two tomorrow and then I thought if I got him back in, soak it in warm epsom salts and syringe the hole like mad and repoultice I hopefully wouldn't make him have a set back? He has been so good about being in but his friend has dodgy hocks and it isn't doing him any favours. And so much muck - they normally live out so mucking out twice a day is a killer and a nasty shock!!
 
That's good news, I think this thread jinxed me as I read it then went to take horses in only for youngster to be hopping lame with abscess. Luckily I have a nappy supply in tack room. If you want to put your horse out just poultice as you're doing...then cover with duct tape all over dressing especially underside of foot and toe are make sure you use plenty. This will keep poultice on, dry, clean and horse can go out. My fields are quite muddy and poultice hasn't come off yet.
 
Numpty question...
the poultice still sometimes has little bits of goo in it but he is absolutely sound, do I still need to be applying one? I am syringing out the hole with warm epsom salt solution between changes. I am fed up with doing it, although he thinks it is fab someone propping his hoof on their knee and giving him a rest.
 
How many days has it been? We used to use a wet poultice for the first few days and then a dry one until the hole had healed. I think you have to be careful that it does not get blocked until all the gunk is out.
We had one last year who is a wobbler. Doing his back foot was quire a challenge as he was inclined to topple over poor lad.
 
Started doing it Thursday night.
I wondered about not poulticing any more but syringing it out morning and night? It is a good sized hole, I do it with the hose first, then a syringe.
 
I'd err on the side of caution and dry poultice it to keep the mud out. If it gets reinfected you'll have an even longer job getting it sorted. Yes it's a total nuisance but sounds like he's being really good for you :)
 
OK, thank you for your help - just trying to be lazy! Will carry on.
One more question then...when dry poulticing can I go down to doing it once a day?
 
Clodagh said:
OK, thank you for your help - just trying to be lazy! Will carry on.
One more question then...when dry poulticing can I go down to doing it once a day?
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Yes, hat's what we did last year with ours on the farrier's advice. As long as it's secure and keeping the mud and crap out the foot should heal up really quickly. One of ours closed over too quickly and then flared up again. Just a few more days :)
 
I have just got a mare through a 7 week abscess saga. She stood on a quarter clip and it went up the white line, plus her foot was bruised. Anyway, it took various farrier attempts, a bout of cellulitis from poulticing so much, then x rays when she was lame *again*, finally the vet dug out a huge hole in her foot and I packed it with sugardine, which is 10% iodine and sugar. This worked like a charm. The sugardine dries the infected area out and allows it to drain more effectively.
I've read about it's use before, but never used it, and in future any abscess I have to deal with which has a packable hole, will be getting sugardine and poulticing.
 
I wouldn't use AS the poultice, but to support the animalintex, then vet wrap then duck tape, I got a handy canvas boot in robinsons wasn't expensive this was on top of that, I was told to poultice overnight and a dry dressing in the day, so I used a dry nappy for that purpose with the canvas boot over it
 
Clodagh said:
Thats good. Thank you. I put a warm damp one on this morning after posting thread - farrier not coming til this afternoon. Would be good to think I might be able to turn him out, he is only rising 4 and doesn't think much of being stabled, he has lived out pretty well since a yearling.
Will do a proper job after farrier been. Funnily enough I went and got nappies on the school run but they are too small, he is wearing two, one each way!
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Image of 4 Y/O with puzzled face looking at double nappy wrap lol
 
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