please tell me... do you leave a hoof abscess to burst or have it dug out?

[PapaFrita]

There is no evidence whatsoever that leaving them to burst on their own increases the risk of bone infection, which also happens in ones that are opened by a vet or farrier. It's rare. It happens. BUt there is no demonstrable link between how the abscess finds its way out and bone infection and many vets and farriers advise leaving it, although not the majority.

PF had an abscess which I tried poulticing/digging out. By 'digging' I mean nothing like the butchery shown in some of the photos on this thread and neither vet nor farrier could find it so we decided to see if it would track up to her coronet band. There was no improvement. Eventually xrays showed the infection was way up wall of hoof and it HAD gone into her pedal bone. Vets had to carve out part of her pedal bone and she had a plate on her shoe for a few weeks. Hole closed surprisingly quickly. I have x-rays as a souvenir.
I would try to find, dig out(conservatively!) and poultice.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

you can see frog rotting away going to soft mulch and receeding
treatment

peroxide

peroxide with tablets
engemycin twice a day kept bandaged in dry poultice

baytrill

 

[Shysmum]

Hi Victoria, and news (or have I missed it) ?

 

[Fairynuff]

In true HHO style... 13 pages about some pus![/QUOTE

*****LIKE*****

 

[mightymammoth]

Hi Victoria, and news (or have I missed it) ?

Thanks for asking he became more sore overnight so had the vet out yesterday morning who has dug it out, its the one from last month that has got reinfected.

 

[diamonddogs]

Hope that's sorts it out once and for all!

FWIW when I read the OP I knew nothing of the background to Victoria's abscess problem, and just read it as the opening to a debate, so I was a bit at the way the thread degenerated!

Up to last summer I was an abscess virgin, so I've learned quite a lot through reading this. My own experience was Saturday horse just using her toe for balance, so I knew there was a problem as soon as I saw her. She could walk on the affected foot but only just and it took a while to get her from the field to the yard. Several people thought it might be the beginning of the end of an abscess, and the general opinion was to shove her in the isolation paddock and keep a close eye on her. She was fine overnight though still lame, so I thought perhaps I could wait till the morning and get the farrier, but by Sunday teatime (they know how to pick their moments!) she was hopping, and I felt I just couldn't leave her, so I reluctantly called the vet (I'm of the school of thought that where feet are concerned, farrier first), who poulticed, bandaged and billed (£120 ), telling me to get the farrier out first thing.

Fortunately when I rang the farrier he told me he was going to be on the yard anyway that morning, so he checked everything out and all of a sudden it was ready to blow, and blow it did - horse hopping round the yard slopping pus everywhere, but the relief in that mare's eyes was a joy to see. Another couple of days poulticing and she was as right as rain. And he didn't ask me for a penny.

Anyway, waffle over, and my question is to those who'd leave their horse for a day or so just to see, how do you know when it's safe to do this, because I daren't have left my horse for another 12 hours hopping? And do you just leave well alone, or do you poultice or tub while you wait and see?

Thanks!

 

[cptrayes]

All I can add is.....jeez how many abcess's are you lot seeing in your horses???

In a 60 horse livery yard for years, dozens. Keeping between 2 and 5 horses at home for 21 years, about another 20.

 

[cptrayes]

PF had an abscess which I tried poulticing/digging out. By 'digging' I mean nothing like the butchery shown in some of the photos on this thread and neither vet nor farrier could find it so we decided to see if it would track up to her coronet band. There was no improvement. Eventually xrays showed the infection was way up wall of hoof and it HAD gone into her pedal bone. Vets had to carve out part of her pedal bone and she had a plate on her shoe for a few weeks. Hole closed surprisingly quickly. I have x-rays as a souvenir.
I would try to find, dig out(conservatively!) and poultice.

But this also happens with ones which are dug out. There is no evidence that not digging it out causes any greater risk of pedal bone infection. I'm sorry for your one experience but it proves nothing either way.


Please don't get me wrong, peeps, it doesn't bother me that other people choose to dig out. It only bothers me that people who are advised by their vets or farriers to leave it to come out by itself are not unnecessarily scared witless by horror stories of what are relative very rare complications.

 

[cptrayes]

Me too laughing now - I hadn'r noticed that you'd cut the hair! This couold be why I wear glasses!

Glad you saw the funny side It was a great hole! It ran from the top to the bottom of the foot. I put peroxide in the hole and it ran straight out of the bottom. Quite fun to watch

 

[peaceandquiet1]

Opening up the abcess gives instant relief of pain. OH is farrier and always goes straight away to abcesses as leaving a horse in pain is a welfare issue, as well as the risk of complications.

 

[cptrayes]

Opening up the abcess gives instant relief of pain. OH is farrier and always goes straight away to abcesses as leaving a horse in pain is a welfare issue, as well as the risk of complications.

Can you ask OH to dig out what he was taught about the risk of complications for us HMM1? If there is any evidence as to digging out being safer I'd love to see it. I'd also like to understand why some of his fellow farrier would make the other choice and leave to brew.

I think it should perhaps also be noted that it isn't always possible for the farrier to find them and the horse ends up with unnecessary holes in the sole, themselves presenting a risk of complications.

And also that no-one is recommending that a horse be left hobbling for more than a day or so before you try to open an abscess with a knife instead.

 

[Tnavas]

Glad you saw the funny side It was a great hole! It ran from the top to the bottom of the foot. I put peroxide in the hole and it ran straight out of the bottom. Quite fun to watch

Good stuff Peroxide - are you still able to buy it over the counter?

 

[cptrayes]

Good stuff Peroxide - are you still able to buy it over the counter?

Cheapest is eBay 100 vol, water down by a factor of ten. Anyone who doesn't know it, be VERY careful handling 100 vol it is 30% peroxide and very, very ,very corrosive at that level. 3% is very safe and used as a wound wash for children. Great for thrush and abscess washouts.

 

[Peegeesmum]

I have read all the comments with interest as I have,sadly had to watch 2 of my geldings suffer the pain of foot abscess's.First two times the vet dug them out.Two months of dressings until the holes appeared to be closed.The next time the vet could not find the absccess & my poor boy spent 10 days lying down in agony.However,it burst out at the coronary band & he was immediately pain free.He was able to stay out without any dressings.I hate to see them in pain but I think nature has it right.Leave it to track out at the coronary band where it will heal much more quickly. Wild horses do not have their feet dug out & they heal as nature intended.

 

[only_me]

I have read all the comments with interest as I have,sadly had to watch 2 of my geldings suffer the pain of foot abscess's.First two times the vet dug them out.Two months of dressings until the holes appeared to be closed.The next time the vet could not find the absccess & my poor boy spent 10 days lying down in agony.However,it burst out at the coronary band & he was immediately pain free.He was able to stay out without any dressings.I hate to see them in pain but I think nature has it right.Leave it to track out at the coronary band where it will heal much more quickly. Wild horses do not have their feet dug out & they heal as nature intended.

Thread is from 6 years ago...

 

[PapaverFollis]

Thread is from 6 years ago...

Talk about digging things out... 😂😂

 

[tallyho!]

Well old threads do come back... google searches etc...

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I haven't read anyone else's posts on here.

My old boy had cushings and one of the signs was repeated absesses, so if I was OP I'd get vet to firstly take some bloods to see what's going on.

If there is an absess, I would always be inclined to ask the farrier to have a look in the first instance; IME farriers are generally far more accurate that the vet is at pinpointing EXACTLY where the problem is and effecting an immediate remedy, and if the farrier is always free to recommend the client to get the vet as well, but farrier would be my first call.

What you don't want to happen with an absess is for it to remain unresolved and for it to burst via the coronary band, if you get a lot of absesses occurring this can then de-stabilise the whole foot, which is what happened to my horse. He had to be PTS at this point as his poor old feet were literally coming apart. Sorry OP not wanting to bring doom and gloom.......

 

[only_me]

Talk about digging things out... 😂😂

I love that smell of pus, instantly reassuring that the hrose hasn’t broken a leg 😜

Well old threads do come back... google searches etc...

Yes... but start a new one rather than dragging a new one up from the depths, especially if you’ve not much to add to what’s already been said!

 

[Pinkvboots]

Zombie thread

 

[tallyho!]

I love that smell of pus, instantly reassuring that the hrose hasn’t broken a leg 😜



Yes... but start a new one rather than dragging a new one up from the depths, especially if you’ve not much to add to what’s already been said!

Some people don't look at the dates tho do they... still a pertinent subject despite the many millions of posts on abscesses


Oh and ... eeeewwww! That smell!