Poorly older mare.

Crugeran Celt

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I have a 24 year old mare that came in from the field last Friday very lame, literally on three legs. Nothing obvious but she has suffered with foot abscesses in the past so assumed she had another. Saturday morning her leg was swollen from fetlock to hock so hozed it and kept her in overnight. By Sunday she had an abscess on the inside of her leg about three inches down from the hock, it was oozing pus and was just a mess. Washed it out with salt water and covered it to keep the flies out. Called vet on Monday who thought she may have had a puncture wound that had become infected. Antibiotics, tetanus booster and pain killers and advised that although it was probably better to leave it open because of flies to clean it twice a day and re dress it. It hasn't stopped running with pus since and seems to be getting bigger and bigger, it looks ahd smells horrendous and I will be calling vet back out tomorrow as really not happy with it. Anyone got any experience if this as I have never seen anything like it before.
 

Crugeran Celt

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Vet thought that when he came on Monday but he really had a good probe around in it and said he couldn't feel anything in there causing the problem so thought it would start to heal pretty quickly but it definitely is not healing. I have been taking photos of it daily and it is getting bigger. Tonight when I pulled the dressing off two pieces of flesh fell away with the dressing. Mare is fantastic and stands with no fussing all the while I clean and re dress it, doesn't seem in tremendous pain and is no longer lame on it, in fact having trouble catching her she canters away from me which is completely normal behaviour for her. She has never been great to catch.
 

Pearlsasinger

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Vet thought that when he came on Monday but he really had a good probe around in it and said he couldn't feel anything in there causing the problem so thought it would start to heal pretty quickly but it definitely is not healing. I have been taking photos of it daily and it is getting bigger. Tonight when I pulled the dressing off two pieces of flesh fell away with the dressing. Mare is fantastic and stands with no fussing all the while I clean and re dress it, doesn't seem in tremendous pain and is no longer lame on it, in fact having trouble catching her she canters away from me which is completely normal behaviour for her. She has never been great to catch.

I think I would ask for an x-ray, just to be sure.
 

Crugeran Celt

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I thought she was a cushings candidate many years ago but vet was insistant that she wasn't. I will ask to have her tested now. I won't take her down the route of loads of tests and treatments as she has been a very unhealthy horse for many years, bred her myself but she had to be retired at the age of seven even though she wasn't backed until she was five and she certainly wouldn't handle travelling any distance and if she had to be stabled it would be a nightmare for her as she has lived out 24/7 for nearly 20 years. Managed to keep her in last Saturday as she was feeling pretty unwell but tried to get her in Sunday and she spent all night kicking walls and doors getting very stressed.
 

Pearlsasinger

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I thought she was a cushings candidate many years ago but vet was insistant that she wasn't. I won't take her down the route of loads of tests and treatments as she has been a very unhealthy horse for many years, bred her myself but she had to be retired at the age of seven even though she wasn't backed until she was five and she certainly wouldn't handle travelling any distance and if she had to be stabled it would be a nightmare for her as she has lived out 24/7 for nearly 20 years. Managed to keep her in last Saturday as she was feeling pretty unwell but tried to get her in Sunday and she spent all night kicking walls and doors getting very stressed.

You can x-ray and blood test at home.
 

Pearlsasinger

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I thought she was a cushings candidate many years ago but vet was insistant that she wasn't. I will ask to have her tested now. I won't take her down the route of loads of tests and treatments as she has been a very unhealthy horse for many years, bred her myself but she had to be retired at the age of seven even though she wasn't backed until she was five and she certainly wouldn't handle travelling any distance and if she had to be stabled it would be a nightmare for her as she has lived out 24/7 for nearly 20 years. Managed to keep her in last Saturday as she was feeling pretty unwell but tried to get her in Sunday and she spent all night kicking walls and doors getting very stressed.

My 23 yr old heavy mare has responded very well to Prascend. I have a 'no prolonged box-rest/invasive treatment' policy but am so glad that I had the test. She had a recurrent hoof abscess which just wouldn't heal properly until the meds kicked in. We have another whose symptoms are reducing after just a week on Prascend.
 

Crugeran Celt

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My 23 yr old heavy mare has responded very well to Prascend. I have a 'no prolonged box-rest/invasive treatment' policy but am so glad that I had the test. She had a recurrent hoof abscess which just wouldn't heal properly until the meds kicked in. We have another whose symptoms are reducing after just a week on Prascend.

Thank you I will bring this up with the vet, she too has had numerous foot abscesses.
 

Crugeran Celt

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Spoke to vet yesterday who was pleased that she is so well in herself and that the leg although still weeping is now watery as apposed to thick and gooey. He has given me another weeks course of antibiotics and to continue with cleaning and dressing change twice daily but to take her off bute to see if she is still sound without it so only one bute yesterday and none today. She is still sound but obviously may take a day or two for it to be out of her system completely. He really doesn't think there is anything in the wound as wasn't surprised that it was getting bigger before it starts to heal as all infected area will come away. So feeling a little happier today about it all.
 

Pearlsasinger

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Spoke to vet yesterday who was pleased that she is so well in herself and that the leg although still weeping is now watery as apposed to thick and gooey. He has given me another weeks course of antibiotics and to continue with cleaning and dressing change twice daily but to take her off bute to see if she is still sound without it so only one bute yesterday and none today. She is still sound but obviously may take a day or two for it to be out of her system completely. He really doesn't think there is anything in the wound as wasn't surprised that it was getting bigger before it starts to heal as all infected area will come away. So feeling a little happier today about it all.

That all sounds good! They are such a worry!
 

Crugeran Celt

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They really are, I bred this mare myself and I know at 24 her time may be limited but she has been through so much illness in her life to have her sound and happy for a few years although retired has been lovely and I would love for her to have a few more years of her controling the herd which she loves to do.
 

paddy555

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My 23 yr old heavy mare has responded very well to Prascend. I have a 'no prolonged box-rest/invasive treatment' policy but am so glad that I had the test. She had a recurrent hoof abscess which just wouldn't heal properly until the meds kicked in. We have another whose symptoms are reducing after just a week on Prascend.

another one with constant hoof abscesses before prascend. What a difference it made. The cushings blood test is one single pull of blood, done at home before anything else the vet does. Stress affects the results so it is best done first before horse gets any vet treatment.
 

Crugeran Celt

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In all fairness my mare hasn't had a foot abscess for years now and has been completely sound until this problem. She is still sound today with no bute but had pulled her dressing off overnight and had managed to bang the wound which was bleeding profusely. Glad to see it bleeding as at least it shows the surrounding tissue is still alive.
 
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