Red hot foot?

dwi

dwi

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Sorry, know this should be in vets but not many folk in there on a Saturday evening.

Lil's foot is red hot tonight, particularly around the coronet band and heel. It felt ever so slightly hot last night but is now considerably worse. The wierd thing is that she's not even slightly lame. There is slight swelling around the inside of the coronet band if you really stare at it but no swelling on the leg and no cuts, grazes or anything like that.

Would you think an abcess? Is there anything I can do other than wait and see what she's like in the morning?
 
Does sound like it could be an abcess brewing. Unless she's got a thorn or scratch on the coronet band somewhere?
 
Probably an abscess and if she's not lame it must already be draining. I would poultice over night and have a look at her trotting tomorrow.
 
Can anyone explain how to poultice? I know that makes me sound like a right novice but its not something I've ever had to do before.
 
I use Animal Lintex, soak in hot but not boiling water. Squeeze out (making sure it is not too hot) cover the area you want to poultice with the shiney side away from the horse and then using vet wrap or similar bandage in place.

If you are poulticing under the foot then it also pays to make a waterproof sole plate from duck tape.

Change the poultice every 12 hours. An abcess would normally burst through within about 3 days

Make sure the bandage is not too tight either!

Good Luck
 
Probably too late to answer your query now but, as you don't know if it's an abscess and if an abscess you can't pinpoint where then not an awful lot of point poulticing in my opinion. Personally I would try hot-tubbing (immersing whole foot in warm, salted water) which will help draw out and disinfect the entire area.

If she's stabled then i would just do this then leave it so it is open and can drain itself. If it's still hot and she does appear lame on it then I would advise getting a farrier out to have a look.

My horse has dodgy feet and at one stage was plagued with abscesses. However, he was abscess free for ages yet one day off to do a SJ event on front foot was considerably warmer than the other - hot in fact. He was not lame and not off at all (he is very wet so will let you know straight away if anything wrong with his feet). It was just odd, he jumped brilliantly that day and the foot became cold by the end of the day - there was no explanation for it at all.

I would take precautions ie tubbing (oh, does it smell at all by the way?) but to be honest, unless the horse shows signs that it is bothering it I would not be overly worried. She could have been stood with the sunb on that leg, could have been lying with that leg underneath her etc etc.
 
You don't say of there is a pulse?

Sounds like an abscess - but don;t rule out laminitis either. Both can give the same indicators - but you won;t know for certain for a couple of days

IMHO poulticing just gives the owner something to do - it does very little really.

You may want to tub the foot in warm water and epsom salts - the warmth seems to give them some relief.
 
I have the same problem today, got to stables and Willow lame and pointing left fore, heat in coronary band, so have poulticed twice today, do same tomorow and call my farrier first thing Monday morning. I use baby pampers over poultice and then bandages as it keeps poultice in place.
 
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I have the same problem today, got to stables and Willow lame and pointing left fore, heat in coronary band, so have poulticed twice today, do same tomorow and call my farrier first thing Monday morning. I use baby pampers over poultice and then bandages as it keeps poultice in place.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you have put a wet poultice on foot wont the baby pampers draw out the moisture of poultice?


Sharon xx
 
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