To poultice or not

[swampdonkey]

Last night my boy has lost a back shoe and under closer inspection he has torn the coronet band on his bulb of heal. Underneath it looks red and sore, it is also wet and slightly weepy.
It was sore when I cleaned it but he wasn't lame.
I poulticed it last night and kept him in stable but when I came home I rang my farrier and he said to take poultice off to let it dry out.
Now everyone at the yard suggested poulticing and farrier the opposite so now I am wondering which is the best treatment.

I do trust my farrier but he obviously hasn't seen it and I don;t want dirt or wet mud getting in there. I can remove poultice then keep him in for a couple of days which is the way I am leaning at the moment but just wondered if anyone had any experience or advise.

 

[Brightbay]

Is it a neat horizontal split across the heel? If so, it may be an abscess exit hole - it's very common for them to come out here. It does sound that way, especially as you say it's a bit weepy and is a hind foot so not an overreach. If so, definitely poultice, as you want to get it to drain properly.

If it's a raggy jaggy cut, antiseptic is better than poultice... but really, what you describe sounds classic abscess to me (they can burst, esp. in shod horses, without you even noticing any lameness).

 

[swampdonkey]

thankyou for quick reply

Its a neat straight vertical line, would you still be thinking absess?
YO fed and hayed him this morning and I'm going to see him in an hour so will see if anything is on poultice this morning.

If there is, should I poultice again?

 

[Brightbay]

thankyou for quick reply

Its a neat straight vertical line, would you still be thinking absess?
YO fed and hayed him this morning and I'm going to see him in an hour so will see if anything is on poultice this morning.

If there is, should I poultice again?

No, abscesses always horizontal splits IME. So it will be a cut, maybe from a nail when the shoe pulled off? The poultice will help draw out any infection anyway, but prob. also a good idea to flush out with saline until it is as clean as you can get it (or soak in hot saline if horse will put foot in a tub that you can add hot water to) and then thoroughly disinfect. Dressings are always difficult on heel bulb, but a
dry dressing would be no harm until it starts to close over. I agree I wouldn't want any mud or dirt getting in.

Awkward area! If it is still hot and looks red/inflamed, and seems deep, horse might need a vet visit for antibiotics. Are his tetanus shots up to date?