update on hoof abscess bad decision on my part :(

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devonlass

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So did a thread a while ago about my lad who has had an ongoing abscess issue.

Been keeping in a pen and poulticing for weeks and has been very on/off and not a lot happening either way (no worse,but still not quite right).I was hoping not to call the vet (trimmer has been out couple of times and been very helpful and supportive),mainly as I didn't want a large hole in his foot due to how i keep him and my land etc (flood plain so can imagine been dire last few weeks),and because it has looked so many times recently like have almost got on top of it and the end was in sight.

However it was not to be and really we were no further forward than a few weeks ago,and my other horse has been getting more and more anxious being in the field on his own.
I really have exhausted every option treating him myself,within the limitations of my land which really is quite complex and difficult to try and manage anything like this on.

So today the vet came out and dug out a lot of hoof,he has a large triangle missing down to the soft tissue almost on one side:(
Vet said there was a black gravel track from bottom to almost top (I *think* i could see this when showed me but I am quite squeamish so was trying not to look:o),and that it had been releasing some pus gradually,hence why he is not very lame as hardly any pressure.There was small amount of pus near the coronet which is where I've felt for last couple weeks it would come out,and has apparently been leaking from there but slowly.

I am to keep covered for next couple of days and then allow air to get to after that.He has said he can go out after few days but that won't be possible in my field so intend to keep him in for couple of weeks,but will have to try and turn out then as other horse so anxious without him in the field.

Point of this this post?? Honestly depsite my earlier thoughts I strongly feel now that i should have called the vet sooner,and would advise anyone else struggling for any longer than a couple of weeks not to leave it and hope,just call the vet or I guess a farrier if it's only a small amount of digging required (personally I don't use a farrier and would not have been comfortable using one for this amount of digging,but depends on abscess and peoples opinions i guess).

In trying to avoid one situation i have actually created an even worse one,and spent weeks killing my back and my wallet keeping in and poulticing etc when could have resolved this weeks ago.
I am sure if i had had vet out a month ago when wasn't too advanced could have just made a small hole and got to it easily and we would be back to normal now and my poor boy wouldn't have half his hoof missing:(

He was so good as well,vet said if he'd known he would be doing so much work would have blocked the foot from the start,and that considering what had been done he had been fantastically behaved.Not bad for an inclined to be spooky,flighty silly twit of a spotty pony,has taken years of work but very proud of him these days:)

Shame can't say the same for myself.Very angry at myself for getting it wrong,I know hindsight is a wonderful thing,but I really made a poor judgment call on this one,and happy to hold my hands up to it.

Only good thing is maybe if can save someone else going through the same.There is a lot of conflicting info regarding to dig out or leave with an abscess,and obviously all scenarios are different,but this is my story for what it's worth.
 
Now it is open and a big hole it should be possible once it ahs finished draining to turn him out just fill the hole with iodine or hydrogen peroxide and put a bit of cotton wool soaked in stockhome tar or iodine in the hole and press it in hard it will keep the hole clean and can be replaced either daily or will fall out when the hoof has sealed itself against the wet and mud
 
Don't beat yourself up. It has happened, you'll know better another time, and hopefully your horse is now starting to mend.

Touching every bit of wood, none of my horses has ever had an abcsess, but the TB of one of my liveries has them a lot. He has been lame with unrelated issues lately, so when he went a bit lame again last week she just assumed it was the tendon again, as on same leg. The horse is kept out 24/7. This morning I rang her to say the horse was now hopping and definitely needed the vet, who was duly booked but for tomorrow morning. The farrier came to shoe one of my other liveries this morning. He saw the TB's owner examining the hoof and saying she wondered if it WAS asn abscess. He offered to take the shoe off (wouldn't accept payment), and sure enough, there was an abscess right at the back near the heel. He cut away some hoof, a little pus came out - not a lot - the TB was duct-taped up and given Danilon, and the vet, when contacted, said he probably didn't need to come (owner is a veterinary nurse) unless things got worse. Tonight the TB's a different horse. He's on yard rest with company for a few days. His owner now says she wishes sh'd called her vet and the farrier last week. It had just been building up very slowly.

Really point of this is to say you're not the only one, that abscesses can creep up on you, but quick veterinary and farrier assistance is a must. (And hooves recover from having holes dug in them!!)
 
I agree - experience is made up of wrong decisions!! Actually I don't agree with digging out abcessess unless the situation is dire!! It can cause more problems than it solves but every case is different, and it is up to us as owners to make the call....but I must say MOVEMENT helps solve a lot of problems, including abcessess!! It makes the blood move around the body and eliminate toxins, especially effective if horse is barefoot.....now for the outcry!!!
 
Don't beat yourself up on this. At least you have learned from the experience. When my horse had an abcess my mistake was not getting the farrier out sooner. Got the vet out but she wasn't really a help. As it was slow draining I poulticed etc on her instructions but a few weeks later there was still pus. Got the farrier out and he dug it out a bit and sorted it. He also added a pad under his shoe so that he could be turned out. Any sign of an abcess now I get the farrier out.
 
Personally I would be very disappointed by the foot trimmer for not pointing out your judgement error much earlier.

Pleased you have managed to bite the vet bullet now but may I add to your warning that infections in the feed can readily become bone infections!
 
Did your trimmer not have a little dig? One of mine had an abscess recently, & after a couple of days I called my trimmer - she dug a tiny hole & the abscess then drained. Tbh, I wouldn't ever let a vet dig down to the soft tissue unless it was a real emergency.

Hope it heals well, though. Do keep it clean, as there's a real risk of infection from such a big hole.
 
I would always get a good farrier (NOT a trimmer, a farrier with years of training behind them, sorry but in areas other than trimming SOME trimmers are not that proficient) as a foot care professional. Most I have known can follow a track without too much deviation so such a hole as there is will heal much more quickly - in my experience vets either dig too much or not enough. I suspect your mistake was not finding a good hoof care person, because without drainage the problem won't improve. Meanwhile, now you have the drainage, keep it clean and healing by using sugardine - iodine with sugar to help it stick and be absorbed.
But now you know and can learn from what happened.
 
JillA said:
I would always get a good farrier (NOT a trimmer, a farrier with years of training behind them, sorry but in areas other than trimming SOME trimmers are not that proficient) as a foot care professional. Most I have known can follow a track without too much deviation so such a hole as there is will heal much more quickly - in my experience vets either dig too much or not enough. I suspect your mistake was not finding a good hoof care person, because without drainage the problem won't improve. Meanwhile, now you have the drainage, keep it clean and healing by using sugardine - iodine with sugar to help it stick and be absorbed.
But now you know and can learn from what happened.
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Surely if one has a good working relationship with one's trimmer, and trusts their judgement, the trimmer is the logical person to call - NOT a farrier, who will be a stranger to owner and horse :confused:.

And the horse's hoof is perfectly capable of blowing an abscess without human interference - plenty of movement is key. Digging is only appropriate imo if movement cannot be accommodated or if the horse is in a lot of discomfort.
 
I wouldn't be hard on yourself. The test is if the pony/horse is feeling better not that someone did something. ;)

It seems sometimes horses go through periods of these rumbling abscesses, time, good diet and exercize seem to help best ime. If hooves are healing/changing time really is the key.
 
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OP, don't beat your self up. We all have had times when we question our plan of action after the fact. Just means you actually do care. I'm waiting on the farrier as we speak to see what's up with one of mine. Probably a tiny abcess. I've had her and a buddy in the arena for limited times during the day. I've never seen my other mare as happy not having to go out to the mud. But I will say that they both will continue hanging out in the arena for a couple of weeks because I like giving that hole a chance to heal properly. She of course will be wrapped but the mud just makes it impossible to do correctly when out.

In previous years I've very rarely had an abcess so I was a little more low key in the after care. It wasn't as muddy and things were back to normal quickly. Now I just like to get it sorted and give it plenty of time.

He'll be find. Again, take it a little easy on yourself.

Terri
 
TwoTurtleDoves said:
Surely if one has a good working relationship with one's trimmer, and trusts their judgement, the trimmer is the logical person to call - NOT a farrier, who will be a stranger to owner and horse :confused:.

And the horse's hoof is perfectly capable of blowing an abscess without human interference - plenty of movement is key. Digging is only appropriate imo if movement cannot be accommodated or if the horse is in a lot of discomfort.
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Is a trimmer qualified to perform this type of proceedure though?
 
Don't beat yourself up about it. You did what you thought was best at the time. It's not as if you left him hopping lame without doing anything at all!!

We live and learn... and you have. Well done :)

Hope he's feeling better and back out in the field very soon :)
 
Tigger had an abscess that went on for about 4 weeks it was so on and off, I did get vet out but he didn't really dig around just gave me some bute and said keep poulticeing which I did, eventually it burst over night through the coronet band, so glad it did as we were at the point of digging around and I too prefer to avoid that if I can.

don't beat yourself up over it you did what you thought was best and I know too well how it us doing things when the set up isn't designed for it, when Tigger had his I was having to take up flasks of boling water twice a day and wrapping his foot with poultice, carrier bags, lots of duct tape and a poultice boot just to last 8 hours!

Hope yours is fit and well soon :-)
 
EllenJay said:
Sorry - now a farrier is legally not allowed to diagnose or treat. What I do is call vet and farrier for arrival at the same time and farrier will then treat under vets authorisation.
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Imo, this is how it should be done. A diagnosis is important.

The thing with low grade, rumbling abscesses is they can travel all over without forming a pus pocket, so what is anyone going to 'release'? Helping the horse to grow healthier hooves (less prone to abscess) has to be the way and that takes time.
 
Hippona said:
Is a trimmer qualified to perform this type of proceedure though?
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criso said:
If it goes as far as soft tissue then no but neither is a farrier.


I know they do and alot of people prefer their farrier to dig for abscesses but strictly speaking they are not supposed to go down to soft tissue.
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As criso says, a trimmer is as (un)qualified as a farrier ;). I would, of course, never suggest that a trimmer or a farrier digs down into soft tissue.
 
Don't beat yourself up even calling on the professionals straight away doesn't aways give results.

My horse has a very deep abscess from a very deep blackthorn puncture. 3 weeks later , 3 visits from a brilliant farrier and one from a trusted horse vet and I still have a lame horse.
 
Thank you so much to everyone who has posted positive replies,or at least constructive ones,I am still beating myself up,but I at least feel a little better about it:)

The vet was very nice and seemed to know what he was doing,although he is not my usual vet from the practice (one couldn't come out until later in day and as have no lights that not ideal,and other is holiday,typical!!),will have to trust his judgment I guess.
Ponio is still happy and bright today,changed the poultice and is supposed to come off from tomorrow,bit scared about that TBH but I guess it will be ok as that what vet advised??
I should have taken a pic of his hoof,but one,I forgot to when was there earlier and also afraid what the response will be on here TBH,and don't want to risk anyone saying anything dire and worrying me even more.Ignorance is bliss in this case:o

Thank you all again for the responses,and anyone else still battling abscess or suspected abscess will be holding good thoughts for you all.


Ebenezer_Scrooge said:
Glad you have resolved the issue but I would have called the vet in the first place, even for just advice.
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This has to be one of the most pointless and unhelpful comments I've ever read lol
What makes you think I didn't call them??;)

Merlin11 said:
As it was slow draining I poulticed etc on her instructions but a few weeks later there was still pus.
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I *think* this was our problem TBH,it was just sort of sitting there cooking slowly rather than waiting to 'burst' out.Vet said even yesterday that it had been 'seeping' for a while.

mcnaughty said:
Personally I would be very disappointed by the foot trimmer for not pointing out your judgement error much earlier.
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I won't lay any blame at my trimmers door,she saw him the next day after first discovering,had a dig around and actually we thought had got it as he was much improved the next day.
She is on the best terms with my vets (in fact they use her for remedial work) and did mention about calling them after he got worse again,but I asked if she would see him again instead before I did that and when she saw how good the foot looked,how little lameness he had and as she knows what I am up against facilities wise she agreed with my decision to carry on as we were.
Also she is not looking over my shoulder 24/7,if i don't inform her what I'm doing then I don't suppose she can question my errors or not to be fair.

TwoTurtleDoves said:
Did your trimmer not have a little dig? One of mine had an abscess recently, & after a couple of days I called my trimmer - she dug a tiny hole & the abscess then drained. Tbh, I wouldn't ever let a vet dig down to the soft tissue unless it was a real emergency.
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As mentioned above in the first instance she did have a dig,didn't actually hit anything,but she couldn't go any deeper as has to be a vet to do that,(my vets are happy for her to do it on her own horses,and she did want to continue but we agreed it wasn't the best plan and I didn't want to put her in a awkard position).As said I wasn't originally keen for the vet to dig out,but if I'd done it weeks ago at least the digging might have been less:(

I accidentally deleted your sentence about infection.I am worried about this but the vet gave him a long acting injection of penicillin so will that help?? I am trying to keep it clean as poss but always chance something getting in.

JillA said:
I suspect your mistake was not finding a good hoof care person, .
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I have the best hoofcare person in the world IMO,the blame lies solely at my door not my trimmers.

TwoTurtleDoves said:
NOT a farrier, who will be a stranger to owner and horse :confused:.

And the horse's hoof is perfectly capable of blowing an abscess without human interference - plenty of movement is key. Digging is only appropriate imo if movement cannot be accommodated or if the horse is in a lot of discomfort.
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I do know one decent farrier,but haven't actually seen him for years,neither has my horse.My trimmer is the only person I trust near my lads feet and that hasn't changed because of this unfortunate occurance.

I do feel that if there is anything in my defence,it's my conditions and facilities.I could not accomodate the movement and i do think you are right that it is a problem.
I turned him out for 4 days over xmas in my makeshift 'school',and that is when the a bulge appeared at the coronet and a split in the hoof and i thought we were finally there,hence more delay calling anyone,but then I had to bring him back in as the ground didn't cope,and we soon went backwards and all stopped again.I am convinced it was the turnout and movement that had an effect though,but I just couldn't sustain it due to the conditions:(

amandap said:
Only a vet can dig deep. Yes many farriers have become adept at it but it is a technically a veterinary procedure.
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This is what I understand as well,hence why I get a bit confused (ok and a tiny bit irritated:o) with all the farrier remarks.To me it makes no difference if it's a farrier or trimmer (I know that my trimmer is equally as knowledgable about hooves as many farriers),as in order to dig to any great depth like was needed here it has to be a vet anyway AFAIK:confused:

guesstimation said:
don't beat yourself up over it you did what you thought was best and I know too well how it us doing things when the set up isn't designed for it, when Tigger had his I was having to take up flasks of boling water twice a day and wrapping his foot with poultice, carrier bags, lots of duct tape and a poultice boot just to last 8 hours!
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Thanks K,I too am having to go down with my trusty bag for life with an assortment of tape,epsom salts scissors etc and the flask of boiling water!! is a nightmare trying to manage with limited facilities for something like this especially for weeks at a time.

Been meaning to say to you BTW since hearing about Tigger that if you want to come out and ride cob or just play ponies then am not far away and just give me a yell:)

Cob is a bit of a slow beast and might drive you mad but he safe as houses and as you unwell at times thought he might suit for the odd hack,offer is always there anyway,Terri x

amandap said:
The thing with low grade, rumbling abscesses is they can travel all over without forming a pus pocket, so what is anyone going to 'release'? Helping the horse to grow healthier hooves (less prone to abscess) has to be the way and that takes time.
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I think this was our problem,it just hung around not doing anything dramatic but not going away either.I'm not sure TBH that the vet could have done anything at first anyway,especially as the field I was in at the time (emergency accomodation on high ground as my place got flooded) I could not poultice in so too much digging would have been a problem.I don't regret not calling them in straight away,but I do regret not calling them sooner than i did if that makes sense.

My lad generally has really good feet,but had an 'incident' few months ago where his feet fell apart a bit (my fault due to flooding I had to put him on rested pasture that was just too rich for him),and I do believe this compromised his hoof health and that the abscess is a result of it.Hopefully I can get his feet back to normal soon and prevent any further abscesses.

Apologies everyone for the essay,but wanted to follow up and i find it impossible to talk even virtually without waffling:o
 
My horse is lame vet thinks due to dirt getting in old abscess. I had him out just before xmas and horse is no better (hes lame in trot). Yard owner is hot tubbing him for me but he lives out 24/7.
 
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My laminitic 17hher went down with an absess after his first bout of lami. I knew deep down it was an absess but when my farrier had a dig it was more of a trickle and no instant relief. I got the vet who diagnosed lami again and advised corrective Shoeing asap. She had a dig as far as she could but nothing. I stuck with my instincts and waited it out re shoes and the next day he was much better when it burst out the coronet band. He had a huge exit hole but I've never been so grateful for an absess in my life. Sometimes these things just take as long as they take .
 
I always call my vet first. Because I am not qualified to diagnose if the problem is an abscess or something else. I then call my farrier to keep updated and he will usually pop in and have a nose as well. My vet and farrier work together.
I would not let a "trimmer" anywhere near my horses feet. Vet's and farriers go through extensive training to do what they do ( and I am extremely lucky to have a brill farrier and vet practice)
I had the vet out twice on NY's day and the next day and it turned out to be an abscess. My vet hardly dug at all and my farrier saw her today and tidied things up a bit after speaking to the practice as to where we go next with it and the yucky weather.
My farrier also manages a couple of mine barefoot
I hope your horse gets well soon. Its to be cold, dry and frosty so you may get your horse out for a bit turnout. Good luck xx
 
I'd sack your trimmer too! Well done for finally getting your horse the treatment- but I hope this serves as a lesson for all the 'nothing is better than something' people who leave horses suffering for weeks on end in the hope that a diet and turnout will solve an abscess that often just needs a release point made.
 
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