Why isn't danilon given for abcesses?

[Vodkagirly]

Just a query, I have always told not to give danilon or antibiotics when the horse has an abscess but have never known why, can someone enlighten me please?
anything else that I can do other than tub and poultice?

 

[Jesstickle]

I believe that as danilon is an anti inflam and the pain from an abscess is very much caused from the pressure of a load of pus in an enclosed area that it wouldn't actually do anything. Or nothing significant anyway.

 

[L&M]

I 'think' bute/danilon etc slows down the tracking of the infection.....also ab's are not hugely effective with hoof abscsesses and rarely get to the root cause.

Both of mine have had abscess's in the past - fortunately my farrier has always managed to find them, so a few days off with poulticing and they are back to normal.

An abscess will come out on its own if left long enough, and usually through the coronet band, but hot tubbing and poulticing may help quicken the process so therefore easing the horses discomfort.

 

[Izzwizz]

I may be wrong but I think anti biotics aren't used so as to not prevent the pus from erupting.

 

[Orangehorse]

It is so hard when your horse is in serious pain and dangling his foot saying "ow, ow, it hurts."

A vet came to look at mine in that state, I really thought he must have broken his leg, he moaned and groaned and was just so miserable. She gave him bute - this was before I had seen much on the subject.
I poulticed but not much happened. Got better, went lame, more poulticing, got better, went lame. This went on with bigger and bigger holes being dug in his foot, X rays and weeks of having to bandage his foot.
The X rays - suspected fracture of bone in foot - showed that the infection had tracked round his foot. It never did burst out. In the end he got better and not long afterwards the sole of his foot dropped out, separating from the new healthy growth. His "bad" foot was much larger than the good one.

Another time I will ask the vet if there is a painkiller that will not stop the inflammation. I suspect not.

 

[Graeme Burt farrier]

Bute or Danilon are usually discouraged before the diagnosis of an abscess to help its location being found more easily. Most of the vets I have worked with will allow small amounts of painkiller following abscess drain if it is a large abscess, but usually once the pressure is released the pain disappears almost instantly so there is no need of pain killers.

Antibiotics just contain an abscess during the course if the pus does not have an exit route, so once the course of antibiotics is finished the abscess will begin to grow again and pain will return.

Antibiotics used to be used where large abscesses caused a lot of damage to the underlying tissue but had burst or been opened, but these days current thinking is to open to the air and not to use antibiotics, to discourage the evolution of resistant strains of bacteria.

 

[Vodkagirly]

Bute or Danilon are usually discouraged before the diagnosis of an abscess to help its location being found more easily. Most of the vets I have worked with will allow small amounts of painkiller following abscess drain if it is a large abscess, but usually once the pressure is released the pain disappears almost instantly so there is no need of pain killers.

Antibiotics just contain an abscess during the course if the pus does not have an exit route, so once the course of antibiotics is finished the abscess will begin to grow again and pain will return.

Antibiotics used to be used where large abscesses caused a lot of damage to the underlying tissue but had burst or been opened, but these days current thinking is to open to the air and not to use antibiotics, to discourage the evolution of resistant strains of bacteria.

thanks Graeme, that makes a lot of sense. We have one abscess at the moment which has been opened and lots of gunk coming out but I suspect there may be another brewing in the other foot hence why he is still uncomfortable.

 

[Lucky Lady]

Oh poor chap bless him. It must be hard for you to see him in such pain, but as the other posts mention Bute etc is discouraged.

 

[maccachic]

I find Devils Claw used help mine when I had issues but I leave them to sort them self out I don't like digging for them.

 

[Orangehorse]

Bute or Danilon are usually discouraged before the diagnosis of an abscess to help its location being found more easily. Most of the vets I have worked with will allow small amounts of painkiller following abscess drain if it is a large abscess, but usually once the pressure is released the pain disappears almost instantly so there is no need of pain killers.

Antibiotics just contain an abscess during the course if the pus does not have an exit route, so once the course of antibiotics is finished the abscess will begin to grow again and pain will return.

Antibiotics used to be used where large abscesses caused a lot of damage to the underlying tissue but had burst or been opened, but these days current thinking is to open to the air and not to use antibiotics, to discourage the evolution of resistant strains of bacteria.

Exactly what happened to mine then!