Worried over infection (also posted in veterinary)

5horses2dogsandacat

5horses2dogsandacat

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My mare ran into a hedge in the summer and ended up with a puncture wound infection in her pectoral. She had it lanced and seemed fine for about a month however it returned and she had to go into the clinic to have an abscess cut out and the area cleaned after her infection returned.

She's had it all stappled and has been on enrofloxacin (baytril) and metacam, ive been milking any fluids out, the past few days there havent been any fluids coming out and cleaning the area. I thought it felt a little warmer this evening and the vet came out to check her progress today and she didnt sound overly positive about the healing and was worried the infection might be returning :(

It does feel quite hard around where they took the abscess out. Do you think the heat could be from the healing process and the hardness scar tissue forming or does this sound like the infection coming back again?? On a positive she doesnt seem to say it hurts when I prod it like it was before when infected...


This would be the third time the infection has returned, how long can you keep going at an infection if it keeps returning? What would the next step be?

I hate to say it, but what happens if it does continue to persist? PTS wouldnt have to become an option would it??? :(
 
They removed some 'decaying' debris from it when she went in on the 18th and they said they thoroughly cleaned it out. The vets I go to are very very good, Im going to have a word with the vet I usually have as it was a new vet tonight and see what he thinks.

I might, like Owlie said, also use my mother contacts as she is good friends with the wife of one of the vets who is partners of one of the very large practises up in Newmarket.


xx
 
If you are worried I would give your vet a call and ask them all the questions which are worrying you. I sometimes text my vet with more questions after he has left our yard and he never minds at all.....he might be able to advise on supplements to boost her immune system and other steps you can take to help her fight the infection.

The fact that it doesn't seem to hurt her when prodded anymore sounds positive to me.
 
forestfantasy said:
I'd be inclined to think there is something still in the wound for it to be re-infecting over and over.
Click to expand...

This ^^^ A friend of mine has a broodmare who ran into a wooden fence last winter and the mare had the wound flushed and was on antibiotics with the wound being cleaned well daily. The wound healed up and all seemed well. About a month later the wound opened up again and started oozing gunk so mare was flushed and the same routine as before was prescribed. Once again the wound healed up. Probably 2 months later, well blow me down, did she not phone me to say it had opened up again and there was stinky gunk coming from it. It was flushed and same routine initiated and the wound healed up, this time it remained closed and she's had no problems since. Every time the wound reopened and was flushed there was debris (alien) so my thoughts are that there must have been splinters of wood or the like retained within the body and it was taking it's time to come to the surface. The body always attacks alien bodies so my first instinct would be to agree with poster above and say there is still something in there.
 
Sounds to me like theres either still some debris on there or the antibiotics used arent strong enough or the right type. Might be worth getting them to take a swab and culture to check theyre using hte right medication.
 
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