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Abcess Help Please!
OK-Here is my situation. 8 year old mare, never has had an abscess, or lameness, since I have owned her (since she was 6 months old). 2 1/2 weeks ago she came in 3 legged (right hind) from turnout. Had farrier out and found a bruise on the inside bar of her right hind hoof. Animal intex wrap and next day boom! Abscess popped out of coronary band on the inside of hoof. Quite high and quite large. Mare was instantly sound-er, but not 100%, maybe a 2/5. Here we are 2 weeks later and she is still not quite 100%. Hopped on for a light hack last night and I would put her at a 1/5.
So, any suggestions as to ways to help heal the area where the abscess popped out of on hoof? I was palpating the area, and she does react (still relatively soft, although harder than last week around hole) I am fairly confident that the area where the abscess blew is still bothering her and the reason she is not 100% sound.
In most of my experiences with abscesses the horse is typically sound a day or two after it blows out. So I am just looking for any similar experiences and/or suggestions on how to help get the hole hardened up and my mare feeling better!
She is holding slight heat in that hoof.
- Oh no jingles to you and your mare. My mare just came back from a 10 week abscess on the left hind.
Sounds like there is still more to drain out if she is still sore and there is still heat. Keep wrapping until all signs of draining (including smell) is gone. You don't want the exit wound to heal up, you need that area to stay clean and moist until all the infection drained out.
Forgot to add: movement is very good to help work the stuff out. PM me if you have any more questions or need some support
- Sounds like there's still infection inside the hoof, so healing (i.e. closing up) the coronary band is counter productive. I would get vet out to look for/dig out the track, give ABX if s/he thinks needed, and then do the soak/pack/wrap routine for a week or so.
For soaking, I've found a system that's super easy. All you need are some "Dry bags" (found at any outdoors goods store, or on Amazon). Also get some heavy-duty 1gal ziplock bags, and vet wrap.
Insert the ziplock bag inside your dry bag as a liner. (the dry bag would hold water on its own, but this way it doesn't get as cruddy).
Put the horse's hoof in there, get him to stand on that hoof and pull the bag up around his leg to make a boot..
Pour your warm epsom/water bath into this boot just high enough to cover the whole hoof and vetwrap the whole thing above and below the fetlock to secure it. The horse may pick up his foot once or twice but once they realize the "bucket" is attached, they give up and start munching hay.
Do this on a soft surface, like in the stall, so if they paw they're not shredding the bag on concrete aisle.
Now you can go about your chores while your horse soaks. Sure beats trying to keep their foot in a bucket.
ETA: You might try to soaking routine above for another week, before getting the vet, as long as she's really just a 1 out of 5. Call your vet and see what they say.
ETA2: Agree with above poster that turnout is good, as long as you can keep the hoof wrapped. Just depends on what your turnout surface is. Pasture would be great. Deep mud not so great.
- Have your vet out to check horse. There may still be pockets of abscess that cannot drain. Or there could be some other issue that your vet can identify. The sooner you get a diagnosis, the sooner you can treat and have a happy, sound horse again.
- Thank you all! Started today with another round of soaking and animal intex wrapping. Just came back from the barn and heat seemed about the same, tossed her on the lunge to see her move and she looked the same-no worse at least! Just a bit stabby with the right hind tracking right and slightly hitchy with the RH tracking left. Watched her closely at the walk and it almost looks like she is trying to walk on the outside of her hoof with the RH which would make sense as the abscess blew out the inside.
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