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Veteran
Posts: 107
| So about 3 days ago my horse developed an abscess. I thought it was muscle/tendon issues at first because her fetlock swelled up quite a bit. So, got the swelling down and she was still lame. Then I was thinking it has to be a problem with her hoof and yesterday I had a farrier come out and check her hoof, sure enough it was an abscess. So I pulled her in from the corral (they are extremely muddy) and put her in a stall. Today was the first day I treated her for an abscess (soaking her foot in epsom salt, packing the hoof with an epsom salt/iodine mix.)
Also, after taking her out of the stall to start treating the abscess, I noticed her foot with the abscess swelled up really bad. I cold hosed it for a little and them put on some muscle/tendon liniment. I just don't know what else to do, I mean realistically it hasn't been a full day since treating her for an abscess but I just don't want her to be out for 2 months or something... :( | |
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Regular
Posts: 82
| Prairie Rouge - 2017-09-28 8:45 PM
So about 3 days ago my horse developed an abscess. I thought it was muscle/tendon issues at first because her fetlock swelled up quite a bit. So, got the swelling down and she was still lame. Then I was thinking it has to be a problem with her hoof and yesterday I had a farrier come out and check her hoof, sure enough it was an abscess. So I pulled her in from the corral (they are extremely muddy) and put her in a stall. Today was the first day I treated her for an abscess (soaking her foot in epsom salt, packing the hoof with an epsom salt/iodine mix.)
Also, after taking her out of the stall to start treating the abscess, I noticed her foot with the abscess swelled up really bad. I cold hosed it for a little and them put on some muscle/tendon liniment. I just don't know what else to do, I mean realistically it hasn't been a full day since treating her for an abscess but I just don't want her to be out for 2 months or something... :(
I’ve found an access to get really really bad then in almost an instant it’s popped and the horse is back to normal. I’d just keep an eye on it for anything really weird and just keep treating it like you are. Usually when they get about 3 legged lame and can’t hardly walk is when it pops from my experience :) | |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
  
Location: Texas | Edema goes down, infection goes up. I've had 2 with abscesses that caused the foot/leg to swell and in those cases, antibiotics are in order. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 107
| Speed_Demon1 - 2017-09-28 7:54 PM
Prairie Rouge - 2017-09-28 8:45 PM
So about 3 days ago my horse developed an abscess. I thought it was muscle/tendon issues at first because her fetlock swelled up quite a bit. So, got the swelling down and she was still lame. Then I was thinking it has to be a problem with her hoof and yesterday I had a farrier come out and check her hoof, sure enough it was an abscess. So I pulled her in from the corral (they are extremely muddy) and put her in a stall. Today was the first day I treated her for an abscess (soaking her foot in epsom salt, packing the hoof with an epsom salt/iodine mix.)
Also, after taking her out of the stall to start treating the abscess, I noticed her foot with the abscess swelled up really bad. I cold hosed it for a little and them put on some muscle/tendon liniment. I just don't know what else to do, I mean realistically it hasn't been a full day since treating her for an abscess but I just don't want her to be out for 2 months or something... :(
I’ve found an access to get really really bad then in almost an instant it’s popped and the horse is back to normal. I’d just keep an eye on it for anything really weird and just keep treating it like you are. Usually when they get about 3 legged lame and can’t hardly walk is when it pops from my experience : )
I sure hope so, barn manager told me a horror story of a roping horse who was out for THREE months with an abscess, had him on antibiotics and everything. She said it never did pop, but one day he just walked out of his stall and was fine. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 107
| Fun2Run - 2017-09-28 8:40 PM
Edema goes down, infection goes up. I've had 2 with abscesses that caused the foot/leg to swell and in those cases, antibiotics are in order.
Yes, if she is not better by tomorrow night I am going to look into getting some antibiotics. | |
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| Animalintex Poultice Pads from 3M are great for drawing out the abscess once it has popped and is draining. They're usually kept on with a duct tape boot for 24 hours, then taken off for 24, and sometimes it takes about two or three to get the abscess completely drained out. They're really cool, because they end up smelling awful, and you know the abscess is draining.
Some horses start immediately walking better after an abscess is lanced/popped, but others can take a bit longer. They usually present as 3 legged lame, and people think their horse broke a leg. Others aren't as severe. If the lameness doesn't continue improving, and the edema stays present, I would have a vet take a look and get radiographs to see if there's something else going on. Sometimes a foreign body (like a wire, piece of wood, fiberglass, etc) can get lodged in there and take forever to heal unless it gets removed.
Good luck! | |
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Veteran
Posts: 107
| madredepeanut - 2017-09-29 12:10 AM
Animalintex Poultice Pads from 3M are great for drawing out the abscess once it has popped and is draining. They're usually kept on with a duct tape boot for 24 hours, then taken off for 24, and sometimes it takes about two or three to get the abscess completely drained out. They're really cool, because they end up smelling awful, and you know the abscess is draining.
Some horses start immediately walking better after an abscess is lanced/popped, but others can take a bit longer. They usually present as 3 legged lame, and people think their horse broke a leg. Others aren't as severe. If the lameness doesn't continue improving, and the edema stays present, I would have a vet take a look and get radiographs to see if there's something else going on. Sometimes a foreign body (like a wire, piece of wood, fiberglass, etc) can get lodged in there and take forever to heal unless it gets removed.
Good luck!
Thank you! Praying everything will turn out okay, she is my one and only horse that I paid for myself and continue to pay for all of her care. Brought her down to college this year and of course this happens the day I bring her down. | |
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 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| Pack the hoof with some furacin, triple antibiotic ointment, and ichthamol (ask at the pharmacy). Wear gloves because the ichthamol is like tar. Add padding and duct tape it all on. The ichthamol helps to draw out infection. Change daily. If not gone in a few days definitely get some antibiotics. | |
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