Do you have special mix that you use to draw out the abscess? I’m currently using epsom salt with iodine. Not having as much effect as I’d like.
Thx!
Sauerkraut, Animalintex
I use Animalintex wet with hot water (allowed to cool enough that it won’t burn, but still very warm). Then wrap with vet wrap, duct tape on top, and a hoof boot to hold it all on. I change once a day.
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Ichthammol and soaked Animalintex pad (covered with vetwrap, then a boot made of 3 to 4 layers of Gorilla Tape).
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Another vote for Animalintex (what my vet recommended as well) wet with ambient water (we don’t have hot), vet wrap, gorilla tape and if you have any elastic bandage that between vet wrap and gorilla tape. Change daily until drainage stops. I also squirted a water betadine mix (3 parts water 1 part betadine) in the tract prior to applying the new bandage. My horse wouldn’t stand more than 3 minutes to soak but this worked for him.
GOOD LUCK!
And yet another vote for Animalintex. Wet, vet wrap, diaper, another layer of vet wrap and then duct tape. I then chuck them out to walk around.
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My vet recommends soaking with Cleantrax for the abscess prone horse. If I don’t have time I too use aninalintex (which my vet has also recommended).
Soak in epsom salts; dry; then slather with icthammol and wrap with your choice of covering. Repeat daily. I looked at the ingredients in the animalintex and honestly didn’t see any reason why to spend the money on it.
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Animalintex is my go to. Icthamol if I want to get more aggressive. I’d skip the iodine since it’s a hoof hardener. I read an article somewhere about how soaking can cause more harm than good, I’ll see if I can find it to post. I don’t remember how the information was sourced.
I think the biggest part of getting an abscess resolved is to pad the foot enough that they’ll still walk on it. The hoof needs to expand and contract to get the best blood flow, and that requires weight bearing.
Well it’s a heck of a lot easier and faster than soaking in Epsom salt.
Animalintex, then diaper, vet wrap then Soft Ride boots is my choice. Simple to do and it works.
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I soak in hot water saturated with Epsom salts for reverse osmosis and to soften the heel and frog. Then I wrap with Animalintex, vet wrap, duct tape, or a hoof boot. I do this twice a day. I also take the horse for a little walk as soon as she isn’t 3 legged lame.
Animalintex does seem to draw the abscess. I also use the Greenhawk house brand. Yeah it’s a bit pricey but I find the whole treatment process a huge PITA especially in winter 
and if I can streamline any part of it, yay.
Soaking and poulticing both soften the foot. I try to soak just up over the heel bulbs and poultice up there but not way up the hoof wall. The heels bulbs and frog can get a bit cheesy looking. But they harden up as soon as you stop soaking and wrapping. I poultice until I stop seeing the black gunk on the Animalintex.
You stop soaking once the abscess has opened up. Put a diaper, vet wrap and cavallo hoof boot on him and turn him out in a small dry or grass paddock as much as possible. Moving around will do way more to drain it, and the diaper and boot will help keep it clean.
Please. I would be interested in that article as I thought the point of soaking was to soften the hoof to speed the abscess erupting and thus drainage and relief of pain from the pressure of the abscess.
I agree about horses with abscesses being much better turned out as it does help move the abscess along.
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We do Betadine and sugar mixed into a paste, secured in a diaper and duct tape boot. Turned out in a dry lot and changed every other day.
Epsom salt paste. Then the whole diaper thing (epsom salt paste -> diaper -> heat patch -> vet wrap -> duct tape or boot).
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Epsom salt soak in a boot and when it breaks through, ichthammol.
The brilliant idea I read on COTH a few months ago was to wrap one of those hand warmer packs over the sole of the poultice.
ichthalmol, not poultice
