Day 1: Horse was completely sound in the morning. Had a really nice ride, with very good, sound work. By 6:00 p.m., horse was toe touching lame on right hind. He’s unshod on hind feet. Pulled him out of his stall to look at it, and he would barely even allow me to approach that hind leg. I honestly wondered for a moment if it was broken. However, once he let me approach it, I found that there was no heat or swelling in the leg. Some heat in the hoof, but not terrible. I made him walk over to the wash stall so that I could soak his hoof. First few steps very lame (toe touching), but gradually improved as we continued walking. Soaked hoof in warm water, then wrapped hoof with Animalintex and diaper.
Day 2: Horse walking much better with diaper still on in morning. Removed diaper/Animalintex, and there was some almost chalky dark gray “stuff” (presumably drainage) from the lateral side of the frog groove towards the heel of the hoof. Without wrap on, horse still very lame (toe touching). Let him be turned out. At one point, he was cantering on three legs. He is turned out alone, so this was voluntary. By evening, horse was walking much better. Still lame, but at least using entire hoof. Soaked and wrapped with Animalintex again overnight.
Day 3: Horse walking sound with and without wrap. More drainage still in the same place and a little bit on the other side of the frog groove area as well. Still dark gray/chalky in appearance. Put horse on lunge line and he was sound at the walk, but still at least 3/5 or 4/5 lame at the trot. Much worse to the right than the left. Horse stayed in all day due to weather. Soaked and wrapped again p.m.
Day 4: Horse walking sound with and without wrap. Still more drainage in the same place and a little on the other side. One obvious kind of brown glop near lateral side of frog groove (same place original drainage started). Put on lunge. Sound in walk, still off in trot, more off to the right than the left. Probably still 3/5 or 4/5 lame to the right, maybe 2/5 to the left in trot. Turned horse out. He spent the entire day rearing in turnout (normal for him when he is in the dry lot, unfortunately), so obviously putting a lot of weight on his hind end. Walking okay p.m., although maybe a little hesitant. Soaked and wrapped.
Day 5 (today): Horse walking sound. Still some drainage on Animalintex, primarily a brown glop in same area of initial drainage. Horse pretty lame in trot on lunge. Probably 3/5 lame to left and 4/5 to right. Worse to the left than he was the prior two days, actually. Turned him out, where he is grazing peacefully.
So…does all of this sound like the normal process for an abscess? I guess I have not been super alarmed about it because it IS draining, and he has improved substantially as compared to day 1 when he could barely walk. I would say he is a little worse in trot today than he was the last two days, but still much better than he started out on day 1. Again, this didn’t really surprise me because it is still draining.
Someone today told me that he should be sound IMMEDIATELY as soon as the abscess STARTS draining. I admittedly don’t have a lot of experience with abscesses (thankfully!), but I thought that it wasn’t unusual for them to still be lame while it continues to drain, or even for a while after it stops draining.
What are your experiences? I guess I think that if this were something other than an abscess, it would have gotten progressively worse or stayed the same since day 1, but now I’m second guessing myself.
