I have a horse that easily abscesses anytime he get’s a bruise or bashes a rock. These are traditional “gravels” the erupt drain from the coronet --for him it’s always on the heel right where hoof meets hair. Sub solar abscesses can take more time to let go—and may be helped by a farrier opening up if possible to do.
I also deal with mud.
I also deal with a drama queen who is very dramatic about having the banadage put on.
1.) can you devise a way to put clean shavings in the run in and get him contained there? I have in a pinch run the electric fence rope/or tape across a run in—though I don’t turn it on. Especically if they are ouchy—not real ambitious to go anywhere. Panels from a round pe, or spare metal gats–these can be used too. But, quick up electric fence tape of rope works well, eaasy.
2.) What did you try for bandage? I have found my drama queen will not tolerate a boot or those quick canvas foot wraps w velcro —he just has a fit over them—I know not why. After several times getting one one only to have hysterics…I went back to my old stand by:
large baby diaper, biggest size at store
vet wrap
take duct tape and rip off strips about 10in long and lap them together—use a clean door or fence board or something. Lap them together straight up and down, then do a layer crosswise. You end up with a large square sheet of ductape. When you make this sheet— I said 10 in—but if you have teeney pony hoof can be smaller—draft hoof make it bigger! when in doubt go bigger—certainly a 12 in square will do ya.
get yourself sorted with horse in a spot you can keep stuff clean (ish) and handy. Maybe give the horse some yummy feed, carrots, dinner in a bucket for a distraction. I have to do this crap alone, but a helper to hold helps.
get your diaper open and spread out, find the tapes on it–they can be useful in securing the diaper on the hoof, but don’t go crazy trying to get it ther. A bucket makes a good thing to have your pick/brush, diaper and duct tape square stuck to close at hand.
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I usually have a old dish soap bottle mixed with a diluted betadine warm water to pick up hook and give it a swish out–but it’s not required.
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I’m not a fan of icthamol or any gooey stuff—it doesn’t work that well and makes it hard to keep clean as everything sticks to it so you can’t see whats going on and it’s hard to wash off once things open and you want to soak/clean/swish out etc–***but, if you absolutely can not get this duct tape diaper bandage on then–pack the hoof and I’ll get to that later.
Ok, so you got the pick w a brush, a diaper, a square of duct tape and some vet wrap. Get the hoof up, brush and clean as needed. Put it down on something clean if you need to. Get your hoof up, grab the diaper and get one end on the heel/pastern, you can try bringing it up over the front gently, try using the tabs to secure it . you can put it the hoof down for a break if that goes well. Then take the square of duct tape and stick it on the sole of hoof, smooth squish up the sides of the square any old way you can. Now— if things were dicey getting the diaper laid on–you can just go kamikaze and try and slap the whole busines son ther eany old way you can—the duct tape square will stick good, you just need to manage getting the sides squished up enough all way round you can put the hoof down. THEN you can tidy it up with hoof down. Rip off small strips duct tape and use them to stick and stretch/pull what’s probably a messy blobs of the duct tape sqaure neat and flatter all way round the outside. Just rip off small strips—it’s a PITA to wrap rond and round with a roll of duct tape. Be careful though not to pull anything tight on the pastern --you can come acoss heel area—put use commone sense not duct tape pulled toight over hair/pastern. You don’t have to do vet wrap—but since this is new to you—lets say do it—so the damn thing sdoesn’t slop off 10 min later. So–take vet wrap go from your duct tape up higher onto hair pastern— but do be mindful not to pull tight! Think like you’d wrap bandages down that far for shipping or poultice–the pastern needs to move so need to be able to get 2 fingers in. THEN get a few more strips of duct tape and tape over the vet wrap that down on the duct taped hoof—extra duct tape will secure the vet wrap sock you’ve made to the ductape so it doesn’t roll up off it.
*** If placing the diaper causes hate and discontent—just try slapping the duct tape square on–you only need to get it stuck to sole and squish up sides enough so you can put hoof down and tidy things up if he’s stamping or trying to hop away.
This will stay on good for 24hrs in full turnout and mud w my orangutan who still plays up 3 legged dead lame.
OK— so if this is just totally not working, not an option, mass hysterics. Plan B. Get your icthamol, or pine tar, or Magic Cushion — clean shavings in a bucket. clean shavings underfoot if you can. Clean hoof. Pack it full of goo, then grab clean shavings pat them into surface of goo. Put hoof down. Smear some goo on outside of hoof and pat the shavings on too. This kind of packs it all over with coat of goo and shavings --that will draw—which is AKA counter irritant, stimulates circulation, and is antispectic when the thing opens up.
Once open and draining— worst case scenario it’s muddy you had no success bandaging and you can’t confine on clean bedding. Get a old dish soap bottle --or whatever you got u can make work. Mix some betadine and warm water to look like strong tea— go out clean swish /squirt out the draining abscess couple times a day.
They usually don’t get infected—what happens is dirt and grit getting in the draining open ara is just irritating to it, needs to be cleaned out several times a day.
Sorry this was long and detailed—I figured-I’d give you every detail of how I do it.
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