hoof abscess (a few questions)

[ravenclaw]

I am dealing with my first hoof abscess. The vet told me to soak it in Epsom salts for 5 days, put Mag-60 paste on it, and keep it wrapped. I am finished with the soaking. Now I’m supposed to wrap it daily for another 2 or 3 weeks.

I have thought of a few questions. I have a call in to my vet…waiting to hear back from him but I thought I’d ask here too. Do I still need to put the Mag-60 on the hoof now that I am done with the soaking? If so, do I need to clean the hoof when I change the wrap and put on more of the Mag-60? If so, do you just hose it off or use soapy water or what?

I think the abscess has ruptured. The vet dug out a little bit of the tissue when he came out and there is now a hole (about the size of a dime) on the sole of the hoof.

Thanks!

[Scribbler]

I’ve treated hoof abscess successfully just with soaking in Epsom salts, then wrapping with a poultice for a few days until the abscess has clearly stopped draining black into the poultice, and the horse is sound. I’ve never had a vet or farrier drain an abscess, and my farrier is against the practice. When I’ve done the soak/rap procedure, the abscess has drained out the heel bulb or through the frog crevices within a day or two, and left the sole of the foot intact. The drawback to draining the foot with an incision is that you then need to do wound care on the sole of the foot until that has closed up. I would say, start to finish, soak/wrap takes less than a week for the abscess to clear up and horse be back in work.

[PlanB]

[QUOTE=ravenclaw;8379687]
I am dealing with my first hoof abscess. The vet told me to soak it in Epsom salts for 5 days, put Mag-60 paste on it, and keep it wrapped. I am finished with the soaking. Now I’m supposed to wrap it daily for another 2 or 3 weeks.

I have thought of a few questions. I have a call in to my vet…waiting to hear back from him but I thought I’d ask here too. Do I still need to put the Mag-60 on the hoof now that I am done with the soaking? If so, do I need to clean the hoof when I change the wrap and put on more of the Mag-60? If so, do you just hose it off or use soapy water or what?

I think the abscess has ruptured. The vet dug out a little bit of the tissue when he came out and there is now a hole (about the size of a dime) on the sole of the hoof.

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Ugh, I will never have a vet dig out an abscess again!

When I was dealing wtih my horse’s first abscess, the vet (who went digging for it) advised to squirt betadine in the hole, stuff gauze, then wrap and duct tape, and repeat every day until the hole closed up from the inside out. I don’t remember how long that took, just that it took a long time. and a lot of vetrap. and a lot of duct tape.

I don’t know what mag-60 is so I can’t help you there.

My new abscess strategy is to soak until it bursts, then just leave it alone. I’m not even sure soaking makes a difference.

[Texarkana]

I don’t know what Mag-60 is, but you do need to keep that hole in the sole clean and wrapped until it is closed internally. That can sometimes take a few days or sometimes take a few weeks depending on how large the abscess was.

Sometimes you have no other option but to drain via the sole, but the majority of the time it’s safer and healthier for the foot just to let the abscess run it’s course and rupture out the coronary band or heel.