Ideas on why a horse would get a lot of abscesses?

[CHT]

A boarded horse has had four abscesses in about 15 months. The first one was expected: horse has been trimmed horribly short before purchase, but the rest are a puzzle. Horse has good feet (as per vet and farrier) and is on a regular farrier schedule. We put front shoes on this year to see if that would help, but horse developed an abscess on a front recently.

Horse has had abscesses on 3 out of four hooves. They present as random mild lameness and rarely will hoof test positive (as in, might one day, but not the next). No other horses at my barn have this issue. Horse used to be on outside board, but has been coming in at night since the beginning of winter: had two abscesses while on outside board, and two while on inside board.

The abscesses seem to be in/under the frog.

Horse a warmblood who is otherwise healthy in appearance. Only other “issue” is that the horse will occasionally stock up behind for no apparent reason, but the fill goes down with turn out.

Vet will be out for unrelated reasons next week, so will discuss with her, but looking for ideas for discussion with her.

[stb]

Any chance the horse has insulin resistance? That can cause a low grade chronic laminitis and frequent abscesses.

[Training_Cupid]

Thin soles? My TB is relatively abscess-prone as well, I had his feet xrayed and the vet said his soles were on the thin side though not too bad. He recommended Durasole. I had already started him on biotin too. Knock on wood, this is probably the longest stretch we’ve gone without incident!

[TWH_Girl]

@stb

Any chance the horse has insulin resistance? That can cause a low grade chronic laminitis and frequent abscesses.

Yes. My Cushings horse had frequent abscesses long before he tested positive for Cushings. IR may be similar.

[Pocket_Pony]

What does horse eat and what is turnout like?

[walkinthewalk]

Ditto on the Cushings horse. My friend’s horse had b

[CHT]

@Pocket Pony

What does horse eat and what is turnout like?

Horse is either turned out in a large Pasture or in a smaller dirt paddock lot that has some grass. Turned out with a few other horses. Both are moderately hilly. Not rocky.

Horse eats mostly hay (and grass in the summer when available, but not in the winter). Although I mostly feed timothy, this horse isn’t a fan, so it gets more of a grass/alfalfa mix with damp hay cubes as well at night. Also gets beet pulp at night (soaked) and Podium pellets (low NSC) twice a day, 3 cups each feeding. The horse was not on grass for the first three abscesses. This time it started just after I pulled them off grass (the bug to grass ratio wasn’t worth it).

Owner does like feeding treats (carrots, apples and such).

Sounds like a discussion about Cushings is something to have with the vet, although I struggle to think mild laminitis is the underlying cause as it seems odd we would get an abscess behind with no issues with the fronts at the same time.

[csaper58]

Have you x-rayed the feet? I would do that to look at the coffin bones.

[luvmyhackney]

Get x-rays and a Cushing’s test. Could be a pocket of infection or fluid in the hoof causing it.

[Dbliron]

I had a Trakehner mare who had continuous abscesses (sometimes more than one in the same hoof, and sometimes in more than one hoof at a time), and my vet and farrier were stumped. Things turned around when I started her on BioEquine, which is available in Alberta!

[piedmontfields]

Some perspective: 4 abcesses in 15 months is annoying but not terrible.

When I moved my mare from Florida to Tennessee, we had about 10 abcesses in that time period. Every hoof had an abcess more than once. It was truly horrible, although most passed quickly. In the last 20 months (I’ve had her less than 4 years), we’ve had one abcess.

What made the difference?

1. Feed. You are already feeing at a low NSC rate, which is great. You may need to go lower, though. Or avoid soy or some other ingredient.
2. Farrier/trimmer change. I did this in stages and eventually got to a very good barefoot trimmer. My mare now has a much better hoof than 3.5 years ago–and her sole is left on with each trim.
3. Environment. Stall cleaning was a bit variable at our first boarding place. It is more consistent and cleaner now. The turnout is also less muddy and dirty.

That said, I don’t think x-rays are out of line to make sure there isn’t something else going on.

[CHT]

@csaper58

Have you x-rayed the feet? I would do that to look at the coffin bones.

X-rayed at purchase, but not since. Horse truly has good feet (healthy amount of sole, even wear, consistent growth, good angles and so on).

[vxf111]

@luvmyhackney

Get x-rays and a Cushing’s test. Could be a pocket of infection or fluid in the hoof causing it.

This. That many abscesses in that time with no other obvious explanation seem like its quite possibly something metabolic

[csaper58]

@CHT

X-rayed at purchase, but not since. Horse truly has good feet (healthy amount of sole, even wear, consistent growth, good angles and so on).

I would get fresh x-rays.

That is the only way you will see inside the hoof capsule. The issue seems to be with the digital cushion if it’s under the frog.

Something is causing the abscesses.

It might be helpful for you to watch Dr Debra Taylor’s presentation “Is The Hoof Smart? Adaptability of the Equine Foot”

www.thehorse.com/videos/34609/is-the-hoof-smart-adaptability-of-the-equine-foot

Excellent discussion of the digital cushion!!!

[CHT]

Horse tested negative for Cushings/Insulin Resistance.

[piedmontfields]

That’s encouraging. X-rays? And consider dropping the sugar in the diet even more. I am not sure what Podium pellets are (ingredients) or their analysis (is the "low NSC 15% or 9%–for some horses, it matters). Good luck. I am so grateful to be past the point of my mare routinely presenting with an access (and so is she!!!).

[CHT]

@piedmontfields

That’s encouraging. X-rays? And consider dropping the sugar in the diet even more. I am not sure what Podium pellets are (ingredients) or their analysis (is the "low NSC 15% or 9%–for some horses, it matters). Good luck. I am so grateful to be past the point of my mare routinely presenting with an access (and so is she!!!).

The vet doesn’t think x-rays are going to give us any useful information. I had forgotten we x-rayed with the first abscess, and it showed absolutely nothing…not even the abscess. The horse gets minimal pellets (4 cups split into two feedings), so not getting a lot of extras as it is. Vet suggested a topical to keep the frog/heel free of bacteria. I guess it is just an odd quirk of this horse.

[findeight]

Ummm…the vet doesn’t " think" x rays will show anything??? Based on??? Did you x Ray ALL four feet or just the one with the first abcess? Not like they cost a fortune here unless the vet doesn’t want to be bothered. Whatever.

I agree 4 abscesses in three different feet is not what I expected on opening the thread though. I’ve had horses going through phases where they blew twice that or more in a year growing out malnourished hooves and on some deceptively healthy looking horses, those hooves didn’t look all that bad on the surface or chip/crack. We just doubled up on one of the better hoof supplements and waited it out. At 15 months with this one, he’s not grown all that old hoof out just yet and he came with a history of bad farrier work.

IIWY, I’d double check that pasture. Sometimes normal erosion with the freeze-thaw-rain-drought cycles reveals underlying geology. Means rocks seemingly pop up out of nowhere.

[Alpha_Mare]

My mare had chronic abscess and it was found to be a hay allergy. She had hives in the spring, we did the allergy test and she is allergic to some trees (when they leaf out) and some grasses. In her case she is allergic to orchard grass hay. She can eat it green in the field (we don’t have much) but not a flake of hay.

What we did (after blood tests, etc. that you have already done) was put her on Western Timothy and Western Alfalfa, as they have the lowest presence of molds and weeds that can also be a problem. When she cleared up we tried just the Timothy and she was fine, and now she is on local Timothy and a bit of Alfalfa (also local).

For my mare, the skin reaction was a clue - the hoof abscess can be related to skin inflammation. As you have ruled out so much else I could suggest both getting an allergy test and putting her on the strictest, cleanest hay you have to see if it makes a difference.

[Bluey]

Have you x-rays of the feet?

We had one horse keep abscessing on one foot, he had a crack in his coffin bone.
He had not abscessed before or did again once that healed.

Probably not that in several feet, but would not hurt to check to be sure all is ok in there.