Shoe Boils - Update - turns out it is NOT a shoe boil

[Syrynx]

I have a horse who is right this moment getting what seems to be a bad shoe boil surgically flushed in a clinic. I say seems to be because vet didn’t actually use those words and there is a cut in the middle of the swelling that may be what is causing the swelling. They removed 30 ml of fluid earlier this morning and it’s being cultured.

I don’t know much, at all, about shoe boils. Has anyone had one that had to have surgical intervention and what was the aftercare like? I know it differes for every horse dependent on how they heal but I am wondering.

Also, are they chronic? There was never a hint of trauma to his elbow until this week. He does wear front shoes but not even a scrape or anything. So I’m wondering what I am in for beyond one of those donut boots.

I’ve mentioned in another post somewhere, I’ve had this boy since end of Oct. On the 31st he tried to jump out of a paddock causing a deep deep cut to the front of his hock and partially severing his extensor tendon. He was on stall rest for 6+ months and just came back to work in the past couple of months. We took him to a schooling show to do some dressage tests recently and he scored a 71% in Intro B and a 26 in the eventing Starter test. All on 5 minutes of warmup due to schedules and some crazy weather.

He’s a good good boy and I’m just hoping this won’t cause too much disruption. Regardless, he will get all the care and time he needs.

[SuzieQNutter]

I am pretty sure it is a common thing and not something for you to worry about. It is caused from lying down on hard ground. Sone people bring in sand for them to lie-down, but just because you bring that in and put that down does not mean they will lie down there. Horses!

[Burnt-In]

Don’t panic! Very common and typically no cause for concern. It’s unfortunate that yours got to the point of needing vet intervention. I’ve had great results just ignoring them honestly but my body works lady swears by applying poultice. No wrap or anything just slap the poultice right on there and it should draw everything out before it gets to the point that it needs draining.

Good luck!

[Syrynx]

Thanks both of you! I am generally not a panicky person when it comes to this stuff. I think that 6+ months of stall rest taught me some patience for sure.

Vet said she thinks it is not a shoe boil but rather the swelling/fever/infection was caused by that cut, which was about an inch long and 1/4 inch deep.

When we first noticed it trainer scrubbed it really good and packed it with triple antibiotic salve, as it seemed like just a regular cut. He was 100% sound and didn’t flinch even when scrubbing that first night. And had no temp.

Being that it was on his elbow there was really no way to bandage it. So something got in there after we treated it to cause infection and more swelling. The second night he was a bit dull, a bit lame, ouchy to the touch and had a temp over 102. Which triggered an emergency vet visit.

The next night, when his temp was still over 101 and the swelling continued down the leg, vet said she recommended a trip to the clinic for IV antibiotics and further treatment.

They are treating it pretty aggressively, put in a drain and will be keeping him on IV antibiotics over this weekend. So he’s in very good hands.