that was my thought too! LOL living the life on the lam
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Hi guys! Well two vets and a farrier later and weâre still looking for that magical soundness that seems so hard to track down. Shes perfect at the walk, everyone agrees, so weâve been hitting the trails and she just LOVES her life. Ive actually been riding her english (some people made some comments about my western digs and well my english stuff fits her so whatever. i doubt she cares) She loves the trails alone or with my vet friend who has a couple lovely horses. One vet has pronounced her too fat, so weâre working on that. We tested her for metabolic/cushings/blood sugar again but shes still neigh-gative for everything(sorry couldnt help it). Iâll post some photos!!
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This is my guy (the one face-on), resting/rehabbing his avulsion fracture with his new friend.
this is whatâs going to set him back to recovery so by this time next year weâll be back to where we were this time LAST year! 
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Iâm going to see her this weekend and take some photos. Shes loving life and doing well (now on prascend as well as the previcox, and we finally figured out her feet problems) sheâs at my parentsâ neighboursâ barn now, going in at night, dry lot during the day and has a paint mare friend the same age to hang out with(theyâre frenimies) but generally sheâs doing amazing. I havent ridden her in a little while but hoping for some nice snowy winter rides.
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Sheâs extra extremely fuzzy!!
And a very happy little one. Loves her sugar free treats and is enjoying life.
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Update for everyone- and some jingles needed.
Magic has been having a horrible time lately.
It all started with a weird abscess popping under her chin. I immediately freaked out thinking it was strangles and we had her tested- negative. We checked her teeth and found a broken one in fragments which the vet removed. We then x-rayed her teeth to see if the roots were impacted and the specialist said they were fine.
She has since had about four more abscesses all under her jaw and around her throat- the right side of her face is swelling, and shes extremely owie. I cant get out twice a day so Iâm paying my boarding barn to syringe out the abscesses(with warm water), which continually leak pus day and night, twice a day and give meds twice a day.
We have had the vet out five times this month: shes on two antibiotics, and honestly the vet is at a complete loss as to what the heck is going on. Iâm running out of hope and money, and I am worried weâre on a run-away freight train to the end of her life.
My coach says I should put her down, my parents think I should put her down, but strangely my fiance wants her to see through this and is helping out. Remember him not being on board when this thread started? Oh how the tides have changed. I hinted at my vet that maybe it was time but she was all for a third round of antibiotics. I dont know what is the right thing to do; keep her going or lay her down.
I feel bad. I wanted to give her a NICE RETIREMENT. But the past fifteen months have been filled with problem after problem- her feet being in such horrid shape, the fungal infection she got on her skin and legs, now this horrible, weird, and stinky abscess problem. I feel like she hasnât had any time to be a healthy happy horse. I feel so guilty that I cant do anything more.
The antibiotics have given her a really runny bum so itâs all I can do do try and keep that cleaned up- I got a set of âmagic brushesâ for my birthday and they work really well for dried-on liquid manure. I have her on an omega 3 oil, some vitamin e and selenium, and now some biotin to try to get her feet to grow a bit faster so my farrier will have an easier time ( heâs got the most recent set of xrays; he just doesnt have enough growth to work with so thereâs a chance sheâs in pain with the angles shes got).
I feel like Im throwing money at the problem because thereâs not much else I can do.
My vet is asking the other vets at the practice for help with this âunusualâ case. It feels hopeless.
Anyways. Let me know if youâve ever dealt with multiple facial abscesses?
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Sorry for the sad update, OP. I have no experience with what youâre going through but wanted to point out that although you worry she hasnât had the retirement you dreamed of giving her, she has been safe and fed and dry when itâs wet and warm when itâs cold. She has had treats and pats and love. You are tackling the problems as professionals are advising and havenât gone off the deep end with anything too heroic. Give yourself some credit for what you have been able to provide her, even if she is approaching the end. I hope the third round of antibiotics does the trick 
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Has your vet cultured the abscess yet? I would not do another round of antibiotics without one.
Also, have you ruled out cushings? That can impact the immune system.
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Sheâs already on Cushingâs medication.
She hasnât cultured it yet thatâs not a bad idea. Iâll ask her about it.
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Yes, exactly this. I was going to say the same! She knows (you love her).
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Maybe ask in the Horse Care section of the forum about the facial abscesses. Lots of people with decades of experience there!
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Thanks! Iâll do so
Do you have a vet hospital nearby? If so, it could be worth hauling her in for a day or two to get a second opinion, as well as the opinions of various specialists at once, before making a final decision.
I feel for you - the judgment on quality of life is difficult when you donât have a clear diagnosis or knowledge about whether something is treatable.
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I donât have the financial ability to haul her to the nearest hospital unfortunately. Iâm feeling really stuck.
Iâm so sorry to read about your girl. No advice on the abscesses (other than agreeing that a culture is a good idea), but I will say that you should trust your vet when it comes to whether or not to euthanize. I had an older mare in my care that got an infected melanoma a few years ago and it was bad for 10 days. 3 types of antibiotics, blowing through banamine in 8 hours with a 104 fever, etc. I thought for sure she wasnât going to make it but she pulled through and is doing great now. Most vets will tell you when theyâve tried everything and they think itâs time to make the decision. Jingles for your girl. 
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In that case, it sounds like doing a culture before throwing more antibiotics at it might be your best bet. Fingers crossed that it works out.
I wonder if you have a migrating foreign body that entered via ( or caused) the broken tooth. vegetative matter like a stick wont show up on a radiograph though a gas pocket might on a quality film.
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Interesting!! 
My mare got baling wire imbedded under her tongue. It was starting to wrap around her jaw when we found it and it had abscessed under her tongue. I took her in for excessive drooling.
Since it was metal, it lit up on an X-ray. Tooth could have been an incidental finding.
