WWYD - hoof abscess won't heal

[Preposterous_Ponies]

My mare developed an abscess a few weeks ago (June 9th). It burst right away, through the heel bulbs, but has not resolved. It goes from hot, to oozing, to cold and back again. I’ve been soaking it with warm water and epsom salts whenever it gets hot, but don’t want to over soak the hoof. The heat is localized to the heels and cornet band.

I’ve had animalintex on it every day since the ninth, and it has been kept wrapped. I did use a epsom salt/bran poultice as well, but did not like not being able to see the drainage. For the past week, I have been flushing the hole with very diluted bleach to clean everything out. My farrier treated it initially on June 12th, and I’m going to have him back out again as I’m at my wits end.

She’s willing to put weight on the hoof - some days more so than others. She is ouchy at the walk but not lame - she has been very energetic on our “trail rides” (to get her moving a bit) and is actually more forward than usual. Trotting is ouchy, but she seems fine at the canter (and actually tried to gallop off with me the other day, she was so happy to be out and about) :rolleyes:

She has recently (within the last 3 days) developed some swelling in her fetloct, in the same leg as the abcess. No heat and she is prone to stocking up, but I’m worried this may be related to the abscess.

Depending on the farrier’s reccomendations, my next step is to have the vet out.

So what are your thoughts on this? What would your next step be? I’ve dealt with lots of horse health issues, but this first time calling all the shots (first horse!), so I’m paranoid! COTH experts please enlighten me with your wisdom, I’ve run out of ideas.

[jetsmom]

I’d probably have vet Xray to make sure that something isn’t in there.

[Simkie]

@jetsmom;6410289

I’d probably have vet Xray to make sure that something isn’t in there.

Ayup. Me too. Time to get the vet out.

[Hippolyta]

Yep, vet time. But also keep farrier in the loop.

I had my first experience with an abscess this spring. It was the first for 10 yr old mare who has been healthy & sound her entire life. One day she was just dead lame, extreme pain…it seemed that abscess worked its way out, she was better, then, back to horrid pain, to mild pain.

I had both vet & farrier looking at her. It was a matter of waiting & waiting… Vet eventually did all sorts of checks to make sure it was actually an abscess. Everything I read/heard indicated process would be quick- we waited, soaked, poulticed, etc for almost 8 weeks.

Finally one came out on sole & one on coronet & she was 100% better. Both came out on same day - farrier pared one out & the other came on its own. Both farrier & vet said that such a long time frame was an anomaly.

The soaking made that foot chippy. If it happens again I am not sure I would soak as I did. No clear consensus one way or the other on that (I actually searched vet journals, research articles, etc). For us, it didn’t seem to speed up the process at all. I think keeping them moving as much as is comfortable is the best bet to move it out (of course this does not apply to days when she is in agony, nor am I suggesting trotting her around with a extreme limp, I just don’t think stall rest is the best idea for this)

If it is an abscess, I guess they all come out sooner or later, but obviously don’t want horse to be in pain for any longer than it has to.

On the second visit (about week 2.5), vet dug a very deep hole in the sole trying to get it out (I was not present for this visit). Nothing came out there, or even close, ever. Horse now has divot that we pack with putty. My farrier was pissed! I was not thrilled at the digging into live sole either.

[trubandloki]

@jetsmom;6410289

I’d probably have vet Xray to make sure that something isn’t in there.

This for sure.

[Preposterous_Ponies]

Well, the vet is coming out tomorrow so we’ll see what she has to say.

[GotMyPony]

Vet is right thing to do.
That said, on the subject of poultices, my donkey was having a hard time recovering from an abscess. Wrapping with a baby diaper scrap and vet wrap, I first tried the commercial black smelly stuff (sorry I’m blanking on the name) for a few days. Then epson salts and warm water for a couple more days. Both seemed to help but not get him over the hump. Then my vet suggested what she called “sugardine” - a mixture of regular table sugar with just enough betadine solution (not the cleanser) to make a thick paste. She said it sometimes worked overnight and darned if it didn’t.
Granted the other two probably helped and had cumulative effect but the sugardine dried it out overnight and the donkey was walking way better right away. Just something to add to the mental toolbox of options.

[seejp083]

[QUOTE=GotMyPony;6412056]
Vet is right thing to do.
That said, on the subject of poultices, my donkey was having a hard time recovering from an abscess. Wrapping with a baby diaper scrap and vet wrap, I first tried the commercial black smelly stuff .[/QUOTE]

Agree with having the vet out… I think you’re referring to icthamol (I’m sure I’m spelling it wrong!). I’ve used that with some success in the past and it’s inexpensive.

[candico]

Yes, had one like that and it turned out to be a keratoma. Really hope it’s not that!
Good luck.

[SwampYankee]

Betcha real money you’ve got one that’s “channeling.” Once in a great while you’ll have a real sonuvagun that starts usually at the toe, but instead of running up the white line and popping out at the coronet on top, it will actually “tunnel” under the sole, sometimes smoldering for months or even years, until it finally blows out for good at both heels and sometimes they’ll even slough the entire sole!

Until then, you’ll be talking to yourself and drinking Jack Daniels while manipulating the Ouija Board . . .

It will do about as much good as anything!

My pick is the Ichthammol wrap, being less labor-intensive for man and beast than the soaking.

[MiasPal]

Timely Post

Perfect timing for this topic. My mare is also currently suffering from a stubborn deep abcess. It cant seem to pick a path out!! We have been doing the epsom soak and the ichthammol wrap for a couple days to no avail. Farrier says to be patient…not my forte! Ive also read on some previos posts that wrapping with a thermacare heat wrap (under a layer of gauze) helps to draw out the tough ones…I havent tried it myself but sounds good in theory. Keep us posted on the vet visit!

[HealingHeart]

Vet and antibiotics…

[Chestnut_Run]

If it’s open and draining, I’ve had good luck in the past with CleanTraxx for stubborn abcesses. It’s also totally amazing for stubborn thrush, white line disease, and ulcerative lymphangitis. I would for sure stop putting bleach solution, even very diluted, into the holes! I got CleanTraxx once from the vet and then other times ordered it online. (just google CleanTraxx and I’m sure you’ll be able to find it.)

Sheila

[Tom_Bloomer]

Flushing with bleach is a bad idea.

Next time you have an open wound on your own body, try flushing it with bleach and let us know how that works to speed up the healing . . . :eek:

[Calvincrowe]

Tom- That is exactly what I was thinking when she mentioned bleach in a wound! UGH…

Vet, period. Xrays and perhaps antibiotics, but your vet will know what the next step is. Sticking to one protocol might be better than jumping around with different treatments.

[atr]

Vet and x-rays. Abscesses can go very wrong.

[Preposterous_Ponies]

Straight bleach is used in hospitals, for humans, on wounds, actually. While that is extreme, using small amount of very diluted bleach did my mare did zero harm - she’s an extremely sensitive horse, who didn’t even flinch.

Anyways, vet was out and it is… dun dun dunnnn… just an abscess that keeps getting superficially reinfected. No xrays required, no antibiotics needed. I was told to stop wrapping it and just flush it out daily.

[ponysize]

[QUOTE=Preposterous Ponies!;6413863]
Straight bleach is used in hospitals, for humans, on wounds, actually. [/QUOTE]

No, it’s not.

[Frizzle]

If you want it to heal, I would ditch the bleach and switch to flushing it out with diluted chlorhexadine. And to really help the abscess resolve, White Lightning would be my first choice. Keeping it covered with icthamol would also help. I don’t know where you are, but here in Florida we are paranoid about any sort of wounds during the summer because they can quickly become summer sores, which basically means flies lay eggs in the wound, making it very, very difficult for it to heal.

[Tom_Stovall]

Long-standing, hard-to-heal, abscesses often involve a sequestrum - and they don’t always show up in the first two or three radiographs. Sometimes, they’re more frustrating than joint mice.