Pigging abscesses!

Jessey

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2004
28,300
18,001
113
43
Suffolk, UK
Jess had another abscess, no bother at the time (I'm guessing it was at least 8 weeks ago assuming its grown down from the coronet), I'd noticed a flappy bit of periople growing down with her foot, so ignored it but picked it a couple of weeks ago to find a split under it from an abscess exit.

The split has now started cracking down the hoof (90 degrees from the original split) and I'm a little concerned we are going to loose the entire heel :eek: will call the farrier tomorrow and see if putting shoes on might take the strain off it until it grows out, we've only just grown out the last ones!
FB_IMG_1506269151461.jpg FB_IMG_1506269173372.jpg
 
Well she's still sound but the chunk is moving more and more. I didn't have a farrier look because I don't have one, well apart from the one who started to lecture on my facebook post about something I'm not even doing :rolleyes: so I deleted that post. I got the opinion of a trimmer who said don't worry and just relieve it a little to try and hang on to the chunk for as long as poss. I can see this going during our Halloween ride on sunday though, that would be my luck.
22851789_10155748117897246_319235583035607835_n.jpg 22815410_10155748117757246_2320850905718241765_n.jpg 22688823_10155748117597246_1711481037541919044_n.jpg 22780696_10155748117817246_4065779856515814841_n.jpg 22730413_10155748117702246_2496365585441542570_n.jpg

I did give it a really good clean last night, no sign of thrush under the flap and nothing sensitive in there. I tried duct taping over it as the last thing I need is thrush or her stepping on it and ripping good wall off, but it lasted about 10 minutes before it came off o_O I've got a friend showing his farrier the pics this morning, so will see what he says. Its gone right through at the heel end and can be wiggled, I think it would be better to chop off the detached part so it doesn't act as a lever and break currently good foot off too, I'm not skilled enough for that tho so will see what the farrier says.
 
I have to say if the horse doesn't want it, it drops off.
I don't know if I posted the hole we had one year that appeared to go back a long way and didn't cause any issues. Vet had to plug it as hole showed on the xray! But it wasn't the cause of lameness.
I put hoof putty in it and left her to grow it out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessey
Good luck Jessey.
Angel also has an abscess (we think - I've had the farrier out but he couldn't find any pus, there's a hole and the hoof smells though) so I am getting to grips with poulticing which I've never done before. No riding for us at the mo! Horses eh?
 
Good luck Jessey.
Angel also has an abscess (we think - I've had the farrier out but he couldn't find any pus, there's a hole and the hoof smells though) so I am getting to grips with poulticing which I've never done before. No riding for us at the mo! Horses eh?
Hopefully yours resolves quickly :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: squidsin
Hopefully the chunk will stay put until some more growth comes through.

I am interested in how you deal with abscesses without a farrier though. At my yard when there is a suspected abscess the farrier comes out, does the hoof testers and if there is a reaction digs a drainage hole in the bottom of the foot. This allows the abscess to drain downwards rather than burst out upwards. Ben has had a handful of abscesses over the years. Last February was the worst and he ended up with abscesses in both front feet at the same time. In one foot he had 2 drainage holes as the abscess channels had split. Loads of loads of pus came out, I couldn't quite believe how much there was in there. The farrier then filled the holes with putty and then he was sound.

Do you dig drainage holes yourself or don't you do this? If not, how you deal with them? Do you find that there are natural drainage holes created, or are you happy for them to come out anywhere? I am bracing myself for the abscess season and am trying to learn as much as I can about them.
 
Hopefully the chunk will stay put until some more growth comes through.

I am interested in how you deal with abscesses without a farrier though. At my yard when there is a suspected abscess the farrier comes out, does the hoof testers and if there is a reaction digs a drainage hole in the bottom of the foot. This allows the abscess to drain downwards rather than burst out upwards. Ben has had a handful of abscesses over the years. Last February was the worst and he ended up with abscesses in both front feet at the same time. In one foot he had 2 drainage holes as the abscess channels had split. Loads of loads of pus came out, I couldn't quite believe how much there was in there. The farrier then filled the holes with putty and then he was sound.

Do you dig drainage holes yourself or don't you do this? If not, how you deal with them? Do you find that there are natural drainage holes created, or are you happy for them to come out anywhere? I am bracing myself for the abscess season and am trying to learn as much as I can about them.
All the farriers I've had always preferred to let them pop naturally unless the horse can't walk, just do hot soaks or poultices to soften the foot and draw it to the surface to create its own drain hole. They said recovery is quicker that way.

Jess also rarely shows lame until it's within 24 hours of blowing anyway so farriers are normally too late, half the time she never shows lame at all like with this one, I just found it once it was growing out.

I do have hoof testers my old farrier taught me to use, and would scrape dead sole off to look for a bruise or track but would never dig into live sole.
 
All the farriers I've had always preferred to let them pop naturally unless the horse can't walk, just do hot soaks or poultices to soften the foot and draw it to the surface to create its own drain hole. They said recovery is quicker that way.

Jess also rarely shows lame until it's within 24 hours of blowing anyway so farriers are normally too late, half the time she never shows lame at all like with this one, I just found it once it was growing out.

I do have hoof testers my old farrier taught me to use, and would scrape dead sole off to look for a bruise or track but would never dig into live sole.

It's interesting as I have always been told that the abscess will most often travel upwards to burst out of the coronet if a drainage hole is not created, and this makes recovery time longer. My farrier says that it only takes a very small crack to let dirt into the foot and the abscess to form, but this crack will never be big enough to drain all the pus. Maybe it is due to the size of my horses feet (they are like plates!). Or perhaps because every abscess he has had makes him broken leg lame. He was very lame and miserable when he came down with 2 abscesses in both front feet. I thought he had laminitis so was very pleased when the abscesses burst.

I don't think that he has ever had an abscess I have missed but who knows?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessey
My farrier is pro digging a hole if it's easy enough to do so. Roxy had an abscess that was undetected (I had the vet out and it was completely missed) and she was hopping lame for three months until it grew out. I had her hocks medicated, as the vet said it was that, and obviously that made no difference other than costing me £400!The farrier found it and said 'did you know your horse had had an abscess?' NO! Most expensive abscess ever. I suppose if you had a very stoic horse you could let nature take its course, but Angel is not stoic at all and I don't want her lame for three months!
 
My farrier is pro digging a hole if it's easy enough to do so. Roxy had an abscess that was undetected (I had the vet out and it was completely missed) and she was hopping lame for three months until it grew out. I had her hocks medicated, as the vet said it was that, and obviously that made no difference other than costing me £400!The farrier found it and said 'did you know your horse had had an abscess?' NO! Most expensive abscess ever. I suppose if you had a very stoic horse you could let nature take its course, but Angel is not stoic at all and I don't want her lame for three months!

Gosh that is awful the vet missed it and you ended up with her hocks being medicated! Argh!!!!
 
newrider.com