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Post by misspacific on Jan 1, 2010 20:37:36 GMT -5
Well, since I've been on break for the past two weeks, it's only natural that my horse has been out of commission the entire time. About a week before Christmas, I went out and found that she was suddenly VERY lame. Immediately we thought abscess and my farrier used the hoof testers to locate the trouble spot. He agreed that it appeared to be an abscess in the heel, so he pulled her shoe and we began the usual treatment (poultice and so on). As the next week passed, she became MUCH more sound, but we never found evidence that the abscess blew. Yesterday, the farrier came back out and used the hoof testers again. He said she's still a bit sore in the heel area even though she appears to be sound.
My question is this: Is it possible that the abscess blew without us seeing the evidence and that she's still recovering? Is it possible that it was reabsorbed? Or should I be considering another issue?
Everything about her lameness has been textbook for an abscess...except the lack of the "explosion". Any thoughts?
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Post by ZenRider on Jan 2, 2010 12:24:22 GMT -5
Could be it absorbed, could have just been a bad bruise that never actually abscessed.
Zen's abscess from years ago took two weeks to blow, he of course blew the morning the Vet was coming out to help it along so it wouldn't fester. Guy blew one and never went lame. Never knew he had one until after the fact.
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Post by misspacific on Jan 2, 2010 19:07:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the input, Zen. It finally blew this morning. I guess I was just surprised she was feeling so much better without the abscess rupturing.
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Post by sarafina on Jan 4, 2010 10:10:07 GMT -5
Good news! I second Zen's words. Jingles for an uneventful recovery.
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Post by coyote on Jan 17, 2010 0:54:51 GMT -5
This is exactly what is going on with my pony mare - and we've been going through the same analysis.
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Post by pinkdaisy on Jan 17, 2010 9:00:21 GMT -5
I hate abscesses! They seem to pop up at exactly the most inconvenient time. Glad it finally blew!
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Post by animaldoc on Jan 22, 2010 10:14:01 GMT -5
Well, Wednesday my horse was lame - went to the barn and he was three-legged LF. A farrier happened to be there (of course I hadn't brought hoof testers) and he was way ouchy in one spot - pulled the shoe for me. Since then we've been poulticing and on stall rest since he's soooooo lame (like hopping). DH (also a vet) came out yesterday, but couldn't find a track (and doesn't like to make a big hole), so we're poulticing again.....waah! BM called this AM and said no better yet....grr. Today I'm going to put a Soft Ride on the other foot to protect that.........
:-(
Jingles needed for a quick blowout! Or just a bruise that starts imimproving........ (And of course since I'm a vet, I keep worrying about all the things it could be, but isn't likely to be - P3 fracture, etc.)
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Post by elizabeth_h on Jan 22, 2010 12:30:03 GMT -5
I went though a similar thing a couple of years ago with my gelding. He had an abscess that blew, but afterwords he remained slightly off and showed soreness in that heel. I had x-rays done and nothing showed up, and the 2 very good vets I used both said it was bruising. What eventually did the trick was to put a pour-in pad in that hoof. He was sound a day later and had no more trouble after that! I only needed to use that pad for one shoeing cycle.
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Post by misspacific on Jan 23, 2010 0:30:38 GMT -5
Well, Wednesday my horse was lame - went to the barn and he was three-legged LF. A farrier happened to be there (of course I hadn't brought hoof testers) and he was way ouchy in one spot - pulled the shoe for me. Since then we've been poulticing and on stall rest since he's soooooo lame (like hopping). DH (also a vet) came out yesterday, but couldn't find a track (and doesn't like to make a big hole), so we're poulticing again.....waah! BM called this AM and said no better yet....grr. Today I'm going to put a Soft Ride on the other foot to protect that......... :-( Jingles needed for a quick blowout! Or just a bruise that starts imimproving........ (And of course since I'm a vet, I keep worrying about all the things it could be, but isn't likely to be - P3 fracture, etc.) Jingling! It's SO stressful when you just don't know what's going on. Hopefully you'll have a blowout soon! |
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Post by manders445 on Jul 12, 2010 13:54:10 GMT -5
Ooooh those are the worst!! In the first year I had Blue he had 3...the last one was a MAJOR blowout but ever since, knock on wood, with some corrective shoeing he hasn't had another. Our farrier always prefers to leave them barefoot when possible but we've come to the mutual agreement that that's just not in the cards for Blue - at least not up front. Keeping shoes on the front was our little test - if he had come up with another absess after we were planning on getting an x-ray...thank goodness that seems to have fixed the problem!
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Post by ZenRider on Jul 31, 2010 14:19:10 GMT -5
Glad to hear it blew and seems to be on the mend. ;D
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