Abscess Page

Also see these pages:
Hoof Soaking Techniques
Hoof Soaking Solutions
Hoof Soaking w. CleanTrax

Abscess Kit Recommendations

Poultice, Icthamol or Nitrofurazone
Betadine solution or iodine
Betadine scrub
Syringe
Disposable diapers (sized same as EasyBoots)
Epsom salts
Paper towels
Soaking bucket or soaker boot
Water bucket or large thermos
Tarp pieces
Duct tape

If a horse is tender footed and can't weight a foot, if it's been a wet season... chances are good that there is an abbess brewing.

If you have any questions about any sort of lameness, call your vet and follow their instructions! I'm not a vet, just a source of practical information. Ask your vet if you have any questions about the appropriateness of any of these procedures! This information is for people who recognize an abbess from experience.

Abscesses can be the result of an injury, such as a nail puncture wound or a bad stone bruise, and are common in wet weather when a horses have to stand in bacteria-laden environments such as swampy paddock paddocks.

Horses with hoof abscesses have a higher than normal digital pulse,and the foot may feel warm. Occasionally you can palpate a solar (sole) abscess by pressing the sole with your thumb to locate a softer area.

I never try to "dig out" an abscess; it's surgery, invasive work best left to vets. If an abscess location is soft, I'll prepare a sterile working area and try lightly scraping the area or use light pressure to see if an abscess will vent voluntarily. If it does, I try to get as much puss out as I can, then soak in Epsom Salts (below).

Digging abscess out of a horses foot often leaves a huge hole that needs to be managed until the hoof / sole grows out. Rather than dig out an abscess, I suggest soaking the hoof in a warm Epsom salts solution least 2 times a day to either dry the abscess up or soften the hoof until the abscess finds a way to drain naturally.

Abscess vents are an excellent way to get lots of bacteria into your horses foot -- you don't want that! Please protect the abscessing foot carefully to avoid making it worse. Use sterile bandages and work with throw cloths or mats to protect the hoof from further contamination.

Vets will sometimes offer antibiotics to help resolve stubborn abscesses.

Step One - Wash the foot

Wash the foot in warm water, and clean with Betadine soap & lots of water. I put a piece of tarp or a clean mat down so that the wound won't get contaminated if the horse steps down.

Step Two - Look for an opening

Before doing anything, carefully check the sole for small holes. A hole could be a drainage spot for an abscess, but could also be where a nail or screw penetrated the foot. Abscess drains or vents usually have a different appearance from a puncture wound, but if you have any doubts, call a vet!

Punctures are potentially life threatening. If your horse has picked up a nail, screw or other sharp object, contact a vet immediately. If the object is still in the hoof, call the vet before removing it!! Many vets want to x-ray with the offending object in place so they can treat the horse appropriately.

Most abscesses exit at the coronet band or through the hoof wall, but I've seen several come through the sole, particularly at its junction with the frog.

Step Three - Soak the foot

Soak twice a day for 20 to 30 minutes in Epsom salts and warm water. See Hoof Soaking for methods of doing this without it making you and your horse crazy.

Epsom Salts Abscess Soak - Dilution: 1 cup Epson Salts :1 Gallon of water

Step Four - Prepare to Bandage

Dry the foot with paper towels & wash hands. Apply Betadine or Iodine solution, squirting it into any abscess hole as far as you can.

Step Five - Carefully Bandage The Wound

An abscess IS a wound, and needs to be kept clean. Allowing it to become contaminated can cost you more time and money in vet bills, prescriptions, treatment and extend the healing process.

Plug the vents/holes with cotton balls, then soak the cotton in iodine. Apply an Ichthamol or Nitrofurazone dressing or a poultice (see below). Wrap the foot in a disposable baby diaper, thin cotton or gauze. The foot can then be wrapped in strong cotton bandage or duct tape.

The hoof needs to stay clean until the abscess has healed and the hole has closed, and this isn't always easy. Duct tapes bandages work lose easily and are tough to remove.

An alternate way of keeping the hoof clean is to place an oversized hoof boot over the diaper or bandage as a waterproof walking bandage. Hoof Boots (Boa's, Epics, Old Mac's, etc.) ARE NOT meant to be used 24x7, so they need to be checked at least twice daily to ensure that 1) they are staying in place and 2) aren't rubbing. I usually like to let horses walk during recuperation, but if you don't have a dry paddock for your horse, consider stalling it.

I recommend that Hoof Boots be left on only as long as necessary, and that they be slightly loose but not so loose that they can come off.

Another suggestion is to make a boot using a waterproof tarp and duct tape; this wears through fast, so don't count on more than one use per piece of tarp.

The downside to using boots and tarp is that they hold moisture in the hoof, and we'd like to dry the abscess up.

Change any dressing once or twice a day. The infection should start to dry up within two days. Keep it clean!

Ichthamol or Nitrofurazone Dressing Option

If the abscess has erupted, pack the hole with an iodine or Betadyne swab and coat the sole with Ichthamol or Nitrofurazone. Bandage as explained above.

Magne Past Packing Option

magnapaste

Poultice Dressing Option

For drawing out a stubborn abscess Cover the foot with poultice inside and out, at least 1/4-inch thick and duct tape a tarp square over it. Change every 12 hours.

Oral Medications

I haven't used these yet and know very little about them, but they are worth investigating! I have friends who are into natural healing and may offer more help in this area in the future!

MSM

Some people suggest the use of MSM to help abscesses reabsorb. Dose is 1/3 oz twice daily in feed- for one week, then once daily till tenderness/pain is gone..

Oral Arnica

Reportedly helps abscesses vent and encourages healing.

Great poltice suggestions culled from various lists:

Antiphlogistine by Absorbine. Good choice for stubborn deep abscesses. [Antiphlogistine is a mixture of clay with methyl salicylate, menthol, eucalyptol. i.e. stuff in most muscle rubs

Epsom Salt Poultice by Kaeco Group. Draws well and controls swelling (contains Magnesium Sulfate)

Numtizine Cataplasm by Hobart Labs. Excellent choice for abscesses (Contains Methyl Salicylate, guaicol (a disinfectant) and creosote)

Animalintex - Boric acid and tragacanth, an herb that forms a gel- like substance.

More Reading

Pus and Us - http://www.wiwfarm.com/pusandus.htm