Vibes please (again)

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Ruskii

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Jun 21, 2000
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I have a horse with a poorly foot, he was pointing it yesterday afternoon when I checked him and my farrier came out last night to have a look, on with the hoof testers and bang we found the sore spot, on his toe. He was sore here before once I think around March last year, definitely in the same region. More so after a trim, and this was, he was trimmed on Tuesday evening. Walking back to the field I noticed he was tripping slightly then was very reluctant to walk on the gravel path back to his field. I put it down to being a field for more than 2 weeks and this being the first time in a while being on a stony path.

Yesterday I checked him and thought 'I don't like this.' So we had the farrier out (I have to say he was great coming back so quickly - he's new to us) and given the horse was reluctant to walk, has heat in the area of the foot and an area the farrier thought was a touch of seedy toe it's all pointing to an abscess.

The frustrating part though is I don't have a stable, but a fab livery has offered me hers however the stables are all being refurbished so no one can use them, I can't even put him in a stable on the other side of the yard the work is being done on as he'll panic and not be happy in. (New yard as well)

Last night I hot poulticed him (thank goodness being 5 mins from home and I keep a poultice pack anyway handy with all the bits needed in it) and have refreshed it today just before lunch and there is no change in the foot. In between poultices, he has his foot in some warm salty water and I syringe it through before putting a new poultice on anyway. Then on goes the fetching builders work sack to keep it water proof and lots of duck tape. He is on his own so he his ambling around happily (slowly and limping) but he has had two sachets of bute this morning and I'll give him some more tonight.

What would you do ? Keep him out with a waterproof poultice on or look to move to another yard that has a stable as a temporary measure to keep him in and keep the foot dry ? Our 'home stable' has been cleared out and back in use as a garage so I can't use that option. I booked a provisional vet visit for tomorrow to have a look if he doesn't get any better by tomorrow.

:cry:
 
I would keep him where he is, if he's in pain and under the weather the added stress of new surroundings won't help. Your vet might say different but I'd keep on doing what you are doing.
 
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Healing vibes for him, I would leave him where he is, we never have stabled for poultices, bag on and off they go - so long as there is no deep mud. if he is as comfortable as possible out then he should be fine - when it comes out he will probably feel a lot better.
 
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That's encouraging to know that you haven't stabled, most people have advised stabling, however there is an area of deep mud in his field but my husband has now fenced this off for me, so he is on longish grass now that is just wet and your normal amount of mud. I think poulticing and Bute for the next few days and see how he goes. I hate seeing him so sore :(
 
Agreed! Unless the ground is very bad I was always told to keep them out ;) Fingers crossed for a quick recovery!
 
I would walk him for 10 mins twice a day on a hard surface without the poultice on if you can, it will encourage the abscess to burst out if that is the problem - if it is seedy toe then there are medications to treat that.
 
I always leave out too, jess really dislikes being in, hot tubbing and poultice should draw it out, did the farrier dig for it at all?
 
Yes he did dig about a little bit in two areas, however he didn't want to go too far as the horse was going back out to the field. He recommended soaking in warm salty water and stuffing it with cotton wool soaked in the same solution then plugging it with Stockholm tar to prevent anything else getting it.

I've been looking at red horse products this afternoon wondering if it's worth a try but then thinking "the old methods of iodine and sugar usually produce good results !"
 
I don't know what I would advise - Ben had an abscess 2 years ago and I kept him in for 2 weeks, but it was snowing heavily at the time so I probably wouldn't have kept him in anyway.

I hope that it bursts soon and he is more comfortable.
 
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I think it is much better to leave them out, I never keep in for an abscess., as much movement as they are comfortable to do out in the field usually encourages drainage much quicker than keeping them holed up in a box. Nor have I ever given bute either, although I think it is actually antibiotics that keep it rumbling around forever, not bute?:)
 
No Bute ? That is interesting. Have just come back from an evening visit to find the new and improved abscess boot is staying on fantastically however where I have restricted his access to the deep mud he has churned jr to a swamp trying to get to his neighbour as some twits have been releasing fireworks and he has been worked himself up :rolleyes:

He was walking a bit better though as fortunately I have a 4x4 and was able to go right in his field and see him walking around with the spotlights on and I thought he looked better.

On the way out though a fellow livery warned me of the firework display that is going on this weekend though in THE NEXT FIELD over and they are advertising it as the best one yet.

Will think about that some more tomorrow. :(
 
I know nothing about abscesses so am just here for the healing-vibe-sending part. Coming your way!

That's bad news about the fireworks! I have some to let off tomorrow for our little Hallowe'en party but there are no horses or cows round here, just a few sheep and they're a field away. What are you going to do?
 
I have a few options -

move him to a new yard and keep him stabled (he will stress) but sedate him.

- sedate him slightly with one of those Oxygen type calmers (fellow livery is doing this for her horse) keep him out, open his field up so he can stand near his pal (his pal has been there several years so I suspect he won't care) and we take a family picnic up in the car and watch the fireworks next to him so I know he'll be ok but also he will calm down more seeing us as he does calm down being near me, he was tonight when I was with him.

He is going to be hearing them tonight and tomorrow night before this big show so he *might* be more desensitized by then. I think he's stressing more so as it's all new still. Where he was before they would let off fireworks before there but he was in a herd and I think that offered a bit of security for him.

I think Option 2 is the best one at the moment.
 
Yeah it'll probably be OK. At my old yard, on Bonfire Night some people sat with the horses in the fields as there was a fireworks do a couple of fields down. The horses did not so much as flinch. The owners got to see the display so everyone was happy!
 
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Our Joe always had bute given by the vet for abscesses. Was this perhaps because they had burst? How interesting. I will quiz ours next time he's out seeing the girls.
 
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