Posted by Rick Burten on March 30, 2003 at 09:01:39:
In Reply to: Re: Abcessed hoof posted by K Bar R farrier Service on March 30, 2003 at 02:13:26:
: : Today I found that my horses foot has abcessed. She did an ODE in the weekend(a week ago) on hard ground and this may be the cause? However she was not lame before the abcess at all (she was last year when she had one) and there seems to be no pus etc, just a slit/hole at the coronet. Is it possible all the pus has gone? Shall i soak it in epsom salts each day and bandage epsom salts/copper sulphate to it?(this is what i did last time, there seemed to be no pus then either) It seemed to work ok last time(i did it for a week) But am worried about there being no pus and cleaning up and closing the woulnd too soon, tho it is wet weather so it will probably not crust over too soon. Help!
: Call your farrier if you suspect it is in the foot. He/She should be able to diagnos and instruct you. That is what a steady customer has a farrier for. If he/she is not available, call your vet. Soaking it can not hurt in the meantime, maybe a bit of bute for the horse. Good Luck!
How did you determine that this was an abcess as opposed to a penetrating injury at the coronary band? Regardless, if it was an abcess, the vent at the coronary band indicates that it is resolving or has completlely resolved and will heal quite well with no further intervention on your part. Is the area warm(warmer than normal) to the touch? Is the horse reactive when you press on the area? Again, if you can determine that it is indeed an abcess vent and not an injury then just keep her out of the muck for a while and it should heal quite nicely all by itself.
Rick