Hoof abcesses

[zoe6]

What are your best ways of treating hoof abscesses? Home made and Natural treatments welcomed also. My mare has two one in each front hoof.

[Fatcat]

My favorite is to poultice with an Epsom salt poultice like Kaeco, well wrapped and duct taped/diaper booted. I don't like soaking, I think it turns the hoof to mush. I have another poultice I like out in the barn, but can't remember the name, I'll update when I go out there.

Not to freak you out but, abscesses can also be laminitis related, given that it's fall has that been ruled,out?

[Abby Kogler]

Sugardyne is my favorite homemade, or Magic Cushion.

[Pippigirl]

Another vote for Magic Cushion.

[kande50]

I don't like soaking, I think it turns the hoof to mush.

I thought that was the idea: to soften the hoof so that the abscess would have an easier time working its way out?

[Fatcat]

I don't like soaking, I think it turns the hoof to mush.

I thought that was the idea: to soften the hoof so that the abscess would have an easier time working its way out?

My understanding, is that the purpose of soaking was go get the hoof immersed in Epsom salts to draw out the infection. Now that there are gel like gooey Epsom salt poultices, I find these work better.

[kande50]

My understanding, is that the purpose of soaking was go get the hoof immersed in Epsom salts to draw out the infection. Now that there are gel like gooey Epsom salt poultices, I find these work better.

Another possible reason might be to increase the temp inside the hoof to increase the inflammation so it works out faster? Don't know if that's even possible, or if it is, whether a half hour of soaking twice a day would make any difference?

I've also wondered whether the Epson Salts even get inside the hoof to where the abscess is brewing? Or maybe the salts just serve to soften the hoof faster?

We had a mule for 25 years who was the queen of hoof abscesses, so I spent a lot of time standing around soaking hooves wondering about what was happening in there, and whether anyone had ever done any studies on whether soaking before the abscess opened actually helped?

Vets seem to be in agreement about soaking, which could simply be because it doesn't do any harm and might help, but divided about bute.

[Fatcat]

My understanding, is that the purpose of soaking was go get the hoof immersed in Epsom salts to draw out the infection. Now that there are gel like gooey Epsom salt poultices, I find these work better.

Another possible reason might be to increase the temp inside the hoof to increase the inflammation so it works out faster? Don't know if that's even possible, or if it is, whether a half hour of soaking twice a day would make any difference?

I've also wondered whether the Epson Salts even get inside the hoof to where the abscess is brewing? Or maybe the salts just serve to soften the hoof faster?

We had a mule for 25 years who was the queen of hoof abscesses, so I spent a lot of time standing around soaking hooves wondering about what was happening in there, and whether anyone had ever done any studies on whether soaking before the abscess opened actually helped?

Vets seem to be in agreement about soaking, which could simply be because it doesn't do any harm and might help, but divided about bute.

Actually vets I've dealt with are starting to go the poultice route rather than soaking, that's where I got the idea.

[Valerie]

I like poulticing with a baby diaper and duct tape MUCH better than soaking. Polly (OTTB) was the queen of abcesses until her hooves improved. I hate soaking in winter.

[myleetlepony]

Either Animalintex poultice pads or Magic Cushion and a vetwrap/duct tape boot. It depends on what I have on hand.

[mykaus]

Cabbage leaves soaked in boiled water with epsom salts and used as a poultice - cabbage leave packed around hoof, vetwrap over the top, duct tape on top of that if necessary. Cheap and seems to work just as a well animalintex!

[Larbear]

I prefer to use a poultice over soaking, so much easier. The last time I soaked my guy it was a hind foot and in the mid of winter. Huge pita and when he kicked out sending everything flying I said that's it. Stick a fork, done!

[zoe6]

We are going into spring here in New Zealand, so new young grass is starting to come away, she is being break (Strip grazed) fed the grass. We have had an extremely wet winter with record rain for the months of June July and Aug, then it also continued to rain in Sept so that ground has not had a chance to dry out at all.

Vet out tonight, we are going to dry poultice the foot again to try and draw the abscess out more, the foot was dry poulticed for 4 days when we first found it.

[Chisamba]

I soak . it is hard to say what is more effective. Since it is difficult to compare. I happen to think movement helps. In the wild if I horse had an abscess it kept up with the herd if it could, limping along until it popped. I think restricting movement, ie stall rest, is the worst thing.

For this reason I try to make the horse comfortable enough to move. If soaking or hosing seem to make the horse feel more comfortable, I do it. Because I want the horse to feel comfortable enough to move, because as I said, I believe the circulation increased by movement induces more rapid healing.

[smithywess]

Just let them blow out by themselves. Systemic antibiotics may be required. Best to look into the reason they formed in the first place and try to fix that. Not sure what break feeding grass means. Maybe she's getting too much green grass for her own good. I'm always worried about founder. 15 to 20 minutes a day is good to start with, upping it over 6 to 8 weeks.

[kande50]

Just let them blow out by themselves. Systemic antibiotics may be required. Best to look into the reason they formed in the first place and try to fix that. Not sure what break feeding grass means. Maybe she's getting too much green grass for her own good. I'm always worried about founder. 15 to 20 minutes a day is good to start with, upping it over 6 to 8 weeks.

I was just thinking about some of your posts and that I hadn't seen any for quite some time, and here you are!

Something I find interesting about hoof abscesses is that the vets don't seem to agree on what the best treatment is, which makes me think that there may not be one. IOW, they have to resolve on their own, and anything the vet tells us to do is just so s/he doesn't come and charge us for a farm visit for telling us there's nothing we can do to help?

I did dig out a subsolar one (it started in the white line and then took its time working its way over toward the frog) where, if I hadn't found it, probably would have taken even more time before it came out under the frog. The mule was slightly off for 5 weeks before he finally became lame enough that I knew he had an abscess, and that's when I found the track (with the help of hoof testers) and went in after it. He went sound shortly after I opened it, so unless it was about to open in the collateral groove (which I don't know if they do or not) I think it would have been awhile before it got back far enough to open at the back of the hoof.

The reason I'm not sure if they ever open in the collateral groove is because I've never found one there/ I can smell an abscess when it opens, and then can always find the opening, but they've always opened at the coronary band or behind the frog.

[Koolkat]

The high salt or high sugar treatments are about osmotic pressure drawing "liquid" out of the foot.

I think the point of the grass question is the widening of the white line which would facilitate debris migrating up under the wall. . .

[zoe6]

Had vet out again last week, we decided to dry poultice the foot again for 5 days so last poultice came off on Monday night, Looks ok have stuffed cotton wool into the hole on the sole of each foot as per vets say so. last bute was also Monday night. When vet was out we also did a Blood test for selenium levels, Sassi's levels are at the top end of normal, wouldn't want to be any higher.

My mare lives out 24/7 356 days a year on to grass, am break feeding her (means moving an electric fence so she can have a patch of fresh grass to eat in tghe paddock(Field)) as the with the fresh spring grass coming through don't need her to have the whole paddock of spring growth. She has quite a bit of room to move round in.

She was having a bit of a run round on Monday night after I took the poultice off.

[goldhorse]

My gelding was slightly swollen on his right hind yesterday and had some gooey stuff just above his coronet band. I figured he had gotten a small scrape or boo-boo like thing in turnout. He hasn't been lame. Today, he is much more puffed up and there is more ooze coming out above the coronet band. And he's reluctant to let me touch the spot. Nothing comes out when I squeeze. Still not lame. So I assume that it's an abscess and I soaked the hoof. But I'm thinking what's the point? There is an exit now. It just needs to blow. Tomorrow I think I'll put on one of those hand warmer pads and cover it with vetwrap for a few hours and see if I can draw it out.

[Hoof'n it]

Sometimes it's just easier to let the blow out in their own time. Rather than chasing and digging them. You will have a 3 legged lame horse for maybe 4-5 days, nothing which a bit of bute doesn't sort out.

If they persist and don't blow out, then the next step sometimes is to X-ray and find the track and then start digging in the right place, especially if they keep on getting abcesses. Once you start digging, animalintex is your friend for poultice, I wrap in vet wrap, then either tape on an inner tube tire or duct tape over the vet wrap.

I also agree that keep them out in a paddock and keep them moving. It helps keep the abscess and fluid moving and it will burst quicker.

[kande50]

So I assume that it's an abscess and I soaked the hoof. But I'm thinking what's the point?

I think the time to soak is after it blows out, to keep the opening cleaner and help make sure it doesn't close up before it drains and heals.