[CarolineJ]

Gahhhhhhhh, I wish this ground would dry up!!  I've got a horse in the last stages of an abscess, he's got to the really uncomfortable dot-and-carry stage where he doesn't really want to put weight on the heel.  The farrier's on the other side of the next county today and tomorrow and can't do a 120 mile diversion, the vets have got no-one available today unless it's life-or-death, but might be able to get out tomorrow if it doesn't burst overnight. 

Can everyone please cross their fingers for a nice big exit hole at the coronet band when I go down later and lots of black stinky goo coming out??  If it doesn't burst by the morning I'll ring the vet again and plead for some Equipalazone if they can't get to me.  Horse is quite cheerful in himself, he's grazing and tucked into hay happily this morning, he just looks awful when he's walking!

[verdifish]

Disgusting attitude by the vets. You believe it's an access but that doesn't mean it is and from your description it should be treated as an emergency by the vets as it's an undiagnosed single limb lameness scoring 8+ / 10. Shame on them. And remember technicaly your farrier is breaking the law if he willingly digs out an access resulting in any bleeding as this is surgery...

[sabrina]

Can't believe your vets. This could be serious and leave long term damage. If this was mine I would be back on the phone kicking off.

[Buttermilk]

Poultice to draw the abcess.

[CarolineJ]

It's a small practice and I'm not even in the same county, so out here, if they know us, they are generally happy for us to talk through things over the phone - if they thought he definitely needed seeing today, they would have come out.  They also trust my farrier, who is absolutely amazing, just sadly can't be everywhere at once.

He's more comfortable this evening, moving better, and the soreness is now localised to one heel bulb - when the pony got to this stage with one a couple of years ago, the vet took a look and said she'd lay money it would pop overnight, which it did, so hopefully better in the morning, if not there'll be someone out to him tomorrow.

[twizzel]

Can you hot poultice overnight? That would probably help a great deal rather than waiting for it to burst.

[CarolineJ]

Farrier recommends dry poulticing until it bursts and then only hot poulticing afterwards once it opens, otherwise he believes it softens the hoof too much (particularly with the weather we've been having) and leaves it open to a repeat occurrence, but in this mud they've been coming straight off.  I'm doing hot water on a j-cloth held against the heel bulb.

[nutterly_uts]

You could try a soaked nappy tied on for a bit more of a medium term solution- should stay on for a little while so you don't have stay holding the j-cloth

[CarolineJ]

One virtually sound horse power-walking up the field to say hello this morning    Foot cleaned up, poultice on, hopefully that's it over and done with