Abscess-dumb, basic question

[vineyridge]

When you've got one that is draining out of the coronet band, how do you treat it?

I've been trying to soak in epsom salts, and the horse is not cooperating. On the other hand the abscess did open today and start draining up top. I slathered the area with Ichthammol salve.

What else should I do? Do I need to do all the bandaging for an abscess that drains through the sole?

[EventerAJ]

Depending on your environment, you probably do not need to do as much wrapping as the classic "sole-burst" abscess. I *would* keep a wrap on if the horse is living out in deep mud...but this time of year, assuming you can keep it clean, you probably don't need to wrap it.

However, I would continue to soak it for a little longer than the standard sole abscess. The bad thing about sole holes is that it's easy for dirt to get in... the good thing is that gravity helps clean it out. Gravity doesn't work as well for the coronary-band abscess, so keep soaking it to encourage any ickies to get all the way out. Also, soak with a "killing agent" like iodine or Clean Trax, to get at the nasties that remain inside.

If there is an obvious hole, I'll squirt iodine and/or Cefa-Dri into the area. Abscesses that burst out the heel generally fix themselves quite well, and you can more or less forget about them in a week. That part of the foot is so close to the ground, the cut or hole grows out pretty fast. Those farther forward the abscess, the farther it is from the ground and the longer it takes to grow out...possibly leading to a crack or abnormality in the hoof wall. Not too much you can do about it, just keep an eye out for any additional trouble.

I dealt with a NASTY abscess this winter... popped out the top *and* bottom, on a horse that lived outside 24/7 in a deep-mud paddock. I could squirt Cefa-Dri in the sole-hole, and it (along with a mixture of black gunk, pus, and blood) would come pouring out the coronary band opening. :eek: Trying to keep both openings clean and dry was a challenge! Then a month later (horse completely sound), the whole chunk of hoof came off, near the heel/quarter. I could stick my thumb into the gaping cavern up to the first knuckle, and I saw internal structures I didn't want to see...!! :eek: Now 3 months later, the hoof has grown down nicely and you'd never know the horror that has passed. :winkgrin:

[amdfarm]

My very first abscess experience was one that blew out the coronet band. I left him out, as the movement seemed to help keep it open to drain and I sprayed it w/ iodine for a few days. W/in a week it was healing up nicely and closed by itself. His hoof never grew out funny either.

[JB]

Yep, just treat it as a wound and not an abcess anymore. In other words, no more soaking :) You can use the ickythammol, or you can switch to a more "normal" wound goop.

[Maryanne Nicpon]

If the horse does not like the soaking, you can make a paste from epson salt and just a SMALL amount of water. Put it on a gauze pad and wrap it onto the area with vetrap. It will encourage the area to keep draining and will keep bacteria out. It should heal within a couple of days.

[vineyridge]

ickythammol
:D