The Abscess Saga--The Vet Called In

At left a diagrammed hoof to illustrate our Art's current "condition". The original problem (right front) showed as an abscess fissure to the right of the frog on the bar near the frog apex. Said fissure was treated, drained, and a boot put on with Epsom salt paste and plans for overnight recovery. We had a fissure, after all, but, best laid plans go awry when buckle on boot breaks and boot lost in deep mud. A few curses for "Davis Boots" and then various cotton,vetwrap, duct tape bandages are also lost in the mud, and the present infection develops. We are without stalls.

By 3/7 a new boot arrived.The horse seemed to have a silver dollar size sore area to the right of the frog in the area on the diagram marked "2/3". This area was warm and sore, being located right in front of the seat of corn (just above the black circle on the right). Nob (the farrier) opened up a little area right in the middle of this. But, instead of abscessed fluid we got only blood. Nob additionally searched for a fissure on the white line at the quarter by digging quite deep into this area, but nothing there either.

By March 8 Nob wanted to dig a little channel from the white line into the sore area, and also from the fissure on the bar into the sore area in hope of locating an abscess pocket. The horse foiled this plan by refusing to hold still for the trimming. What to do? Was it time for the vet and anesthesia?

First I checked the "Farrier and Hoofcare Resource Center" which contains a farrier forum participated in by some of the top farriers in the country. I googled "abscess" on the site and got a number of abscess posts over several years, but, the posts showed the farriers with little more clue than Nob as to what to do when we're unable to locate the abscess. The dominant theme here was "don't dig you'll make it worse", a rather ridiculous assumption by a bunch of professional farriers. My take--you either dig and find it, or you've off two months while the unlocated abscess finally resolves itself. Additionally, my experience is that the exposed laminae from digging very quickly keratinise. There's some risk in digging of course, but, imo much less than just leaving the abscess to fester.

Dr. Jackson, my excellent Vet was called in on Friday 3/9. We had to get the horse to hold still. Additionally, the Doc would be less reluctant than Nob to dig into live tissue.

The horse was put under general anesthesia, and I requested Dr. Jackson to first cut a channel from the fissure on the bar into the sore area. This cutting revealed a completely resolved abscess explaining why the area ceased to drain.

Then the doc cut a channel from the white line into the sore area. This time we got only blood and exposure of the digital cushion--the laminae. Conclusion, there was no abscess. Diagnosis, the horse is sore due to inflammation and swelling of the laminae which might have had a number of causes given the history including running on the mud ball stuck in his shoe. The Doc wrapped it (way too much wrap--I removed the Doc's wrap as soon as he left, and applied my own.), left a more cushioned boot, left some antibiotic and bute.

The Doc's visit was really interesting. Once again, while I knew what to do, I had been unable to resolve the situation without assistance. By myself with the aid of bad weather we went from one calamity to the next. The Doc only did what I asked, but, it was that little bit of medical knowledge that ended this. The Doc made the "inflammation" diagnosis and this really explained everything. A couple shots of bute and some antibiotic and he'd be fine. On the morning of 3/12 Nob applied a new shoe, and we should be back in business for tonight's training.

Training 3/11--after Vet's visit on 3/9 we're walking without a limp in boot.