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  Discussion on Care for abcess at the coronet
Author Message
New Member:
Srobert

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2003 - 5:03 pm:

Our two-year-old arabian has an abcess that came out at the coronet. He also injured his knee and we had been providing care for that without realizing there was an abcess brewing as well (vet surmises he probably injured both hoof and knee in the same incident, but who knows?). Now that it has erupted, he is much improved - he was literally immobile with pain for a several days which we attributed to the knee. Once the abcess "popped" he is nearly sound with only a slight bobble at the trot. My question - there is approximately a 2-3 inch opening along the coronet and the top of the hoof. My vet says pack with drawing salve and cover with a light bandage. Can he be outside or must he stay in stall? Will soaking in epsom salts/betadyne help heal? I have had horse my entire life and this is my first experience with an abcess - just lucky I guess. thank you for any advice you can provide. I am a confirmed worry wart....
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 12:01 am:

Shari . . . I have had good luck with light soaking and using a disinfectant for a day or two . . . if the abscess had drained totally, then it will start to heal on it's own and you will see the horizontal line grow down the hoof over time.
Holly
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 7:19 am:

Hello Shari,
Once a solar abscess pops out at the coronet we call it a gravel. See the article associated with this forum for treatment of open abscesses and gravels.
DrO
Member:
Srobert

Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 7:59 am:

Thank you both for your advice. This poor baby has been confined 24/7 for about two weeks due to the knee injury (fluid on the knee- now okay) and is going stir crazy. Does this condition require he be kept in a stall continously or can he have some time out. Also, it has been raining, raining, raining. Does the wound need to stay relatively dry? Thanks.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2003 - 5:24 pm:

Yes dryness is important as the wet is how bacteria gain access to the wound.
DrO
Member:
Srobert

Posted on Saturday, Jul 26, 2003 - 4:02 pm:

I just posted a few days ago on the abcess discussion, but find I was probably on the wrong topic. In fact, I am quite upset as what I thought was a single abcess is probably something much more serious. We had been treating our 2 year old arab for what we were told was a knee injury - radiograph indicated fluid on the knee. We following directions to a tee. He would seem to get better, then relapse. We kept icing, bute, complete rest, bandaging,etc. A few days ago, I noticed an abcess (gravel) had burst through the coronet. Upon picking up his foot to examine it more closely, I noticed a substantial gap between the sole and the hoof wall along both sides - not the toe. I picked up his OTHER front foot and lo and behold - the same thing. A few small sections on the back as well. My daughter cleans his hoofs out each day, but wouldn't really know this was a problem. My farrier was just here two weeks ago and never mentioned a thing. Today I look even more closely and note two other lesions that were probably recently healed abcesses (gravel) at the coronet on the same foot. I am really perturbed, petrified, and feel powerless but hope this is something we can get a handle on. OF COURSE, my vet is out of town until Tuesday. I have been cleaning and applying benadyne to the cracks and soaking with same and epsom salts. Do I call the farrier, wait to see the vet on Tuesday....What a NIGHTMARE....
Member:
Srobert

Posted on Sunday, Jul 27, 2003 - 7:48 am:

Okay....Now, that I am done with the hysterical venting. I spent some time reading and re-reading your articles and others. Understanding that "warm and wet" is the enemy and "cool and dry" is our best friend in this situation, I have confined said horse to a large box stall with meticulously clean bedding. (Our pasture is woefully wet due to copious and unending rain) Applied liberal does of benadyne and bandangaed all four feet to keep any moisture out and wicked away from the hoof (was at the grocery store at 4 am buying small-sized pampers and duct tape). I also figure is won't hurt to keep any mucky stuff out of those cracks that could work their way into the sensitive tissue and potentially cause more abcesses. I will call farrier and vet today and leave messages on what is going on and try to coordinate a meeting. Vet is expecting me on Tuesday - but for a knee xray and I figure I need to give her a heads-up on this new development as well. Trying to look on the bright side - this little guy has become a dream to handle - willingly stands while we mess around with feet, knees, etc etc. He has also learned he can stand being alone in the barn without dying. Sorry about yesterday's whine.....No sleep, no time to eat, have to get some hay in the barn, and teenagers.....Thanks for being out there, Dr. O.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Jul 27, 2003 - 10:53 am:

I would only treat the lame feet Shari. Keep the other clean and dry. Try and flush the abscess out but it will be quite painful so use care. Let us know the outcome.
DrO
Member:
Srobert

Posted on Thursday, Jul 31, 2003 - 10:27 am:

Here is an update on Leeladdinn. Vet says, yes, this is White Line - and in all four feet. She seemed to think the abcesses were linked to the cracks between the sole and the hoof wall. Everyone was astonished on how quickly it came on - especiallly since the horse was confined to the barn for a good portion of the time this stuff must have been "cooking." She prepared an ointment that is to be applied once per day and booted for an hour to let everything soak in along with completely dry stabling, an increase in protein content of feed, and several supplements (biotin for one) to stimulate hoof growth. The farrier was here today and pared away the hoof wall over the bad spots. Luckily, it had not progressed up the wall very far (maybe 3/8 inch). Both are pretty positive about a good outcome if we stay on it. No shoes per your advice. The abcess is beginning to form proudflesh at the site of the lesion (at the coronet) and Raj (his nickname) does not show any signs of lameness at present. He is also very pleasant and seems content to spend his days lounging in the cool, bug-free environment of the barn. So, I feel like we are on track. Thank you again for your feedback and calming influence. I'll post back when we have this thing completely licked.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Aug 1, 2003 - 6:54 am:

Great, I know having the horse comfortable is number one and be sure they aggresively pare out any abnormal horn. I am interested in what is in the ointment for the WLD.
DrO
Member:
Srobert

Posted on Saturday, Aug 2, 2003 - 8:20 am:

I will try to find out next time I meet with her. IN the meantime, WOuld it be better to keep his medicator boots on most of the time rather than just an hour a day (during which time I apply the ointment)? On the one hand, the hooves stay clean in the boots, on the other hand, the boots are made of rubber (Davis) and don't breathe and that would seem to me to provide a nice moist, warm environment for fungus and bacteria to thrive....
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Aug 3, 2003 - 8:54 am:

Which ever is driest is best.
DrO
Member:
Srobert

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 19, 2003 - 12:38 pm:

Well, now I have TWO horses with white line disease. My farrier pulled my mare's shoes for a reset and found quite a nasty area in one front foot. I think I see it starting up in the back as well although he thinks it is just dirt that has worked its way into that area.

The farriers here are somewhat mystified as WLD is very rare in these environs - most have never seen it and don't really know how to deal with it. However, it has been very warm and rainy - virtually unrelenting in terms of rain this summer - and abcesses and foot problems are running rampant. Do you think I just house the fungus in our soil and so I am the lucky one with WLD? I have had horses here for 7 years without previous problems.

I have fenced the horses out of all areas that are wet (they normally cross the creek daily to get to and from their pasture from the barn and it is very muddy in the entrance to their ford) and am hand leading them to pasture and back several times a day. I pick and treat the feet with Sav-A-Hoof, 7% iodine, or white lightening (I alternate). I am not quite sure what I will do once the new term starts next week and I have to teach and can't ferry them back and forth. There is no shelter from bugs out there other than some nice shade trees. I have also switched to Woody Pet as a bedding to keep the feet as dry as possible at all times. Luckily, my daughter's Tennessee Walker has escaped unscathed (at least so far)- he is her show horse this year.

Any suggestions on how others have handled this would be MOST welcome.

P.S. Is it common for this condition to smell really horrible? I keep wondering if this is actually white line disease or thrush that has worked up into the white line - maybe there is no difference?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 19, 2003 - 10:04 pm:

Hello Shari, you will find our recommendations and description at, » Equine Diseases » Lameness » Diseases of the Hoof » White Line Disease or Onchyomycosis.
DrO
Member:
Srobert

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 20, 2003 - 5:44 am:

Dr. O. I have read your information several times - in fact I have it bookmarked! What I can't seem to figure out is why I have multiple horses with the disease and why now? I am afraid to pick up a hoof these days. I also can't find information in the article about whether these horses should be stabled or put out on dry pasture. I would think the latter would be better if I can keep them out of the mud. But, what about morning dew? As you can probably tell, I am at my wit's end and no one around here really seems to know anything about how to manage this effectively. In fact, my farriers (I have actually had two different farriers look at this) are asking ME how to handle it and my vet says to talk to the farrier. Hence, I am turning to all of you!
Member:
Sross

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 20, 2003 - 11:50 am:

For thrush and WLD, my farrier recommends White Lightning for treatment and Woody Pet for the stalls. He thinks the feet stay drier with the Woody Pet. He also recommends spraying down the stall when cleaning with a bleach/vinegar mixture. My farrier has also stated that with all the wetness this year (here in Georgia), that it's just been a terrible year for foot problems. At my barn, our horses' feet have definitely not been as good as in previous years.
Member:
Srobert

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 20, 2003 - 3:33 pm:

Sandra: Thanks so much for your input. It sounds like I am doing the right things. I find I really like the Woody Pet as a bedding and will probably stay with it even after I have weathered the WLD storm. Luckily, our pastures are drying out nicely this week and I am trying to keep them out on that as much as possible. They have come to like the cool, bug-free barn, however and are protesting a bit!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Aug 21, 2003 - 9:41 am:

Just follow the instructions carefully in the article and you will be fine. Concerning why your recent spate of WLD wet weather has a lot to do with it. Concerning location whichever is driest is best, in fact kept clean and dry is an absolute requirement, as the article says.
DrO
Member:
Srobert

Posted on Friday, Sep 5, 2003 - 4:29 pm:

Hello Again: I seem to be winning the war of white line disease. However, today when I was picking out feet and dug down deep into the cleft of the frog, I found the same white powdery substance deep in the cleft. There is no smell, but I am completely baffled. Is this thrush now? Do we need an antibiotic of some kind? It seems everytime I seem to be getting on top of the situation, something else comes up. ANy input would be appreciated. Thank you. Shari Robertson
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Friday, Sep 5, 2003 - 8:00 pm:

Shari,
You say the white powdery stuff in dry? Are you sure it isn't just dead skin/sole sloughing off? Thrush needs dark and damp . . . if there is dry stuff in the cleft, I can't imagine it being thrush.
Holly
Member:
Swarnick

Posted on Friday, Sep 5, 2003 - 8:23 pm:

I also would suspect it is just natural sloughing. Thrush is black and smells to high heaven.

Shirley
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Sep 6, 2003 - 9:10 am:

The 2 replies you received above do illustrate the problem with answering your question: one man's diseased horn is another man's natural sloughing. Read (or reread) the articles on thrush and white line disease they carefully describe the conditions. However white line disease is usually just confined to the white line. On the other hand, though I hesitate to throw another condition into the mix, see the aritcle on hoof canker which does effect the frog and sole. But be critical when comparing the descriptions with what you are finding. Then if unsure have someone you trust look at it. Just yesterday I was called out for a case of thrush that was nothing more that a layer of frog sloughing off with normal frong underneath.
DrO
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