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  Discussion on Abscess or something else?
Author Message
New Member:
Vaeventr

Posted on Sunday, May 16, 2004 - 9:31 pm:

I've been dealing with alameness for 2 weeks... here's the short-as-possible history and a couple questions to follow. Thanks in advance for any advice/opinions.

5/1/04 Dressage day at local horse trials, Absolutely sound though in hindsight perhaps a couple shorter than usual strides felt in warm-up. (yes, kicking myself now). Nice test in soft indoor -- no unsoundness felt at all.

5/2 Cross Country warm up -- sound and full of energy. Clean and fast. Ground was pretty good though we had to cross a couple very hard ground roads throughout the course. Trotted and walked completely sound off of course back to trailer (in-hand).
An hour after X-C, tacked up for Stadium and the horse was very noticeably sore on left front at the walk. The horse had been grazing, casually walking in hand during that hour. No heat, no swelling in leg. Pulled out of the event and went home. Horse was walking about grade 2 lame but was put out in paddock and he only walked and grazed before coming in for the night. Still no heat or swelling in leg, slightly stronger pulse felt in left front.

5/3 Farrier out to pull shoes - noticed older bruise or abscess (dark, no drainage) under left outside rim. Sore to hoof testers. Put on heart bar with rim pad and horse trotted on asphalt about a grade 2 lameness.

5/3-5/7 Soaked foot daily (overnight diaper with epsom salt soak), continued regular turn out but no riding. Horse progressed to grade 1 at trot and sound at walk.

5/7 Took horse to vet, grade 1 lameness at trot only, better with nerve blocking to the foot so definitely isolated to left front hoof. Did x-rays to rule out any bone structure damage. Absolutely no problems seen on x-rays. Vet felt 80% certain it was the abscess or bruise.
Farrier at the equine hospital drilled small hole up through the bruiseed spot to allow drainage. No drainage ever seen (even now). Put same heart bar shoe with rim pad back on. (This is our regular farrier who is very well respected and so works at the equine hospital on Fridays as well.)

5/7-5/14 cleaned hole daily with CidermEQ and wrapped to keep clean. Some bleeding from hole when cleaning. Rode the horse at 10-15 minutes of walk daily on soft arena footing -- sound at walk. Trotted in-hand to assess lameness daily... still grade 1. The hole seems to have filled in with soft tissue rather quickly (though I have no experience to compare it to)... so that now I am unable to get the medicine to really go into the hole at all. Still wrapping to keep clean.

Questions:
1)If truly an abscess or bruise, shouldn't the horse be completely better by now? We did deal with sore feet on and off again for a couple years and switched to the farrier we are using now after much money was spent to rule all other things out. The horse has been moving beautifully and 100% sound with just really good shoeing the past year.

2)The hole was done to alleviate pressure and allow drainage if the bruise had indeed turned into an abscess but there was never any drainage at all. Could the hole have made things worse?

2)Should we opt for an MRI to see if something else is going on within the hoof? MRIs are now available at the same equine hospital we had the diagnosis done at. Cost is $1200 per pair of legs... pricey, yes but worth it? The Dr. who made the diagnosis of the bruise causing the lameness felt he should be better within 10 days and if not, MRI would be next step.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, May 17, 2004 - 6:25 am:

1) Not necessarily. Deep bruises sometimes take a long time to heal...Perhaps the proper site for drainage has been missed... There are many reasons why your post does not rule out bruising and abscess.
2) Probably not.
3) The decision to go forward with such a procedure is based on your goals and resources therefore not something we can decide for you. It is an excellent tool when it comes to finding soft tissue injuries but you may want a second exam done first to see if someone else can turn up anything interesting for less.
DrO
Member:
Vaeventr

Posted on Monday, May 17, 2004 - 7:06 am:

Thanks Dr. O -- I do think the terms bruise and abscess were used too synonymously during the diagnosis. I hate to spend so much money on the MRI only to discover it's a bruise that just needs time... but I also am always worried when a diagnosis is not 100% definitive (which is almost always with horses, ha). I'm pulling out of events for the rest of the spring season to be safe even if he turns out completely sound in the next week. I'd like him to be sound for several weeks before our next competition.
One last question for now -- do holes typically fill in so quickly? I was surprised to see the soft tissue after just a week and of course the sight of blood (when the soft tissue is touched by the syringe during application of medicine) is always scary.
Thanks again.
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