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  Discussion on Chest Swelling
Author Message
Member:
ponsford

Posted on Sunday, Dec 16, 2007 - 8:06 pm:

Three weeks ago my horse developed a large swelling on his chest. I thought maybe he had been kicked or something and decided to just watch it for a few days. When it did not go away after several days I called the vet out. He also thought he may have been kicked or run into something and he had me administer bute and rub a DMSO/Iodine mixture on his chest. One morning several days later his chest was oozing pus and I spent an hour or so cleaning gobs of nasty puss out of what was now an open abscess. I called the vet back and he came and brought an antibiotic and more bute. I gave the antibiotic and bute for 8 days and used hot compresses on the wound which stayed open and drained that whole time. I also rubbed the DMSO/iodine mixture above and below the wound, per the vet's instructions. The wound has pretty much healed now, however there is a hardness to the area that the vet says is scar tissue, and I can feel a hard area above the wound and inside.
Today I was visiting another barn and learned about pigeon fever, which is relatively new to this area (Central Kansas). Given that the treatment my horse has been given doesn't match the things I've now read about treating pigeon fever, how much should I worry about the current hardnesses in my horses chest and should I call the vet back?
Member:
dres

Posted on Sunday, Dec 16, 2007 - 8:41 pm:

charlotte , while reading your post pigeon fever came to my mind too.. i have had to treat it several times.. always the first thought was, hum, horse got kicked.. !~

I can't say about the treatment you gave, I just let it run its course but with hot packing and flushing once the abscess opens.. with that i had one filly that did develop some scar tissue inside, i could feel it put you really can't see it.. Kind of like scaring encapsulated the abscess of sorts..
Don't be surprised if another abscess comes up.. sometimes this nasty disease can take months to go away..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Dec 17, 2007 - 6:41 am:

Hello Charlotte,
3 weeks is not enough time for scar tissue to form yet. Scar tissue is the mature result of granulation tissue which is probably what you are dealing with along with some amount of induration which is fluid and cellular infiltrate that comes with healing. This would all be a normal part of healing a large abscess but may result in scar, it depends on how much of the granulation tissue the body resolves before it becomes fibrous. For more on granulation tissue, scar formation, and ways to minimize this we recommend following our instructions in the article on long term wound care.

That said we really cannot judge whether your wound needs further care by your veterinarian but signs of this would be increase swelling, pain, or signs of not feeling well.
DrO
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