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Discussion on Abscess from bone spur
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New Member:
deja32
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Posted on Sunday, Dec 7, 2008 - 1:31 pm:
We are going on 5 months that Deja came up lame. She ended up blowing an abscess at her sole and coronet. It's been up and down since. My vet and farrier have been wonderful and have worked very closely throughout this.
I FINALLY got her abscess cleared up, but was still a little off. I had x-rays done and they showed a bone spur on the tip of her coffin bone.
Several days ago, she was head bobbing lame again. The farrier came out. She abscessed in the same place again, which just so happens to be right below the bone spur. So, who knows which one came first!
We put front shoes on. He cleaned around the hole. We taped a leather pad on the BOTTOM of her shoe so I can clean the darn hole out and apply sugardine.
I was told that I can hope for scar tissue to surround the spur on my mare and hopefully it will stop the abscessing. I was also told that it may never stop abscessing which means I will have to put her down. Has anyone owned a horse with a spur in this area? And what was the outcome?
I have visited several sites that suggest taking magnesium to treat heel spurs on people. The mag balances out the calcium and the spurs disappear. Has anyone heard of using this on a horse?
I was also told that surgery was not an option because of the location...it could weaken the coffin bone.
By the way, the mare is a 4 year and unbroke. She was on Pasture with minerals when this happened, just living life grazing for the summer.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Dec 8, 2008 - 12:30 am:
Welcome shannon,
Bone spurs on the tip of the coffin bone are not a common or even rare cause of recurrent or chronic solar abscessation. Lack of proper drainage of the abscess is the the most common reason for recurring problems with abscesses. For more on this see the article associated with this discussion. The easiest way to access this article is to click on Hoof Abscesses, Bruises, and Gravels above. I have no clue what is meant by the scarring in to prevent further abscesses and no magnesium will not be beneficial.
I would love to see the radiograph of this coffin bone spur, who knows something may show up to change my opinion but I doubt it.
DrO
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New Member:
deja32
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Posted on Monday, Dec 8, 2008 - 9:15 am:
Thank you for such a quick response.
This whole thing has been a nightmare.I was offered the advice of
1. Granulation and scar tissue will fill the defect where the abscess broke and the wound will heal.
2. The wound where the abscess broke will not heal and will continue to drain some pus. This will most likely be due to a sequestrum forming at the site of that bone spur. A sequestrum is a dead, infected piece of bone that the body is trying to wall off and expel. These sequestra can and must be removed.
I have read the article on Hoof Abscesses, Bruises, and Gravels. In fact, thats how I found this board! 
The xrays are not digital. I am going to my vets office to take a look, planning on taking pictures with my camera...I will gladly post them just as soon as I can. I am very anxious for your opinion.
I am also going to get more x-rays with dye put into the abscess area. I will send you those also.
Thanks so much,
Shannan
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2008 - 8:23 am:
If it is true you have infectious osteomyelitis and/or a sequestrum of the coffin bone this will require surgery to remove the dead bone but this is rare whereas a uncomplicated solar abscess is very common.
The way a solar abscess heals is neither with granulation tissue or scar formation but with the simple continuance of horn formation by the corium after the puss is drained: a thin layer of healthy horn forms that is contiguous with the horn at the margin of the abscess and this horn gradually thickens and dries until the defect is worn away and gone.
DrO
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