# Abcess - how long would you wet poultice for?



## Vodkagirly (6 February 2014)

Last Thursday my farrier popped an abcess, yard owner said it was the worst she had ever seen for amount of puss. Last night despite religous tubbing, cleanning with peroxide and poulticing there was still puss coming out   I have never had them go past 3 days of wet poultice to get it all out before so this is a bit of a shock. How long would you wait before going to dry poulitcing? 
He is still more lame than I would expect for having a shoe off but not the broken leg unburst abcess amount.


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## xgemmax (6 February 2014)

I had one last week that was hot poulticed for 6 days! Vet just said keep doing it until the puss stops


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## Cortez (6 February 2014)

Yup, keep poulticing until there is nothing coming out. If you are worried about making the foot too soft, then perhaps put a dry poultice on for a day - there will still be stuff coming out, and alternate. I've only just (fingers crossed) got a sole abscess to resolve after 3 and a half months of poulticing, tubbing, syringing, poor pony still has a massive hole in his foot.


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## Gwyntbryn (6 February 2014)

Having had this happen with a mare of mine I'd be careful. Whereabouts is the abcess? If this does not resolve in a couple of days call the vet. My mare turned out to have a punctured navicular bursa and we nearly lost her. However the hole that the farrier made to relieve the abcess was not where the original puncture was. We have no idea what she trod on in the first place. It did in the end get better, but not before I'd been advised more than once to have her PTS. Don't want to scare you, but just don't let it go on too long.


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## Pinkvboots (6 February 2014)

I have hot poulticed for over a week they can take ages, not sure if your already doing this but only use a small bit of animalintex poultice just enough to cover the hole, that way the whole foot is not getting soft with the poultice as some people use a piece to cover the whole sole each time.


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## putasocinit (6 February 2014)

Are you hot tubbing with epsom salts for a good 5mins, can you flush the hole with a syringe to get the pus out, is it still discharging or has that stopped and foot could do with a dry pad now as sole is soft causing lameness, i would ask vet if been 7 days


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## Vodkagirly (6 February 2014)

thanks for the reassurance, it just felt like a long time. Its good (and bad) to know that it isn't that usually long.
I am tubbing with epsom salts for 10 minutes and syringing with peroxide as well.
Fingers crosssed its clear tonight...


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## annunziata (7 February 2014)

My horse has a foot abscess and he has had it since Jan.  Obviously we have been under vet care and it ended up coming out of the top of his foot. We now have a huge hole and can not go out in the field till this poxy weather clears up. i need to get my photobucket account sorted so you can see the pics is pretty nasty!!
I had to wet poultice for almost 2 weeks to get it out properly nasty one!  got my vet bill good job I was sitti


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## annunziata (7 February 2014)

http://s120.photobucket.com/user/spidershephard/media/Mobile Uploads/20140206_185106.jpg.html

here is what is left of my horses abscess


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## Vodkagirly (8 February 2014)

Annunziata that looks horrible.
Just an update, farrier came on Friday and found another abscess in the same foot. As soon as that was drained he looked far sounder  so wet pouticing still and seeing when we get to the end of this.


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## khalswitz (8 February 2014)

Mine had an abscess last week, wet poulticed til pus stopped flowing after 5 days. Unfortunately the sod paws, so has scraped his whole toe off in a week without a shoe (there dis a 1/2 inch gap between the toe and shoes now!!) so he'll be probably another week before he's sound again! At least the pressure testers found nothing else though so it's just waiting on his toe not being quite so sore... Farrier told me that if the original abscess hand't resolved in a week to call the vet as could be a huge abscess with multiple pockets or else something worse.


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