Treating a Hoof Abscess

Junior came up lame the other day, but I wasn't all to surprised since we had two big snow storms over three weeks, leaving the pens muddy and a prime environment for abscesses to thrive. And since he had no obvious injury and he's had one before around the same time of year, I went ahead and started treating it as though that's what it was. Abscesses are fairly common, and while they're not generally an emergency they can cause horses a lot of pain and should be treated quickly. Luckily they're usually pretty simple to treat at home. Below is what I did to get Junior's to blow within 24 hours.

*Disclaimer: I am not a Veterinarian. It is always a good idea to consult your vet before treating lameness on your own.

So what, exactly, is an abcess? Essentially, there is a pocket of infection within the hoof capsule, usually caused by a small trauma, like a stone bruise, or cold wet conditions. That pocket of infection creates pressure and inflammation. Our goal is to draw the infection out to relieve the pressure and allow healing.

To do that, you're going to need a few things.

- Bucket or soaking boot

- Warm water

- Epsom salts (plain)

- Gloves

- A poultice material for hooves (I use this one)

- Absorbent padding material (size 2 diapers work great!)

- Vet wrap

- Duct tape

- Trauma shears

I started by mixing epsom salts with very warm (not hot!) water in a bucket, and having Junior place his foot in it for twenty minutes. Not all horses are great about standing in a bucket, a hoof soaking boot can make this step a lot easier and are great to have on hand. I'd been meaning to add one to my vet kit for a while, and ordered this one from Chewy for 56% off so I'm more prepare next time (because there WILL be a next time).

After the soak, I scrubbed his hoof clean until there was absolutely no more dirt in or on it anywhere. It's important to have a clean surface for the poultice to make full contact and be most effective, plus it makes it easier to tell if an abscess blows. While his foot was drying I made a "mat" out of duct tape. Basically I just laid strips of duct tape out and partially overlaped them to build out a square, then did it again laying the strips the opposite direction, sticky side up. This mat is the final layer of the hoof wrap.

After putting on the gloves, I got to work filling the hoof with poultice, making sure to cover the entire sole. If your horse has a shoe on it can help keep everything contained. Once the sole was completely filled in with poultice I covered it with a diaper, wrapping it up over the front of the hoof.

I then used the vet wrap to secure the diaper, wrapping it snug around the bottom of the foot to help compress that material into the sole. I try to keep the wrap only on the hoof wall, we don't want vet wrap making contact with the skin or putting pressure on the coronet band, as it can cut off circulation. I used a whole roll of vet wrap for this part. Once it was wrapped, I used the trauma shears to cut little V's in the vet wrap anywhere that it is making contact with the skin, heel bulb, or coronet band. You should be able to easily slip a finger under the vet wrap around the top. You can also use the trauma shears to trim the corners off your duct tape mat to make it fit the hoof better.

The final step was covering the wrap with the duct tape mat to keep it snug, dry, and prevent it from being damaged. I placed the mat on the bottom of the hoof first, then folded the rest up and around the hoof. You only want the mat to go part way up the hoof wall, as it should not touch the coronet band.

The next day I pulled the wrap in the afternoon and found dark puss in a spot in the diaper and on the back of his heel bulb, indicating that the abscess had "blown". When I turned Junior out to watch him move he took off running and buck farting, then tore around the arena perfectly sound. I'll give him another day or so off work to make sure he is still moving out sound and to allow his hoof to heal, but we should be back to riding soon! Not all abscesses resolve that quickly. Some will need continued treatment for several days. Movement is another thing that can help, as it increases circulation. As long as my horse isn't three legged lame, I will do some hand walking or turnout in the arena to encourage movement. I have also heard great things about using PEMF with more persistent abscesses.

As stated above, it's always a good idea to be in contact with your vet before treating an undiagnosed lameness yourself, and if it persists for several days after treating it's worth a follow up.