# Abscess Epidemic



## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

Horses are developing them like nuts this year. Our farrier said this is the worst he has ever seen in his practice. Our teen guy, Levi, has had three this year. We didn't know he had the first one until our farrier saw evidence when he trimmed. 

Last Friday Levi was as lame on his left front as I have ever seen a horse be. He ate and drank but didn't move. It was awful. Thankfully our farrier was able to find it and drain it. He remained painful until it blew out at the coranary band Wednesday. Yesterday he was fine. 

Today he was stiff and lame on his right front foot. Thankfully, today was our regularly scheduled trim day. His right leg above the fetlock is swollen and oddly bumpy. He took a look at the leg and said he thought it was a vet thing. When he used the hoof testers he found a sore spot at his heel. He opened up a small pus pocket. He said sometimes legs swell with abscesses but not as bad as Levi's. 

We sugardyned and wrapped it and restarted bute. The farrier said he feet aren't that long so he didn't want to trim them. I think it'd just hurt too bad for him to put weight on the newly sore foot. 

Farriers, are you noticing an epidemic of abscesses?


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

As I understand it, hoof abscesses are not contagious, but are the result of injuries (cuts, nicks, puncture wounds, foreign bodies). If your farrier is "seeing an epidemic" I'd wonder if it has something to do with his technique of trimming or nailing? He seems to be the common factor.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I'm not a farrier, but I've noticed an increase when the hooves stay wet and the sole softens a bit. Sometimes it's one horse, or all of them. 

No, abscesses aren't contagious but if all horses are under similar circumstances many will develop them.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

We have had a horrible time this year as well. My vets say they have seen more this year than they can remember in any other year. My 15 year old gelding had a bad one, my vet actually said it was one of the worst she's ever seen. He sounds like your old guy, and if that's the case your boy will be in pain for a while. Keep him on dry, very soft ground until he heals up. That's what I am trying to do with mine.

My farrier has found evidence of both minor and not so minor abscesses this year. I have never seen anything like this.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

Irish Pixie said:


> No, abscesses aren't contagious but if all horses are under similar circumstances many will develop them.


Oops, I wasn't trying to suggest they're contagious. This is just an incredibly terrible year. The spring was so very wet that our whole hay crop was ruined but it's been pretty dry for the last month. 




aoconnor1 said:


> We have had a horrible time this year as well. My vets say they have seen more this year than they can remember in any other year. My 15 year old gelding had a bad one, my vet actually said it was one of the worst she's ever seen. He sounds like your old guy, and if that's the case your boy will be in pain for a while. Keep him on dry, very soft ground until he heals up. That's what I am trying to do with mine.
> 
> My farrier has found evidence of both minor and not so minor abscesses this year. I have never seen anything like this.


Levi's still a bit painful. I've got to change the bandage tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to it. He's so sick and tired of us touching him. He's gotten to the point that he gives us a dirty look when he sees us. 

I've got both boys in the driest pasture we have. It is the hottest pasture because it doesn't have trees. I don't want to put them into the nice pasture because of the creek running through it. I'm glad the other horse hasn't had any problems.


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## phxaz (Aug 23, 2015)

Irish Pixie said:


> I'm not a farrier, but I've noticed an increase when the hooves stay wet and the sole softens a bit. Sometimes it's one horse, or all of them.
> 
> No, abscesses aren't contagious but if all horses are under similar circumstances many will develop them.



What do you mean, "not contagious"? Staph A certainly is, and that is what abscesses are made of, MOST of the time. I've looked at abscess contents under my biological microscope, hoof abscess in particular. We have sanitizing stations throughout the stables to curb any bugs and strongly recommend everyone try to not cross-contaminate anything from stable to stable/horse to horse/person to horse etc

"One MRSA aspect of concern is the potential for transmission between humans and horses, in both directions. People who work with horses appear to be at particularly high risk for MRSA colonization. Studies of equine veterinarians have reported colonization rates of 10-14%. The MRSA clone that predominates in horses has been the most common strain in equine personnel, providing further support for the notion that horses can infect humans.

An outbreak of MRSA skin infections occurred in a teaching hospital in people working with a colonized foal. Therefore, precautions need to be undertaken to reduce the risk of infection of human contacts and to prevent transmission of MRSA on farms or in clinics. Infection control practices that may need to be implemented at the farm or clinic level are variable and depend on the situation. They may include isolation of infected or colonized horses, the use of barriers (gloves, gowns) when handling infected or colonized horses, improvement in general hygiene (especially hand hygiene among farm workers and veterinarians), screening of horses for colonization, limiting contact of different groups of horses, and other related infection control measures"

link http://www.equmed.com/?cat=14


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

phxaz said:


> What do you mean, "not contagious"? Staph A certainly is, and that is what abscesses are made of, MOST of the time. I've looked at abscess contents under my biological microscope, hoof abscess in particular. We have sanitizing stations throughout the stables to curb any bugs and strongly recommend everyone try to not cross-contaminate anything from stable to stable/horse to horse/person to horse etc
> 
> "One MRSA aspect of concern is the potential for transmission between humans and horses, in both directions. People who work with horses appear to be at particularly high risk for MRSA colonization. Studies of equine veterinarians have reported colonization rates of 10-14%. The MRSA clone that predominates in horses has been the most common strain in equine personnel, providing further support for the notion that horses can infect humans.
> 
> ...


I never said that staph infections weren't contagious, I said hoof abscesses weren't contagious. And they're not. 

Your linked article is discussing skin infections (specifically MRSA), not hoof abscesses. Further, as the OP said both of her horses and had them this year the clear assumption was that they were contagious between horses not zoonotic. The OP has clarified that she didn't mean contagious anyway.


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## Alder (Aug 18, 2014)

Usually I have to watch one of my old guys for laminitis-induced abscesses in the front , but because of dry weather, the crew has been on hay most of the summer for the bulk of their roughage. No rich grazing to worry about this year. So instead, he got one in a rear hoof - probably a bruise caused by hard ground (drought) or kicking a rock while going after a fly.

They can be creative, and no matter the cause, I figure if a horse moves like he has a broken leg but doesn't, it's an abscess. I finally reached a point where I just get them someplace comfortable with feed and water in front of them and wait for it to blow. Soaking doesn't really help, and my farrier believes that digging around trying to drain it usually causes more problems than it solves.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Alder said:


> Usually I have to watch one of my old guys for laminitis-induced abscesses in the front , but because of dry weather, the crew has been on hay most of the summer for the bulk of their roughage. No rich grazing to worry about this year. So instead, he got one in a rear hoof - probably a bruise caused by hard ground (drought) or kicking a rock while going after a fly.
> 
> They can be creative, and no matter the cause, I figure if a horse moves like he has a broken leg but doesn't, it's an abscess. I finally reached a point where I just get them someplace comfortable with feed and water in front of them and wait for it to blow. Soaking doesn't really help, and my farrier believes that digging around trying to drain it usually causes more problems than it solves.


My old Vet did too, I miss him since he retired. He'd check to see if he could find it and easily open the sole but if it couldn't just leave it be. 

I had an Arab mare years ago that would swell to her knees even with a small abscess. Really odd.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Alder said:


> Usually I have to watch one of my old guys for laminitis-induced abscesses in the front , but because of dry weather, the crew has been on hay most of the summer for the bulk of their roughage. No rich grazing to worry about this year. So instead, he got one in a rear hoof - probably a bruise caused by hard ground (drought) or kicking a rock while going after a fly.
> 
> They can be creative, and no matter the cause, I figure if a horse moves like he has a broken leg but doesn't, it's an abscess. I finally reached a point where I just get them someplace comfortable with feed and water in front of them and wait for it to blow. Soaking doesn't really help, and my farrier believes that digging around trying to drain it usually causes more problems than it solves.


Yep, I love my old vet that is of the old way! I had a young, new vet open up both the coronary band and the sole to drain my gelding's abscess, it took a lot longer and was much harder to get him healed. I had to soak and wrap daily until he draining stopped, but soon as I stopped, he would come off the hoof and be sore again. I finally just left it alone and he is getting over it now. Sigh...gotta just do things the old fashioned way sometimes, it works better!


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

There is an old vet near me who will dig a CRATER out of a hoof looking for an abscess - always did more damage than just letting the thing burst on its own! I remember having to fix up those messes several times!

I haven't seen any abscesses recently in my area but it's been a lovely summer so far - not too wet, not too dry and we haven't hit 90 degrees since 2013! Though the horseflies have been bad this year (?).


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I haven't had to deal w/an abscess in years and am glad of it. I got quite good though, at bandaging a hoof.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

Irish Pixie said:


> Further, as the OP said both of her horses and had them this year the clear assumption was that they were contagious between horses not zoonotic. The OP has clarified that she didn't mean contagious anyway.


I said Levi has had three abscesses. I didn't say our other horse, Joshie, had had any abscesses. Our farrier said that he's never seen as many abscesses as he has seen before. Lots of people have had them. Our guy laughed about how a lady who didn't and wouldn't have kids became the talk of her small town after she purchased diapers for her horse. 

Malinda, I'm glad you haven't had a rough abscess year there. They always freak me out. A few years ago one of our guys stepped on a nail, developed an abscess, needed penicillin, coliced because of the penicillin and got better. He must have coliced again because a week later we wome up to find him dead in his pasture. 

Since our horrible experience our hearts do a bit of racing if one of the boys lies down too long. Crazy, I know.


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

Joshie said:


> I said Levi has had three abscesses. I didn't say our other horse, Joshie, had had any abscesses. Our farrier said that he's never seen as many abscesses as he has seen before. Lots of people have had them. Our guy laughed about how a lady who didn't and wouldn't have kids became the talk of her small town after she purchased diapers for her horse.
> 
> Malinda, I'm glad you haven't had a rough abscess year there. They always freak me out. A few years ago one of our guys stepped on a nail, developed an abscess, needed penicillin, coliced because of the penicillin and got better. He must have coliced again because a week later we wome up to find him dead in his pasture.
> 
> Since our horrible experience our hearts do a bit of racing if one of the boys lies down too long. Crazy, I know.


Oh wow, that's terrible! Honestly, abscesses don't usually end like that. I actually breathe a sigh of relief when it's 'just' an abscess, rather than the million other more complicated things that could be making the horse lame! At least abscesses are an easy fix.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

A few years ago, one of the ponies where I board my horses stepped on a nail that was attached to a small piece of wood. We don't know where he picked it up. I did the smart thing and left it in there, but wrapped the foot and called the vet. I had heard about a horse that had stepped on a nail and they pulled the nail out, and the horse ended up dying. It got an infection all the way up the leg and the vet had told me that it was better to leave the nail in until a vet got there, so I knew better than to remove it. 

I don't recall now why I ended up caring for this pony, it's not mine. But, I had to soak the foot, give the pony shots and bandage the foot. He survived.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Joshie said:


> Our guy laughed about how a lady who didn't and wouldn't have kids became the talk of her small town after she purchased diapers for her horse.
> 
> Malinda, I'm glad you haven't had a rough abscess year there. They always freak me out. A few years ago one of our guys stepped on a nail, developed an abscess, needed penicillin, coliced because of the penicillin and got better. He must have coliced again because a week later we wome up to find him dead in his pasture.
> 
> Since our horrible experience our hearts do a bit of racing if one of the boys lies down too long. Crazy, I know.


I also use diapers when wrapping hooves. It cracks me up every time I have to use them on my horses. 

I'm so sorry you had such a horrible experience. I imagine there was another underlying issue that went undiagnosed, which in turn may have been a cause of the abscess to begin with. Sadly you just won't know:-(


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Years ago I helped a friend do their horse's hoof for a bad case of thrush. I got a really strange look from hubby when I told him I was going to go help KN put a diaper on her horse.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

For my horses, an abscess forms following a sole puncture, bruise of the sole or something jammed between the sole and the hoof wall.

Having more abscess this summer could mean a dry summer leaving the feeding areas rough. Could be a farrier cutting off too much sole.

Thrush can be spread. I'd insist my farrier clean his/her tools after messing with thrush.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

haypoint said:


> For my horses, an abscess forms following a sole puncture, bruise of the sole or something jammed between the sole and the hoof wall.
> 
> Having more abscess this summer could mean a dry summer leaving the feeding areas rough. Could be a farrier cutting off too much sole.
> 
> Thrush can be spread. I'd insist my farrier clean his/her tools after messing with thrush.


Our area wide issues have been caused by an overly abundant amount of rain for a couple of months leading up to mid summer, then having it suddenly stop raining and get very, very dry. Then heavy rain again. Then dry out again. Many horses in our region have had bad issues, my vets have are taking care of at least one horse with a hoof issue each time I have been down there with my own horses. It's a bad deal this summer for us.

My own herd are on fairly decent ground. Lots of grass, but yes, at times a stone bruise does happen and it can cause an abscess. But that really hasn't been the case at all this year.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

malinda said:


> Oh wow, that's terrible! Honestly, abscesses don't usually end like that. I actually breathe a sigh of relief when it's 'just' an abscess, rather than the million other more complicated things that could be making the horse lame! At least abscesses are an easy fix.


Knowing in my head that what happened to our other horse is probably a one in a million thing somehow doesn't take away the visceral reaction of fear when I see a horse sleeping on the ground. :rain:


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

phxaz said:


> What do you mean, "not contagious"? Staph A certainly is,..


Just for clarification: there's a difference between being "colonized" by a germ and being "infected" by a germ. We are all colonized by Staph but our intact skin keeps them in check. A break in the skin allows the Staph in where they don't belong and an infection (abscess) may result. You didn't "catch" that infection from someone else. It's your own germs, therefore, Staph infections are not "contagious." 

Strains of Staph may be passed from one individual to another, as you reference states, but that is a matter of colonization, not infection.

BTW- infections caused by MRSA are no worse than infections caused by non-MRSA strains. Staph is Staph. It's just that the common, cheap antibiotics cannot be use to help fight MRSA, so we have to resort to newer, more expensive antibiotics.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

doc- said:


> Just for clarification: there's a difference between being "colonized" by a germ and being "infected" by a germ. We are all colonized by Staph but our intact skin keeps them in check. A break in the skin allows the Staph in where they don't belong and an infection (abscess) may result. You didn't "catch" that infection from someone else. It's your own germs, therefore, Staph infections are not "contagious."
> 
> Strains of Staph may be passed from one individual to another, as you reference states, but that is a matter of colonization, not infection.
> 
> BTW- infections caused by MRSA are no worse than infections caused by non-MRSA strains. Staph is Staph. It's just that the common, cheap antibiotics cannot be use to help fight MRSA, so we have to resort to newer, more expensive antibiotics.


Yes and no. Bugs are passed from individual to individual. In people that often occurs by poor hand hygiene (so please wash your hands--eek!). I would bet that there are similar modes of transmission in horses. There just about has to be or germs wouldn't be colonized in/on so many individuals. 

Around 40% of us are colonized by staph. I wouldn't exactly say staph infections aren't catchy. If that was true then so many of us wouldn't be colonized by the little critters. I think it is right to think of staph as being contageous and to think it is not. Does that make any sense? 

A particular bug may or may not be a big deal for any one individual. It has a lot to do with immune systems. The old and the young are more likely to become infected, not colonized. Other factors can be in play. Staph is staph is staph kind of. A few strains are worse than others. 

Back to our Levi, the stupid critter is lame again. I was out of state earlier this week and DD said he was fine. Friday DH said he was lame. He was. The swelling in his leg is better but he is still gimpy on the leg of the last infection. He is back on bute and just started a ten day course of antibiotics. Hope this fixes things. We sure don't have the moola for a bigger gun antibiotic. Grrr!


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

Aww bummer! If it doesn't clear up, you might want to consider having radiographs done to see if there's something more going on. A fellow farrier just posted rads of a horse who had a suspected abscess that didn't get better, rads showed a definite groove from a keratoma. Very rare, but your post just made me think of it.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

The antibiotics are working. He started acting better within a couple days after starting them. After day three or so he ran, bucked around in the pasture and generally showed off for the neighbor's horses. We'll know for sure all is OK if he stays sound after he is done with antibiotics. There is no way we could afford Xrays right now.


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