# How long after abscess before limping subsides



## Brittgirl12 (Jul 16, 2014)

I got a 12 year old mare recently from a lady in North Carolina. We had a pre purchase exam done due to a lameness issue and the vet said it looked like an abscess and to treat accordingly. 

When the mare arrived to our farm and we inspected the hoof it seems like an older abscess. There is a pronounced but shallow hole in the top of the hoof but it's dry and isn't draining. The sole looks fine. 

The lameness started about three or four days prior to our inspection. I've never had an abscess heal that fast and I'm starting to wonder if something else is going on as well. If it truly was an abscess and it already ruptured and is healing how long before the lameness subsides?


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Brittgirl12 said:


> I got a 12 year old mare recently from a lady in North Carolina. We had a pre purchase exam done due to a lameness issue and the vet said it looked like an abscess and to treat accordingly.
> 
> When the mare arrived to our farm and we inspected the hoof it seems like an older abscess. There is a pronounced but shallow hole in the top of the hoof but it's dry and isn't draining. The sole looks fine.
> 
> The lameness started about three or four days prior to our inspection. I've never had an abscess heal that fast and I'm starting to wonder if something else is going on as well. If it truly was an abscess and it already ruptured and is healing how long before the lameness subsides?


Usually, the pain is lessened nearly immediately after the abscess has ruptured.

Perhaps she has another abscess? Where did the pre purchase Vet think the abscess was?


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Rather than trying to guess it out, I would get some radiographs done to determine the root cause of the pain, and if the cause of the abcess is an unresolved issue that needs to be dealt with.

Good luck!


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

Yes, usually once the abscess bursts or is opened up, the horse is immediately better and sound within a day or two. If the horse is still lame after a couple days, I'd suspect either the abscess didn't completely drain, or you have something else going on.

I swear, we've had about 6 abscesses in the past month here. It's annoying, but I'm glad it isn't something worse.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Is she showing any improvement?


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## Brittgirl12 (Jul 16, 2014)

The limping will decrease and almost be unnoticeable, but then, like yesterday, she'll go run and play (even in our tiny paddock) and then the pain will be back the next day. She's a pacer. She just won't rest it for any given time.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Unfortunately that doesn't sound like an abscess....but more like a chronic condition or injury. I'd probably get xrays sooner than later....


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

I had a mare with an abscess to the frog of one hoof. When the vet drained it she let loose a huge sigh of relief. Her improvement was immediate and the lameness was gone within 24 hours.

I'm in agreement about something else going on.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Sometimes, and I have no idea if that applies to your horse at all, what looks like an abscess is really an infection due to a piece of bone having broken off and died. Sometimes there can be a piece of debris doing the same thing. 
The only way to know is to get an xray if it keeps bothering her.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

What does the report on the pre purchase exam say?


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Beyond the abscess, have you checked for thrush? They can get pretty gimpy from it and it isn't always as obvious as you may think.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

When a horse gets a stone or nail or whatever between the hoof and sole, it can work it's way up and abscess at the coronet, at the top of the hoof at the hairline. That eruption will leave a damaged area in the hoof, perhaps a hole. But the path the object took, under the hoof still exists. That can heal up nicely or be an ongoing source of infection. Sometimes, the coronet can be damaged and the hoof will have a forever crack running down from that injury.
Can you use a hoof knife to look at the inner area of the hoof, where it joins the sole? Is there a separation? Packed with manure? The longer an infection persists, the more damage that will be done. 
Even when an injury is healed, some horses limp more out of habit than any pain.
Buyers of costly horses don't have these headaches. Their equine Vet studied the x-rays and watched the horse move through 6 different gaits. Most of the rest of us just rely on cuteness.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

haypoint said:


> Buyers of costly horses don't have these headaches. Their equine Vet studied the x-rays and watched the horse move through 6 different gaits. Most of the rest of us just rely on cuteness.


I simply can't agree with that part of your post.  Every horse I have ever bought has been vetted by the local vet through big name vet schools. I followed one vet around saying "but don't you think you should use the hoof testers....." because I noticed something vague. He said no and I bought a horse with chronic laminitis.
I have had unsound horses vetted sound. In fact, if a horse has passed my inspection, no vet has ever discovered an unlying problem even when later they looked back on the xrays and saw something. Horse vetting is not an exact science and a vet with any experience knows all the various phrases that convey
the 100 ways of saying maybe.
They can get sued by the purchaser or seller so saying anything definite on any iffy lameness is a risk. 
I have never been in the $100,000 horse range but have spent a painful amount in my youth. I've come to the conclusion an expensive horse can be just as lame as a cheap one. I wonder if Olympic caliber vets might be different. But in the less rarefied air I breath, your best bet is your own experience or the experience of a seasoned trainer. But get an vet exam anyway to catch health issues like a heart condition or breathing issue.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Irish Pixie said:


> What does the report on the pre purchase exam say?


Yes - this is important.

I had a PPE done on my last horse that did not include xrays. I might have chosen to have them done if the PPE had indicated specific issues, but my vet (a lameness specialist) found nothing that would concern him (not to say that there was *nothing* found), and said that he would happily take xrays if I wanted - but they wouldn't guarantee soundness.  Based on the price of the horse, we gambled and have been happy. But he has xrayed many horses that did not stay sound for reasons not able to be seen in rads.

In this case, however, if the vet noted a specific lameness, I would have wanted more info -- e.g. was it noted on gaiting or by hoof testers, did it change after flexions or hoof testing, was there indication of thrush or other hoof abnormality, was there reason to think abscess specifically (due to heat, oozing pus, puncture wound, etc.)...

Hopefully the PPE will give you an idea of where to go from here.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

where I want to said:


> I simply can't agree with that part of your post.  Every horse I have ever bought has been vetted by the local vet through big name vet schools. I followed one vet around saying "but don't you think you should use the hoof testers....." because I noticed something vague. He said no and I bought a horse with chronic laminitis.
> I have had unsound horses vetted sound. In fact, if a horse has passed my inspection, no vet has ever discovered an unlying problem even when later they looked back on the xrays and saw something. Horse vetting is not an exact science and a vet with any experience knows all the various phrases that convey
> the 100 ways of saying maybe.
> They can get sued by the purchaser or seller so saying anything definite on any iffy lameness is a risk.
> I have never been in the $100,000 horse range but have spent a painful amount in my youth. I've come to the conclusion an expensive horse can be just as lame as a cheap one. I wonder if Olympic caliber vets might be different. But in the less rarefied air I breath, your best bet is your own experience or the experience of a seasoned trainer. But get an vet exam anyway to catch health issues like a heart condition or breathing issue.


You are right. I overstated myself. My experience is with an excellent Equine Vet. This Vet does breathe that rarified air, flown around the world to evaluate horses for import to the US, etc. I have seen this Vet identify bone splints from a distance that another Vet missed when reading the x-rays. 
But, the more experience you can bring to a horse purchase the better your chances.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

haypoint said:


> But, the more experience you can bring to a horse purchase the better your chances.


I agree so much. Which is a good reason to hire the experience if you haven't the experience yourself. Of course I suppose that you need to be able to judge the 'hired experience' too. I always hated horse buying..........


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

The PPE on big dollar horses that I've been involved in are a combination of a highly skilled team of specialized vets, high tech equipment and gut instinct but they can take days rather but definitely more than an hour or two to complete.


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