Sunday, August 2, 2009

Any one have any experience with internal abscesses in horses?

I'm not having a lot of luck on the net %26 my vet is at an emergency and hasn't called me back yet. My 9 year old TB mare hasn't been feeling well. On %26 off her feed, a little lameness (could be unrelated) somewhat colicky and losing weight etc. Her blood work came back normal day before yesterday, so the vet %26 I are stumped. I started her on ulcer meds that same day without much improvement. This morning she had an oatmealy looking discharge down the back of her booty %26 it really really stunk but she also seemed to be feeling better %26 wanted to eat. I cleaned her up %26 she ate. Any ideas? anyone? I was thinking possibly and internal abscess but have never experienced it myself
Answers:
If she's discharging from the uterus, it's not an abscess, it's a uterine infection. This can be easily corrected with daily infusions of saline and Gentomycin which you can have your vet do. Pieces of retained placenta or other infectious material inside the uterus can lead the horse to eventually founder so she needs to be flushed out as soon as possible. Thick smelly discharge is the main symptom of a uterine infection. The vet should also take a swab from her and culture it to see what she is infected with. It can be caused by Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, yeast and E Coli. Mares that have poor confirmation behind can infect themselves with E Coli. When they defecate, some of it gets inside the vulva and that's how the infection begins. She can be stitched down to prevent this happening.
Look up Pidgeon fever and see if that could be your horses problem. Its a huge issue out here in the west. Typically they abcess out some where in a dependent portion like the belly or chest, but I have seen other abcess out in the legs etc.
Other than that, internal (such as inside the horses abdominal contents) would be bastard strangles. What your describing is more external and sounds like possibly pidgeon fever.
Good luck!
PS I read the poster below me, I guess i wan't thinking it was coming from her vulva. Good job to that poster btw.
IF that is the case, she does need a vet to irrigate her and give her antibiotics. Pyometria is not something to play around with at all.
If the discharge is from her vulva, I'd bet a stack of money on pyometra. If the pus is now draining, the majority of the danger is passed, especially if she is feeling well enough to eat again. When your vet is available, let him or her know about the draining pus and they will be happy to have found the problem.
Often pyometra is so well-encapsulated in the uterus that the white blood cell count is low enough to be misleading.
My Haflinger pony had 1 if the lamenas is in her lower leg and looks a littl stiff and your vet thinks its a abscesse then you shood put a diper on the hoof and duck tape the top rap her leg in cotten then vet rap put her out in small padock and let her rest and dont let her run arond thats wat my vet aime egglston told me to do for my horse and shees the best vet ever GOOD LUCK :)

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