Face abcess

[JanBKS]

I have a mare that came to me with a hole in her nose, she knocked over a bird cage at her former owners, the hole when threw her sinuses,

​this went on for years before I got her, she was given strong antibiotics for 2 weeks, didn't help , so the vet went for 30 days with a medicine that is for dark,damp infections, that worked, try asking your vet for a medicine that will reach dark,damp infections, I think you should have been flushing it but that's just my opinion.

to this day she is clear of that infection and its been a good 7 years now.

Good Luck I hope she gets better.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I agree with flushing.

 

[Miniv]

I also agree with flushing. I bit my tongue when you said the vet didn't advise it.....

 

[MiniNHF]

I had a QH that came to me with a deep puncture wound around his neck and shoulder area, thinking it was from a tree branch. It had abscessed because it prematurely closed from what the previous owner was doing. My vet cut the abscess back open and he was on antibiotics and I had to flush it out at least twice times a day and treat it with a cream for the outside that he gave me. I can tell you it took a good month to heal and took a while for the puss to stop coming out with the solution I was flushing it out with.

 

[NewToMini's]

I called the vet this evening and gave him the update.

He gave me 2 more bottles of the antibiotic and a syringe with instructions to give the antibiotic 2x a day like before, but also flush her abscess and sinus (through the abscess) with saline solution once per day. Hope this works.

 

[NewToMini's]

So she got her first dose of this round of antibiotics and I cleaned the abscess with a sponge that was wet with warm water. As soon as I got it wiped off she looked so much better. I took the syringe with saline solution and managed to squirt it in the abscess a little bit, and did get more puss out. But I spent over an hour and she wouldn't stay still enough so I could squirt it good enough to clear her sinus.

I tried hand twitching her, but it made her fight worse. Does a metal twitch work better than hand twitching?

 

[JanBKS]

My blacksmith was having a problem with one of my big horses, since I have had a hip operation someone else has been feeding, long story short, she took a piece of baling twine, the colored stuff, tied it to one side of her halter ran it over her gums and threw the other side of the halter, when she acted up a small tug was given and she stopped misbehaving, you don't tie it tight, it would help if you had a second person helping you, but it releases the good calming juice's and calms them down, it worked with her but like I said it might help if you had a helper as it has to stay over the top gum.

No Flaming it never hurt her and it calmed her down.

 

[paintponylvr]

That's an in-expensive lip chain and yes, the upper gum under the lip is a spot that releases endorphin.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I think she will get quieter each time. I would try flushing without tying. Just try to hold onto the halter and follow her backward. Part of the problem is likely panic. Let her feel she can move and she should be calmer. This has worked for me. After a couple of times it gets easier. I don't like twitching as I think it causes long term behavioral issues.jmo

 

[Miniv]

Wish you could get a second person to hold her head steady for you.....

 

I am not a 'fan' of twitching but sometimes we have to focus on what we're trying to accomplish for the good of the animal. I think I would try first to do the chore calmly with no twitching, but if that doesn't work, we must change tactics for the health and well-being of the animal. It is important to accomplish the flushing for her health, and that is the most important.

Sometimes we have to do acts of kindness, which may be painful or uncomfortable to facilitate the cure. Be strong, but make sure you are able to do what is necessary to move her forward to good health.

Best of luck in this long recovery.

~~Diane

 

[NewToMini's]

I was able to flush the sinus today. I had to hold her head, with one arm over her head and then under her mouth holding her head still and against my body, and after she learned that she could walk around like that but not move in relation to me, she stood still and was relatively calm as I put the syringe into the abscess and cleared her sinus. I also had to take some tweezers to it, too, because she had hay stuck in it. But there was less puss than there has been

 

That's wonderful news! Congratulations on a job well done!

 

[NewToMini's]

This morning when I went to give her her medicine, she was chewing without anything in her mouth. She wasn't grinding her teeth, she was just chewing as though she were eating, but she wasn't. I opened her mouth and looked to see if there was anything stuck in there, but I couldn't find anything. I gave her her medicine and she tried to spit it out (she hasn't liked it since she got put back on it). Then I gave her some hay and she ate it normally.

She didn't really seem to feel bad, she left her hay to try and steal some treats from me, and went back to eating hay when she realized she wasn't getting a treat.

When I got home from work, she was fine.

Why would she be chewing whithout food in her mouth? Is it something I should worry about?

 

[paintponylvr]

Maybe? With the antibiotics she's on, did your vet discuss a "tummy soother"? A long run or a double run of antibiotics in the little horses' sometimes causes ulcer type issues or actual ulcers. "Chewing" or "grinding teeth" is one symptom of sore tummies, but not colic.

Ask if that could be a problem and if you should use anything for that. They make the "pink stuff" just like Pepto for horses (available from the feed stores or by catalog overnight order) and in a pinch Pepto Bismol can be used for horses, too. There are also many other products - some quite expensive and needing a scrip to get. REALLY, really depends - maybe another call to your vet is in order.

I don't know if the healing process would cause itching - which also might be causing the "chewing".

I know that my hubby swears by his "netty pot" - which is a saline nasal/throat/mouth wash for clogged nasal passages. I can do and accept a lot of things that make others pass out, but just looking at a "netty pot" makes me gag. I can gargle, but can't stand fluid going from nose to back of throat and out of my mouth. Maybe the saline flush is creating a "bad taste" for her and causes her to chew.

 

[NewToMini's]

I was wondering if maybe her sinus was still clear and draining this morning and causing her to chew. She has been chewing for a couple minutes right after I clear it. But of course I didn't even check her nose for discharge this morning.

The abscess is itchy, she scratches it on things and doesn't seem to mind me cleaning it with the sponge too badly. But it's been itching for at least a week and she didn't start chewing until this morning.

I was also wondering about ulcers, with the stress of treatment... What are the other symptoms, though? She's eating hay and grass normally, and she was running around the pasture at a full gallop to play with the other horses earlier this evening, so if she's having tummy pains I don't think it's bad

 

[paintponylvr]

Other symptoms of ulcers - not eating well or refusing to eat grain concentrates, standing stretched out when they normally don't, doing a "downward dog" yoga type position (one of my ponies started doing that and I'd never seen that before - it scared me!) and staying in that position. I'm sure there are others - these are the ones I'm familiar with..

.and our little mare displayed all of these on the 4th day of antibiotics and bute use... Not only did we use a quick "tummy soother" (tubed directly into her stomach by the vet), but she was also put on a run of Ranitidine (I think? will have to look it up) - that we got a human pharmacy- while on the anitbiotics and she was weaned off of the bute. She was being treated for a golf ball sized swelling on the side of her jaw. While exrays were never done, it was felt by not 1 but 2 vets that it wasn't related to her jaw or her teeth.

 

[Mona]

Another sign of ulcers is rolling onto their back and stay in that feet up position.

 

[Miniv]

With ulcers they will shy off eating grain and will "play" with their water trough or bucket.....plus roll on their backs, stretch out their bodies.....and sometimes even SIT!

There is a product called "Ulcer Guard" in a paste that helps.....It's not cheap, but worth it.

 

[NewToMini's]

She's not laying down more than usual (haven't seen her lay down at all yesterday or today, but I'm sure she did when I wasn't looking - she usually lays down for a nap an hour or so after their morning feeding) and she's not playing with the water bucket. She's not eating grain very well, but she doesn't seem to like this specific kind of grain (Purina Miniature horse and pony). She stopped being excited about grain as soon as I switched her to it, so I don't think not eating it means anything right now. She still eats it some, and tries to steal grain from the other horse (that gets a different kind).

I'm not sure that she does have ulcers, but I'm thinking that giving her something to prevent them might be a good idea while she's on her medicine.

Smartpak sells U Guard for preventing ulcers. They have pellets and powder. Does anyone have experience with it?

Will probably go to TSC and see what they have before I buy online.

Also, this morning, her sinus was still draining from when I cleared it yesterday. It was causing her to cough a little, but I think it's a step in the right direction