” My question is, how long does it take for an abscess to heal up? “…
In late October our 3 year old quarter horse had an abscess lanced under his jaw. The vet said that is was more than likely a splinter that wedged in there and caused the abscess. He drained it out and gave us antibiotic to give him and we rinsed it off everyday with water. It started getting better and stopped draining. Well this past Sunday (Jan.20), my husband was putting a new halter on him and noticed that the incision site had started draining again. He said it had a faint odor, but nothing like it was with the original infection. He washed it off and sprayed some antibiotic spray on the incision site. There is no heat on his face and no swelling. I checked him this morning when I went to feed him and he had a small amount of drainage. My question is, how long does it take for an abscess to heal up? Do we need to get the vet out here to check him out again? He is eating fine and like I said, there is no swelling or heat. I am wondering if he got some dirt in it and it has aggravated it. Any advice that y’all can give me will be much appreciated!! Thanks,
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Casey:
If the abscess re-occurred in the same spot as before, I would be suspicious that whatever caused it the first time has not been completely resolved. Generally, there are two main things that will cause an abscess: infectious disease causing an abscessed lymph node (which are under the jaw), and a foreign object. The splinter that your veterinarian is worried about could very well have caused the first abscess. While it seemed to respond to treatment and get better, there may still be a piece of wood or some type of foreign object stuck in that site. This persistent foreign matter will continue to cause chronic, recurrent problems until it is removed. I do recommend that you have your veterinarian come out and examine your horse again. He may want to probe that area, lance and create drainage, ultrasound it, or other appropriate treatments. I’m sure he will do what he feels is appropriate. And if you are persistent enough, you will likely get to the source. Hang in there, and please let me know what happens.
“He first had small swollen places on his neck then all of a sudden it has grown to 7″ x 7” or larger. “…
My vet gave my horse his yearly shots 1 month ago. He first had small swollen places on his neck then all of a sudden it has grown to 7″ x 7″ or larger. He does have a fever and he cannot flex his neck either direction. Can you help me with this. thank you.
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Mecky,
I suggest you have your veterinarian examine your horse right away. It sounds like he is possibly getting abscesses at or near the site of vaccination. These are pus pockets, and when located in the neck can take a lot of or all the mobility away from the horse, by obviously causing a great deal of pain. Neck abscesses of the size you describe may also potentially affect his spine, so they can be very serious. You should deal with this ASAP. I recommend you start hot packing the affected areas at least 2-3 times daily, for 10 minutes. You can also apply a poultice (Ichthammol or similar) to the lumps. And get your veterinarian out there to look at him soon.
