Dog Bite

[dmhstacy]

I have a mare that was bitten by a dog about 9months ago.

THe wound was cleaned & treated 3 x daily and the mare was put on a course of antiboidics.

The bite was right over the hip.

The wound eventually healed up.

About 2 months later it broke open (about a 1/2inch hole) and had puss pouring out.

Once again on vets advice i started treatment as above again until it healed.

All good for 6 months then once again it broke open.

My mum advised me to do a poultice which i did and it healed again.

Now 1 month later it has broken open again - no puss yet but i dont know what to do!!!

The treatment the vet has been giving me is obviously not working.

Has anyone got any suggestions?

There mare seems to have no discomfort from it now (she did when it first happened). Though she no longer tracks right.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

It sounds to me as if you have an infection in the bone. Can your Vet do ultrasound on the site??

 

[dmhstacy]

I will ask about an ultrasound.

I have heard that bone infection is normally almost impossible to cure.

Would this be correct?

 

[Minimor]

I don't know how it would work on a horse, especially in the hip location...but I had a cat that got bitten in the front leg by another cat. It abcessed, the vet cleaned it up, but it still didn't heal & the cat had a major limp. Vet said that the infection was in the bone--he said he couldn't guarantee it would work, but he went back in & scraped the bone, and after that it healed up fine--cat never had any more problems from it.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

As said, bone infections are very difficult to cure, but not impossible. I would go ahead and have her looked at anyway, as i do feel this is what is happening.

 

[HGFarm]

Either bone infection or possibly something broken off or stuck in there, a foreign object, that needs flushed and removed!! Poor girl!

 

[Charlotte]

It sounds to me like a deep abcess that just isn't getting sufficient treatment at any one time....maybe nothing to do with bone. Can you take her to a university teaching hosp?

I've seen abcesses of this type take a VERY long course of treatment to fully heal and not return.

good luck with your girl and please let us know what ends up working.

Charlotte

 

[Bess Kelly]

I'm with the others.......could be something in & working out, could be bone was hit and needs work. For sure it isn't draining well and is healing from outside first.

I'd suggest a long talk with that vet -- ask for more help. You will more than likely need some deeper cleaning, scraping, dead tissue removal and a drain in place...things along that line is where I'm thinking. NOT A VET, just see issues for healing here. Always possible that it's a large abcess in there and only drains a little each time -- covers over and breaks back out when pressure causes it to.

Please don't wait any longer. It needs to be looked at hard!!!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

You may have a fistulous tract going! This is not good. Have the vet take a sample of the pus and send it off so you can find out EXACTLY what antibiotic to use. usually a broad spectrum antibiotic is used at first and if it doesn't kill the bacteria, the body walls off the infected area, and after that it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible for antibiotics to get to the infection. Follow up on this right away. If it is fistulous tract, only surgery will fix it.

Marsha