How Slow Can an Abscess Go?

Pretty damn slow if you must know. It was a week ago Monday that I first felt something amiss in Izzy's gait. Initially I chalked it up to body soreness from Sunday's ride. By Tuesday, he was clearly more than body sore, but I wasn't 100% sure it was an abscess, and if it were an abscess, I couldn't tell if it was the front right or left. By Wednesday, Izzy tested positive to hoof testers on the right front. I scraped his sole a little bit hoping to find a clear track line, but I came up empty handed. I poulticed and wrapped the hoof for 48 hours.

In know where it is.

At the end of 48 hours, I again poked around with the hoof testers and the hoof knife. His reaction to the hoof testers was even more pronounced, but I still couldn't find the abscess with the knife. He was also still lame at the walk. I poulticed it a second time. At the end of a second 48 hours, he was sound at the  walk and at the trot in a straight Line. On the circle, he was still lame, but not that lame. I caught him rearing, bucking, and cavorting around as though he were fit as a fiddle. Even so, he still tested positive with the hoof testers. So for a third time, I scraped with the knife and poulticed. That was Sunday.

Yesterday, I called the vet and gave him a quick rundown. Dr. Gonzalez's suggestion was to keep doing what I am doing until I see a trot that I like. He also said that I might not ever see the abscess actually exit since the Numotizine is slowly drawing the abscess out. I did a fourth poultice. This one might be the final one, or I may have to repeat with a fifth, sixth, or even seventh one; patience, grasshopper.   

Fortunately, Izzy is not dying, and it is obviously not very painful, but it's still there. Yesterday, he actually started pawing vigorously with the abscessing hoof while I was laying out the poulticing material. He was bored. My farrier is due at the end of the week or the beginning of next week. If the poultice hasn't drained it by then, I am hoping he can find it and open it up.

Fingers crossed I see a beautiful trot out today.