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Discussion on Multiple abscesses on the face | |
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Member: Lindi |
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 22, 2003 - 11:58 pm: Hello,Recently I adopted a 20 year old registered Hackney pony gelding. Although this pony was not abused by way of beatings, he was being left to starve to death, and had been completely ignored when it came to keeping him worm free and lice free. Upon a vet check he was found to be otherwise ok with no obvious serious problems, and his feet appear to be fine. He has been both deliced and dewormed and we are soon to get his shots up to date. Our local vet felt that he could not handle any shots until he was free of lice and worms. He is on a diet of good local hay, senior feed, bran mash, beet pulp, and limited grass. A couple of days ago I noticed a reasonably large abscess on the right side of his face, just down from his eye but on the side of his nose bone (kind of just on the side of the nose if it were a human). There is a quarter inch wide line of thickening for about 4 inches down from the bottom, and then it joins with another little abscess closer to his nostril. This thickening seems to be solid rather than fluid filled. Both abscesses were drained and specimens sent in for culture and sensitivity. As yet I don't have a result. There is evidence of an older mostly healed abscess just under his jaw about midway between his cheek and chin. This one is not draining although it is being bathed twice a day along with the ones on the front of his face. Little is now coming out of the front abscesses. Could there be some underlying problem that I should be watching for? My vet didn't think that he had any symptoms of strangles and said that it was unlikely that he had that. He is eating well and drinking well, and appears to be very happy and bright eyed. Do you think this thickening is related to the abscesses? Or more likely that it is possibly from an old injury? He would not let the vet look at his teeth, but could it be from an abscessed tooth? He doesn't ever refuse food and even eats carrots, hard cookies, and his senior feed. Any advise you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Since he is now receiving medical attention I would like to make sure he is treated appropriately. Thanks, Lindi |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003 - 4:49 am: I would sedate the pony and have a good look at those teeth and then get a few radiographs of the skull. That in combination with the culture results should answer the questions you pose.DrO |