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Abscessed Tick Bite

6K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  Yogiwick 
#1 ·
Kenzie has decided to make life more interesting for me. Tuesday she was chewing on her belly so I went and looked and she had a deer tick in the crease of her back leg, where it meets her belly. But she'd broken it with her chewing. I dug around and I thought I got all the head out, but it was so tiny and mangled I apparently missed some.

Thursday it was really gunky and a bit swollen so I put drawing salve on it. Today it formed what appears to be an abscess. I poked it and a punch of yellow gunk came out. I smelt it and it didn't smell infected, but I pushed all the yellow pus out until I got a bit of blood and then I was left with a pea sized hole.

I flushed it out with some saline and then coated it with antibiotic cream.

Anything else I should do?
 
#4 ·
Do you guys think I should maybe put more drawing salve on it?

I think she might be allergic to ticks. She already has sweet itch, but I pulled another tick off her today, and the area is pretty swollen. No where near as bad as the abscessed bite, but much more then the other horses get, and I know I got the head. It was very wiggly.
 
#5 ·
I almost think it's in an Arab's DNA to have horrible allergic reactions to tick bites.

Some years back Streeter had a tick bite in the exact same spot you describe. I pulled the tick and started treating.

The spot swelled up to the size of a Wren's egg and got hard. RIP and love that horse, he let me lance it. I kept it open and draining for 3-4 days. I was just about ready to holler "Uncle" and call the vet. The next morning all the abscess and swelling was gone.

I kept it as clean as possible, used a drawing salve and put diaper rash paste on top of that because it stays on as good or better than Swat to keep the flies off.

Keep your cutting tools sterile and hang in there, unless inflammation sets in and the lump gets bigger instead of smaller:)
 
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#7 ·
I almost think it's in an Arab's DNA to have horrible allergic reactions to tick bites.

Some years back Streeter had a tick bite in the exact same spot you describe. I pulled the tick and started treating.

The spot swelled up to the size of a Wren's egg and got hard. RIP and love that horse, he let me lance it. I kept it open and draining for 3-4 days. I was just about ready to holler "Uncle" and call the vet. The next morning all the abscess and swelling was gone.

I kept it as clean as possible, used a drawing salve and put diaper rash paste on top of that because it stays on as good or better than Swat to keep the flies off.

Keep your cutting tools sterile and hang in there, unless inflammation sets in and the lump gets bigger instead of smaller:)
My mother was saying the other day about Desi having "crusty sores" under his forelock, my response was "oh yeah he always gets those" I didn't even think about it again until going out to give him a pet before leaving and seeing ooze running down his face!! Picked it apart (poor horse every time I see him I'm picking at him and he still loves me lol!) and got a good 3x3" scab/crusty off. Cleaned him up and gave my mom instructions. That's what happens when you don't stay on top of it! Knock on wood he hasn't had anything more than that, but he is prone to it under the forelock esp. And the bugs bother him and he's super accident prone but no actual health issues! (knock on wood)
 
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