Pigeon Fever

It looks like it is coming to a head, thank you for posting that! I have him in the round pen now. Called the vet and he said it isnt something they like to treat at home. They need an ultrasound to find the pocket....which sucks cause I don't have a trailer yet either. So I am searching for someone who hauls horses for a fee or a rental trailer. He wanta to see him in the morning. And I work 12 hr night shifts, so a tad stressed now! Lol. It will work out.

Deep abscesses are not as big of a problem as you might think, that comes with serious, serious cases. If your boy only has a single abscess, I would let that rupture, or have your get out to lance it and prescribe antiobiotics for the post-rupture to prevent infection, but that's really it.

Keep in mind that anything he comes in to contact with as far as bodily fluids (if he happens to rupture on a hard surface, the buckets he eats and drinks out of, and probably the rails of the round pen too) will need to be disinfected after the abscess has come to head and completely drained.

It shouldn't hurt him to treat. They will sometimes have you flush the wound with saline or something like that. He should be fine with it.

Thanks again all of you, made it through our first horse "emergency" lol. I found a vet much closer than the other one that was out here within an hour of me calling this morning. Bolt was doped up, lanced, and drained. Have my instructions for care, and we both feel much better. :) poor baby, that was a big load off his chest!