horses infection

Question
i own a horse that broke a bone in hind leg it has heeled since then but six months ago it got infected blew up like a piece of lumber treated that and went back to normal.present started to blow up again lots of heat from ankle to hock vet gave me excenel to treat i have spent 1000 dollars on this leg and about 600 on this product .is their anything else i can do?vet say's it's a tissue infection can this be operated on?

thanks steven

Answer
Hi Steven.
  Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT a veterinarian. Infections don't usually follow a broken bone.
From what you describe, it sounds like heel cracks or heel "scratches" that have gotten infected, but I haven't seen the leg. Is there any drainage anywhere from the leg? Has the vet done a culture? This horse should probably also be on an oral antibiotic. (Anti-Flam is also wonderful is your horse is sore on the leg. http://www.macleod-equine.com/other/antiflam.html)
  Technically I guess you could operate on the leg, but any time there is an invasive procedure, you run the risk of further infection. And horses don't always tolerate anesthesia well.
  What I would recommend is bedding on shavings or saw dust if at all possible. Keep the stall as clean and dry as possible. If there is any kind of break in the skin of the heel, I would recommend washing it with soap and water at least once a day. When it's dry, apply Campho-Phenique, a small piece of cotton (sanitary pads work great!) and wrap with a layer or two of vet wrap.
  Good luck getting to the bottom of your problem. Would love to hear how your buddy makes out!
Anne Stepien