6mo slightly swelled fetlocks?

[L&B]

When rinsing down and drying off my 6mo fillys legs this eve from having a right frolic in the mud today I noticed both of her back fetlock areas were slightly swelled.*
She is a trad' cob with feather already.*
She is not lame, walked and trotted fine, she is not in any discomfort when I give them a good palpitation. The swelling is squidgy, not solid.*

Of course if this is still the case tomorrow I will call a vet and make an appointment over the weekend, but in the meantime I was wondering if anything in relation to my routine jumped out to any of you as problematic regarding her fetlocks.*

I realise it could simply be the area of deep mud we have around the gates and her having tweaked something in it.*
It could be her needing a trim (booked in Saturday).*
I realise mud fever is a possibility although I can see nothing atm.*

She is out in the day 6.30 - 5pm and stabled at night.*

I'm absolutely obsessed with her growing too quickly and having joint issues as I've seen it before in a friends colt and he had to be pts at 4yo after much battling**

So she is currently being fed 1kg of dodson and horell mare and foal mix per day split over 2 feeds. She has access to unlimited haylage (although eats around 1 med sized haynet per day). I have the option to change to hay as of Saturday if need be? But my reason for haylage was I was advised it was best for foals first winter.*

Might it be worth me leaving her in for a day off the mud and in the dry?*

Apologies if I've babbled, just trying to give as much info as possible and throw ideas around**I dont require any smarmy answers or snide remarks x

 

[twiggy2]

lots on here will not agree but personally I dont give hard feed to youngstock, they have always had access to good quality hay-I have never and would never feed haylage either, neither hard feed or haylage would form part of a natural diet and the growth issues that are common in domesticated horses are not seen (to my knowledge) in youngstock that live out with a natural diet-and yes hay is part of a natural diet when the grass dies off at the end of the autumn

 

[L&B]

lots on here will not agree but personally I dont give hard feed to youngstock, they have always had access to good quality hay-I have never and would never feed haylage either, neither hard feed or haylage would form part of a natural diet and the growth issues that are common in domesticated horses are not seen (to my knowledge) in youngstock that live out with a natural diet-and yes hay is part of a natural diet when the grass dies off at the end of the autumn

Okay, I had always been told it was important to give a foal hard feed to get all the vits and mins they need, esp in winter when there's virtually no grass and nothing in the grass...
So are you saying there should be enough mins and vits in good quality hay? And haylage is a no no full stop?
Do you think my brief brain wave about her feed and panicking she may be growing too quickly could be warranted in relation to her slightly filled fetlocks?

 

[Casey76]

Is it possible she has mud fever hiding under her feathers? I prefer to leave mud to dry and brush off rather than keeping the legs wet with hosing.

Or she *could* have tewaked something, especially if the mud is deep/thick or clay-like.

On the subject of feeding, Perhaps a youngstock balancer would be better than a mix. That way she would be having all of the vits and minerals, but no cereals.

 

[Cortez]

It could be many things: mud fever, a pull, too much protein, not moving around enough, etc. If she is a cob and in good flesh I would probably not be feeding either haylage or hard feed, perhaps just hay and a balancer? Hard to tell without a pic, and even harder without having the animal in front of you.

 

[twiggy2]

It could be many things: mud fever, a pull, too much protein, not moving around enough, etc. If she is a cob and in good flesh I would probably not be feeding either haylage or hard feed,

as above it could be many things.

never seen a wild foal (new forest, welsh mountain, dartmoor etc) get hard feed or balancers and also never known one to have growth issues and all the ones from the 'wild' that I have ever known are reknown for their hardiness and longevity/soundness

 

[L&B]

Is it possible she has mud fever hiding under her feathers? I prefer to leave mud to dry and brush off rather than keeping the legs wet with hosing.

Or she *could* have tewaked something, especially if the mud is deep/thick or clay-like.

On the subject of feeding, Perhaps a youngstock balancer would be better than a mix. That way she would be having all of the vits and minerals, but no cereals.

Thankyou for this advice, I generally do leave the mud to dry on my babies, but she was just that caked yesterday (like feather dread-locks lol) I had to brush and wash her down.
Agreed on the balancer, is there one that could be recommended - I've just done some brief reading and the Spillers one sounds good? Thanks for your reply

It could be many things: mud fever, a pull, too much protein, not moving around enough, etc. If she is a cob and in good flesh I would probably not be feeding either haylage or hard feed, perhaps just hay and a balancer? Hard to tell without a pic, and even harder without having the animal in front of you.

I agree, hay and a balancer sounds the best
I have ordered hay to come this weekend and I am dropping by the feed store this eve so will pop in and ask what they have... Again, same question - any gripes with Spillers balancer?
I'm afraid I attempted a pic yday eve and you could barely tell they are filled - it really doesn't show up and is only upon touch.
I could bring her to you, but she's only been in a trailer the once ;P (I kid, I kid). Thankyou for your help!!

as above it could be many things.

never seen a wild foal (new forest, welsh mountain, dartmoor etc) get hard feed or balancers and also never known one to have growth issues and all the ones from the 'wild' that I have ever known are reknown for their hardiness and longevity/soundness

Is that so! Cheers!

 

[Aru]

When rinsing down and drying off my 6mo fillys legs this eve from having a right frolic in the mud today I noticed both of her back fetlock areas were slightly swelled.*
She is a trad' cob with feather already.*
She is not lame, walked and trotted fine, she is not in any discomfort when I give them a good palpitation. The swelling is squidgy, not solid.*

Of course if this is still the case tomorrow I will call a vet and make an appointment over the weekend, but in the meantime I was wondering if anything in relation to my routine jumped out to any of you as problematic regarding her fetlocks.*

I realise it could simply be the area of deep mud we have around the gates and her having tweaked something in it.*
It could be her needing a trim (booked in Saturday).*
I realise mud fever is a possibility although I can see nothing atm.*

She is out in the day 6.30 - 5pm and stabled at night.*

I'm absolutely obsessed with her growing too quickly and having joint issues as I've seen it before in a friends colt and he had to be pts at 4yo after much battling**

So she is currently being fed 1kg of dodson and horell mare and foal mix per day split over 2 feeds. She has access to unlimited haylage (although eats around 1 med sized haynet per day). I have the option to change to hay as of Saturday if need be? But my reason for haylage was I was advised it was best for foals first winter.*

Might it be worth me leaving her in for a day off the mud and in the dry?*

Apologies if I've babbled, just trying to give as much info as possible and throw ideas around**I dont require any smarmy answers or snide remarks x

It could be ocd.OCD (ostochondrosis dissicans)is basically a section of bone beside the joint capsule dying off and leading to a bone chip in the joint and swelling around the joint capsule(squidgy area on the pastern could be this).Its often seen in youngstock at this age,although the pasterns are not the post common site OCD can be found there.
If it is its not the end of the world OP. Surgery is an option and is usually very sucessful.Or some people leave them be and the swelling goes down over time.

It could also be that she tweaked hers or that shes just having a reaction to the mud.

I wouldnt be jumping to pay for a weekend appointment if she is not lame tbh. Lame and sore yes. Happy in herself and not painful..it can wait til next week.

Whats her body condition score like? That sounds like a somewhat rich diet for a youngster...

 

[Silverfire]

Another reason for swollen fetlocks in 5 - 6 month old foals is that they are growing too fast and their bones are growing quicker than their tendons and ligaments. Usually the fetlock will look a little pulled forward but not always in the beginning. Cutting out all feed and just feeding hay with a mineral block will slow growing down a bit.

 

[Cortez]

Another reason for swollen fetlocks in 5 - 6 month old foals is that they are growing too fast and their bones are growing quicker than their tendons and ligaments. Usually the fetlock will look a little pulled forward but not always in the beginning. Cutting out all feed and just feeding hay with a mineral block will slow growing down a bit.

This epiphisytis (spelling??!), and caused by overfeeding.

 

[L&B]

Just thought I would update for any future me's who might come across this thread with the same worries... In my girls instance:
Vet visited today and could only feel a very slight swelling which was parallel on each fetlock. She agreed there is no heat and that she is not lame. Recognised that she was very bum high and stated that she wouldn't be surprised if she has a growth spurt v soon over the next weeks... She put it down to that, said that sometimes youngsters joints can become minorly filled temporarily and unless they become more so or she shows discomfort not to worry at this stage, I was told her has good overall conformation, she moves well and is in good condition.
Whilst she did not believe I was overfeeding she agreed with sentiments that given her type she would be better on hay and a change to a balancer given minimally as well as mineral/salt links always being on offer (which they are) would be better than her current diet.
Hopefully with the change in feed this weekend all will be well and my girly will fill out a bit once again