Also in veterinary!! Horse with 4 swollen legs

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NicoleS_007

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Okay were to begin!! Thursday last week mare was getting shod, a water tap suddenly went off behind her and she spooked resulting in her leaping around knocking legs and feet off the farriers tool box ect. Checked her on Thur night and we had escaped with nothing but a scratch on her front right pastern (at the back were the pastern meets the fetlock). Fri morning everything was normal so I rode her and she was fine. Sat the front leg was a bit swollen were the cut was but not lame etc so I just went on a hack (just walking). Sun morning front right (one with cut) was swollen up around the pastern and back right was swollen at the top inside of the cannon bone and just above the fetlock on the outside, other two legs were normal. I walked her out and she was lame on a tight turn in walk, sound in walk and trot in a straight line and about 3/4 fiths lame on a circle in trot. Mon morning both front and back right legs were swollen right up to just below knee and hock, I called the vet to arrange him to come out asap. Went back to yard on Mon night and ALL legs were swollen, both rights are worse, both lefts just swollen to above fetlock and horse very sore to walk. This morning no change in both rights but left front swelling has increased to just below the knee and back left no change. Vet came out checked her over and couldnt find anything amiss minus the swollen legs of course. Bloods were taken which we will get results for in the morning and she was given a painkiller which she reacted to!! Breathing rapidly increased and she broke out in a sweat, thankfully she went back to normal after an hour. Vet thinks it may be diet related but the only change that we can think of in the past few weeks is a) we were given a new field with long marshy grass and b) she was out last Wed and it was very wet compared to usual, as in sometimes the water was up to the middle of her pastern. She just gets half a scoop of fast fibre, one scoop of Hi-Fi lite, a handfull of oats and pink powder which she has been on for about 2 months. Vet said to cut her haylage tonight incase its that as the haylage has changed in the past week but tbh its always changing and shes never reacted. Shes 4 and we've never had problems with swollen legs or lameness with her so tbh im baffled!! Anyone any ideas??
 
sounds abit like cellulitis to me by the way you described it swelling around the cut to start off with. A course of anti biotics should clear it up.
 
My gelding gets like this, and its the start of mudrash (he reacts badly to any form of wet - mud, water, snow..). For mudrash to start with him, all he needs is a little scratch for the mudrash to get into the system, and its all systems go with a lot of swelling..

Could there have been a horse with mudrash in the field previously? Did the vet think of mudrash in the things that he was ruling out?

Might not be, but just a thought...
 
She hasnt been out in the field since getting the cut, last time she was out was Wed and the cut happened on Thur. But the other three legs are completely cut free :confused: My last horse had a touch of mud rash once and his was just a bit of a scabby pastern and a bit of swelling but her legs are clean from wounds minus the front one which the cut is a tiny scratch.
 
I know what you mean, my other horse gets mud rash like you described, a few scabs and a bit of swelling, but my gelding reacts to it like an allergy (thats how the vet describes it). It goes to lympangitis if unleft, with the swelling spreading up his legs more and more. When he first got it we didn't think it could be mud rash either..

Has the horse still been getting all the food she normally gets while in and unworked, or has it been cut down? Has she been walked out or anything?
 
Shes only been out of work since sun when she went lame and the swelling started. I hosed the legs and walked her both sun and mon but by this morning she was to sore, I walked her across the yard and she was just so sore I ened up hoseing them and putting her back to bed. The vet seen her walking and troted up and said not to walk her out as shes so sore and to bandage her up over night. If shes not any better tomorrow morn he'll come out again and give her another injection but she took a reaction to it so that plans out the window!! She seem much happier and mobile tonight after the reaction had calmed down and the drug had kicked in. Feed wise its been cut down, oats are thrown in bin and haylage has been cut down.
 
NicoleS_007 said:
She hasnt been out in the field since getting the cut, last time she was out was Wed and the cut happened on Thur.
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what sort of turnout has she had? if she has been stabled this may be why her legs are filled. turn her out for 12 hours and see if they go down
 
Our fields are flooded atm so unfortunatly there is no were to turn out :( The past few weeks shes just been out every 2-3 days due to the fields being to wet. Shes been stood in before on a weeks box rest with no problems, and when we first bought her straight from the field in Jan she had no turnout for a few weeks with no problems :confused: Im pretty sure its not fluid filled as my last Tb's legs would fill if left stood in for more than a day but after 10mins of walking he was normal and he was never lame with it. As far as i can remember with fluid filled legs there more spongey compared to her swellings. Im hovering around here for a while as i need to stay awake to check on said beast later on :rolleyes: Shes lucky shes only 5mins down the road lol
 
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