Any ideas?

HufflyPuffly

HufflyPuffly

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So the Skylla saga is on-going...

Started bank holiday Monday, rode her in the morning foot perfect, brought her in from the field in the evening and she walked in fine but once in her stable repeatedly held her offside hind up. Palpated the whole leg, no cuts/ marks/ heat/ swelling/ injury of any sort to see. Walked and trotted her and nothing much to see, very subtly lame which I'm not sure would have noticed if we weren't aware of the leg holding! Turned back out as she was moving fine.

Tuesday morning she was hopping and presenting like when she had a abscess last year, so brought her in hot tubbed and poulticed.

Wed I repeated the hot tubbing and poulticing, bought her the Woof Wear medical boot (fab item!), let her into the small paddock on her own for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Brought her back in and she was 80% better, thought brill abscess has burst, but no puss to be seen...

Thurs looked sound in walk (didn't trot her), carried on the tubbing and pouliticing and trimmer came out. Trimmer (perhaps unsurprisingly as she was now showing no lameness and standing on the leg again at rest) found nothing of note suggested maybe a deep bruise?

Fri, Sat and Sun stopped poulticing and continued to rest her but turned her back out, she continued to look fine in the field. Sun I popped her on the lunge to see how she looked and she looked 100% in all paces.

Mon rode her in the school to see how she felt, felt sound but she was very hot particularly about right canter, only did about 15 mins as it was just to see how she felt in all paces, she finished and walked in sound.

Tuesday she was sound in the field in the morning, walked in in the evening fine but again once in the stable held her leg up... Kept her in, Wednesday she was completely sound! This morning holding leg back up!

I'm at a loss, I'm all for calling the vet but as it currently seems a 50:50 chance of if she'll be lame or sound? There is literally no mark on her or heat/swelling anywhere? Any ideas anyone?
 
Andalucian said:
Is she cocking her leg like a dog does? If yes, I'd bet it's cellulitis. Vet job.
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No, shes resting it (toe on floor) or holding it as though she's about to bring it forward to step forward. Would cellulitis not have visible swelling and heat? I'm waiting for a call from the vets anyway so will see what they think, thank you :)
 
I'm keeping my fingers crossed Cortez as I just don't know what else it could be? Will update with an changes.
 
My mare grumbles along sound one day lame the next for months then eventually a mega abscess will burst through, normally after she has pulled a shoe.
I don't know where about in the country you are but the ground has been very hard here, could be a bruise that is turning into an abscess?

Hope you find out what is wrong and that it is a simple one
 
odd1 said:
My mare grumbles along sound one day lame the next for months then eventually a mega abscess will burst through, normally after she has pulled a shoe.
I don't know where about in the country you are but the ground has been very hard here, could be a bruise that is turning into an abscess?

Hope you find out what is wrong and that it is a simple one
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It would be nice if it is just an abscess! She does have a slightly darker patch near the toe, might hot tub and have a poke around...
 
So darker patch:
E0AA39C4-A669-4CD3-A402-151FF674C091_zpsxhanmna8.jpg


I hot tubbed and poked it and have now poulticed it, no puss though she does look a bit comfier this morning?

Maybe the unicorn tape is helping :lol:
4AF07B76-C187-4041-9D1B-DE79E60D432B_zpsliiowwty.jpg
 
So after a fairly unfriutful vet visit where she agreed with my approach of box rest and to start poulticing again. She was equally as stumped about the source of pain, though I'm daring to hope it 'may' still be an abscess!

After hot tubbing I noticed a bit of bubbling at the toe where the darker patch appeared. Plus we now have a bit of action on the poultice! Could still just be poultice slime I guess but what do we think?

178E943E-3D09-4578-8038-41D0DC8D21D7_zpswe560mxu.jpg
 
Casey76 said:
That's a pretty defined area just for poultice slime... hurrah for pus!
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I think so too, but don't want to count my chickens just yet :lol:.

Plus the vet has put her on anti-inflammatory's so I cannot be too sure whether she's looking far more comfortable because of them, or she's having one of her none lame days, or whether it's because an abscess has burst!
 
It looks like there could be an indentation on the dark area near the toe she could have stood on something sharp and it's caused a bit of infection there I reckon carry on what your doing for a bit and see . lol at the unicorn tape:)
 
I can't remember if that was taken before I poked it with a hoof pick or not, but it's definitely more of a hole now! Abscess vibes everyone!


PS the unicorn tape is clearly the saviour here :lol:
 
Update for you lovely people!

Didn't want to jinx it, especially as we also had a scare when she hung herself up by her leg in her haynet :eek3:.

So after we had definite bubbling after hot tubing and poultice action, she went sound and so went back out in the field for a week and then this weekend we hacked out. She's sound, happy and relaxed (even with her Nora batty ears on :lol:).

EB963C46-47A5-4136-BAA9-30121D8D8CA0_zps7l40dvrf.jpg


Trying take a picture of an inquisitive baby horse is always a challenge lol.

7D8BCFBD-B3F2-47A6-A3EA-AFD805275699_zpsvyt6ujj7.jpg


So I think it was just a stubborn abscess and so we can conclude this years annual pus party ;).

Ps no I have no idea why she's stood like that, it is not her normal stance, think she was channeling her inner Welsh :lol:
 
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