Experience with fetlock injuries/sprains and good vibes

[Sammy1983]

Hi everyone I'm hoping someone can make me feel better and stop stressing. My boy went on a hack Wednesday and was a general idiot rearing etc but finished hack went home and all appeared fine. Thursday I took him in the school for a schooling session and he immediately felt odd, wobbly behind irregular pace leg giving way but not obviously lame, he just didn't look or feel right. Got off him couldn't see any heat or swelling just a small cut on the inside of the fetlock. So I put him away with the assumption he'd twisted something being an idiot and thought I'd see what he was like the next day. Friday his fetlock is about double its normal size, puffy and hot. I called and spoke to my vet who advised box rest, cold hosing and bute for a few days with a follow up check if nothing changes. I'm following vets advice with the plan of having vet Monday if nothing changes. I am of course at severe panic stations thinking deep digital flexor tendon and all sorts. The more sensible side of me is hoping sprain or even infection from the cut. Does anyone have any experience with sprains or tendons and the symptoms you experienced? I'm hoping it will magically deflate and will be fine again but not sure I'm that lucky

 

[be positive]

As he has a small cut to the inside of the fetlock the most likely scenario is that he has bashed himself with his other leg, the cut is probably not infected just inflamed and the whole area is bruised and sore, bruising can be enough to make the leg swell up, you should not panic about strains at this stage, give him a few days as advised by the vet and it will probably go down although being on box rest may mean the swelling does not go down as quickly as it would if he moved about.

 

[wkiwi]

Yes have had experience with sprained fetlock as well as blow-ups due to cuts etc. plus all sorts of other things. Of course, it is impossible to tell without a scan etc. but to reassure you:
one horse with blown up leg that looked just like a tendon injury - turned out to be a burst blood vessel and no sign at all two days later.
One horse with sprained fetlock, sprained a few days before a major event and 100% sound by the day after the event (typical) - same horse did the same with a stone bruise two days before travelling to a 3DE - was perfectly sound by cross country day but of course would have failed the first vet check.
Numerous horses with blow-ups from infections, sound a few days later. I have vigorously poulticed a couple of infected ones to speed things up if something important coming up (changing poultice every 2-3 hours through day and night) but the others have always come right with just first aid. Note that cold is for initial injury then heat for follow up.
So, yes it might be something more major but it could equally be something minor and by monday morning you could be wondering why you worried so much. Am sending lots of healing vibes towards Worcester in the hope that some help.

 

[Mrs G]

I've spent many a session cold hosing my horses legs and I have to say I almost prefer it when there's a cut of some sort as it means he has just bashed himself! Don't panic or worry too much, fingers crossed it's nothing serious x

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Vets will ALWAYS without fail recommend bute & box rest; I can see why they do this (i.e. to save their own skins coz if they told you to turn it out without bute and it went wrong, they'd be open to lawsuit), but IME as a (human) movement practitioner, my feeling is that confining movement will only lead to more stiffness and that whilst bute has its uses, particularly for stuff like laminitis, it can be counter-productive as gives a false sense of security i.e. masks the true cause of any lameness.

My mare is lame at the moment: I suspect a fetlock strain/sprain, whatever. She's fine in walk, but trot is very unlevel and I suspect a hind-leg fetlock problem. My treatment has been to turn her out - without bute - until the situation rights itself. She's a sensible mare, and if it hurts her to move and/or hoon around, then she won't if she's in pain, and she will get better in a natural way in plenty of time. This is what her previous owner, who does a lot of endurance at a high level, does with hers. She feels it is better to turn out without bute and if the horse isn't comfortable it won't do anything silly, rather than be buted up to kingdom come and unhappy being confined, possibly for weeks/months, on box rest.

But I do not criticise anyone who chooses to take the vet's advice!! PS, I don't take doctors' advice either!!! OK so I'm a cranky, contrary, old thing

 

[wkiwi]

if the horse isn't comfortable it won't do anything silly

Sorry, disagree with this bit. Yes movement will help a lot of things (probably the majority when it comes down to it) but there are a number of things it can make dramatically worse and a horse will not always self-regulate.
Based on their physiology, as soon as they get a rush of adrenaline it can overcome the pain pathways and they don't feel a thing. I had a horse smash his shoulder that would have happily kept on galloping if he hadn't been held down by several people. And i have seen other injured horses try to play or run and make injuries worse. Movement is also not good for some things like torn tendons/ligaments, greenstick fractures, etc.
so, personally i would always recommend getting the diagnosis first then deciding on whether the horse is turned out or not, as the 'best' treatment depends on a correct diagnosis and this can't be done by a description on the phone or a forum. Experienced people will make a judgement of their own as to what they think is wrong with their horse and how serious it is, but I am sure that as a movement practitioner you would not give advice for a human to walk around if their was the slightest risk of an ankle fracture (particularly if someone had just rung to ask advice and you hadn't seen the ankle) and that is with a patient that can tell you exactly how it feels, not one that just says 'ouch'. Yes, the vet would be liable, but the owner can also always ask for a full diagnosis work-up to start with in order to get the most accurate advice

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My point is and was "wkiwi" that vets are far too keen to prescribe box rest, and that this is frequently to absolve themselves from any further legalities, rather than look holistically at the whole situation as a whole, to the detriment of the horse's overall wellbeing and contentment ........ I've seen poor horses cooped up for months on end - and then when they DO go out, they go ballistic!

Yes of course I would recommend that the OP, or anyone else for that matter, consult their vet if there is ANY doubt as to what should be done.

 

[wkiwi]

I think it is rather a general statement, as our local equine vets are not like that at all and will happily discuss different treatments and suggestions. However, you are entirely correct that they do need to cover themselves legally - so many insurance companies won't pay out if the treatment is not the recommended standard one e.g. tendon injuries will always be box rest (then controlled exercise) while the current research indicates that this gives the best collagen alignment and strength. Yes there is the rebound effect and yes some horses are not suited to it (I have had more than one friend that has had to accept that the healing will be less good because the horse cannot cope in a stable). Unfortunately, horses are crap at resting injuries otherwise there wouldn't be so many euthanased fractures and horses do get depressed when they can't move around. but then any healing process like that is going to be a compromise for a flight animal ( a friend of mine worked with falcon/other bird rescue and some just gave up and died before they healed, but the ones that were returned to the wild were magic!).
However, I think that vets are like any other profession - you get some of all sorts but most horse vets (and physios, etc.) i have met really care about their patients and have always had the horses ultimate best interests at heart.

Sorry to highjack your post Sammy1983 - I'm sure all this won't apply to your horses injury and i will stay of the thread so you can get ones related to him. Healing vibes still being sent your way and hope he is getting better already.