Filling legs - underlying cause?

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lcharles

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Just wondered after my lad's leg's filled over night, is there any proof of underlying causes for this?

What exactly causes it? Why is it only his back legs that do it? But my mare can get it on all four?

He has quite a large stable with a pen at the front so has alot more space (almost triple the amount) than other horses to more around. Why do some horses get filled legs and others don't? Is it just bad circulation - any proof of this?

How do I know that filled legs isn't a sympton of something else - an underlying issue - however big or small?

By bandaging the legs, does this 'solve' the issue or just hide it? My lad is never lame or off when his legs have filled but to me, i'd still rather that his legs didnt fill in the first place....or at least understand it a bit more?

I believe, may be wrong, but if a horse's legs are filled during a vetting, its noted down but not a fail? Why is it noted down if it really isnt an issue? x
 
Horses legs can fill for a number of reasons but if they are filling regularly you could be looking at lymphangitis. A vet can treat severe cases with injections. Good article here explaining lymphangitis.

http://www.horsehero.com/editorial/?feat=84996

There are lots of schools of thought on the bandaging thing, whether it helps disperse the fluid or just moves it out of the way. There is also massage and movements that help the lymphatic drainage of the legs. They lymphatic system piggy backs on other systems in the body in order to pump itself around the body, it doesnt have a pump like the heart does for blood. So it uses the movement of muscles and can also use the digestive system to maintain the lymphatic drainage, keeping fluid out of the legs. So you will find the legs will improve with exercise & then be filled after a night of stabling cause obviously they arent moving around as much. Turnout can be important then to help the problem but also keeping their digestive system moving can help so forage is also important.

There are also supplements you can get to help prevent it, I've had great success with Marigold & Cleavers with I got from Hilton Herbs. But their are others out there than help detox the lymphatic system & keep it moving.
 
It could be lymphangitis but its coupled with pain, swelling often all the way up their leg and not just around the splint bones, also your horse would be unwilling to move. Providing he isn't in pain, isn't lame or in discomfort then its prob just one of those things. If the swelling goes down with exercise or turn out then I wouldn't worry too much
 
Lymphangitis is not necessarily always coupled with pain or with filling all the way up the leg - it can come in mild to severe cases. Fluid in the leg, if its not infection, usually comes from a poor acting lymphatic system, which improves with exercise because its gets the lymphatic drainage moving.

You can also try magnetic boots, as the magnets draw blood to the area, its keeps the bloodflow moving even when the horse is static, therefore keeping the lymphatic system 'piggy backing' on the movement of the bloodflow and helping drain the legs.
 
My mare has all 4 legs that fill overnight - I have just put up a thread for advice on a better way to manage bandaging.

Each legs with her fills for a different reason, her white hind because of acute cellulitis, which came on from mud fever and now that leg is always big, but more so overnight. Her other hind fills when stood in after she fractured her hock (not sure of the significance, but this is when it started to happen)

Her 2 front legs fill and they both have ligament injuries, again this has happened since then.

I personally want to boot/bandage to avoid the filling as it makes her obviously more comfortable walking out in the morning. However I am very, very careful when banadaging as once all the fluid formed above her hock where the bandage was too tight and she was in terrible discomfort. A lesson well learnt for me.
 
I'm not concerned about him of such, I just wondered why it happens? X It just seems to get put down to 'one of those things' but I'd rather known why.

Thanks for those explanations, he isn't in any pain and walks out fine and they go down within about a minute of walking, he's never shown any discomfort but wondered if there was a known link.

Seems like 95% of horses at our stables have it, some bandage/boot and some just leave it x
 
Mine just gets it in his back legs, less so now he has a big stable. I think he gets it mainly on the back as he sleeps with these legs really tucked under him and his front legs more stretched out. He has never had any pain or probs and as soon as he walks about even in his stable they go down. It is very minor and the vet advised not to bandage him. It has not worsened with age and he does not get it when out in summer. The vet also said to just keep a check on protein levels in the diet as it has been linked in some horses.

I have been looking at trying goose grass which I think is also called cleavers, so thanks for the info LegOn, will try and get some of the marigold and cleavers mix to try.
 
I'd be interested in the answer here, ,my boys are out 24 hours over the summer/ autumn. When it gets to winter and I have to bring them in at night (more for the protection of my fields than for their benefit) their legs fill overnight for 2/3 weeks until they are 'used' to being in at night when it doesn't happen anymore (absolutely no change in routine!). No lameness and it always goes down within a few minutes of being turned out.
I guess I have two questions why does it happen and more interestingly why does it stop happening after a few weeks of being in !!
 
Very good point, it could be the cold stopping them fill later on in the winter - luckily never had to keep them in for any length of time in the summer. I'll keep an eye on the temps this year and see if I can spot a correlation!
 
Polos Mum said:
Very good point, it could be the cold stopping them fill later on in the winter - luckily never had to keep them in for any length of time in the summer. I'll keep an eye on the temps this year and see if I can spot a correlation!
Click to expand...

I'll be doing the same as it would be interesting to see if there is any effect I have never really thought about it this closely.
 
Blood test to check the liver function?
I have a horse on a renal detox for her hind leg problem.
Agree , let them move around rather than be stabled.
 
I agree I do ignore it as it never seems to have any effect on how he feels/goes, and it is always the same every year - just the first few weeks of being in. But still interesting to understand more. If someone invents a cure for heavy clay soil I'd be happy to never have to have them in again but I suspect that's some way off yet !
 
thats the thing polosmum, alot of people ignore it but i want to know exactly whats going on in their legs. Wonder if the temperature does effect it? and if it does, why? x

A vet told me to ignore it as well but theres obviously a reason why it happens. If every morning, i got out of bed with swollen ankles i wouldnt ignore it and nor would doctors x
 
It's been a very long time since I did any physology (so I'm sure someone will correct me!) but at a guess it's fluid (water) draining out of the lymph system when they are stood still ish in a stable (which they aren't designed to do) and collecting in the legs. As soon as they move around again the fluid is reabsorbed and hence the swelling goes down.
Pregnant women get swollen legs very commonly as a result of the physical space the baby takes up - doctors do tend to ignore it as long as it goes down with gentle exercise.

In colder weather the vessels in extremities (excuse spelling!) get smaller (which is why your hands get cold) so posisbly making it more difficult for fluid to leak out? - I hadn't thought about temperature before this tread so this is only a guess. Similar on of the reasons why you use Icetight etc after XC to cool the legs down and stop swelling possibly?

If the swelling didn't go down easily I would be concerned, similarly if the swelling effected the horse in any way. But it could just be an odd feature of being kept in conditions that 1000's of years of evolution didn't design them for ?
 
thats brilliant!! x I think thats what i wanted to hear! lol x I dont like to 'not know' why something happens, as i think if you can understand why something happens, it's easier to avoid it/help it etc x

That sounds like a good reasoning, so thanks for that x
 
Does youre boy wear boots in the field are when being ridden? Sometimes they provide alot of support to the leg and taking them off causes legs to fill. Electrolyte imbalance can also cause filling- as can running around and being a general t***t if he is active in the field :)
 
I only put tendon boots on him for hunting/team chasing and showjumping at shows, don't tend to boot up at home and he doesnt have boots on in the field x Try not to over boot him but they seem to give him 'confidence' over bigger jumps - bless him! x
 
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