Fluid Retention

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Hammer

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Has anyone any experience in fluid retention in horses? My 14.3 mare has had fluid retention for nearly a year now, it pops up in various places on her body and seems to have no detrimental effect on her health. I would like to get rid of it tho. Antibiotics and anti inflamatories have had little or no long lasting effect.
 
My old boy used to get fluid retention but only when he was stabled. if he was turned out he didnt get it. but i put it down to his age
 
We have a gelding who retains fluid - legs, sheath and belly. Our vet initially though something stopping blood flow back from heart - though heart sounds normal. But now suspects some kind of low grade blockage caused by ulcer/adhesions - he too runs around quite happily in the field -we retired him when this started (he's only 12).
We don't know categorically what's wrong with him as the only way to find out would be to open him up & vet (who is terrific horse vet) advised against it due to cost/risk to pony and poor prognosis. Vet says he has experienced a few cases like this where pony potters round quite happily - often for years - then finally succumb to colic.
Don't like to be all doom and gloom - your case may be very different to mine but when mine first started to get filled legs everybody thought I was overreacting but I always suspected something serious was behind them.
 
My horse has had every test under the sun - I have had a total of five vets look at her - one from a different surgery and they are all perplexed. She had a virus last summer which laid her very low and has had this fluid retention ever since. The only suggestion from all the vets is to send her to Newmarket where all the same tests will be run again and as her general health is so good I don't want to at the moment. She eats and drinks well. Her bed is as wet as I would expect in the mornings. I wonder if it will clear up by itself eventually.
 
Thank you so much for the reply. My horses legs don't have any fluid in them and she is otherwise very fit now. She contracted a virus last summer which laid her very low and the vets (all five of them) seem to think that it will clear up by itself or I can opt to send her to Newmarket but I am reluctant to take this step as she is so well at the moment. Anyway they will only do all the same tests on her and I'd rather not put her through all that again. Thanks again.
 
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