help needed regarding small swelling on front leg

[sarahlou123]

hi
i've had my new pony since the beginning of march & have been having nothing but problems so far.

he's 18yrs old & he has a bad eye at the moment. we've had the vet out to him who said he couldnt see any foreign body so thinks it must be ulcer. he gave him antibiotic inj & anti inflammatory inj & gave me some ointment to apply. this made no difference so i rang his previous owner who said to try some homeopathy rememdies.

i tried euphrasia but discovered that the potency i used was probably too low so i'm now treating his eye with euphrasia & golden eye & it's very slowly improving.

now onto his leg: i went to ride him yesterday & he was fine as i lead him in but when i got on him i knew straight away he didnt feel right. (i was in our muddy field) i took him out onto the road to make sure it wasnt just the field & he was still walking funny.

when he put's his left front leg down he throws his head up. my neighbour who has horses felt his leg & said there was a small swelling. it's just below his knee on the inside of his leg. his leg & foot doesnt really feel & any warmer than the others. he is really hairy & has lots of feathers so it's difficult to feel his legs but i have noticed his legs are quite scaly(white) sort of like really thick dandruff. he also has a small patch about the size of a 50p that is black & scaby just below the swelling. i've been doing cold & hot compresses but i was wondering what it is before i call out the vet.

the black bit looks a bit like mud fever but i thought mud fever only really occured lower on the leg & heels.

his field is very muddy & although he does have a field shelter it's very muddy around the entrance to that too. i've been chucking old hay on the floor to try & soak up some of the mud. i dont have any where else to put him (advertising for more grazing at the min)

any advice/ideas would begreat
thanks sarah

 

[scrat]

Not sure about the swelling but his lameness could be connected to the problem with his skin under those feathers. It sounds as if the white scaly bits in the hair are malladers and sallanders, very common in feathered legs, usually at the back of the knee. This basically dead skin that is shed into the hair from a thickened area.
This can be combed out gently with metal dog flea comb.However do not be tempted to pick at the dry skin as it can become very sore. The black scabs sound like dried blood and he has probably been biting or scratching his legs and making them sore. He may also be stamping to relieve the itch and this could be the cause of his lameness especially as he is older and his joints may not be as strong as they were.This could also be feather mites but it can also be just mud that can irritate feathered legs. Try washing in dermoline and then try using pig oil and sulpher. If you do a search THERESA F has brilliant advise that I'm sure she will pass on to help with the hairy legs. I hope this helps with part of your problem.

 

[sarahlou123]

hi
thanks for your advice, i will go do a search in a min. i described his condition to the people at both the local feed stores today & all 3 people said it sounds like mud fever. they recommended trimming his feathers so i can see properly what i'm dealing with then washing throughly with hibiscrub then applying lots of udder cream to the affected area so at the moment i've given that a go. if that doesnt work i'll try your idea (i think i would have tried yours first but only just read the reply now)

i still dont understand where the swellings come from though. :S
thanks sarah

 

[AmyMay]

Splint??

Vet??