Horse lame... Swollen tendon?

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NoltonSeaShell

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Just went up to change rugs, and she was calling to me in the field. I go down and see that she wasn't putting any weight on her back left leg.

I coaxed her up to the stable, and sponge her leg off, not any particular imflammation/heat but was is constantly holding the leg up to not put any weight on it.

Was planning on getting the vet out tonight but parents refused. Can't stable her tonight as I've run out of hay (typical) so put some food down and left her in her stable with the door open so she can come and go as she pleases.

Should I ice it tomorrow? And apply a pressure bandage, and see how it goes. Hopefully getting some hay tomorrow, fingers crossed! Should I definitely get the vet out tomorrow or wait??

All help is great fully received! However I'm too tired/sad to have a bashing at the moment, yes I should have got the vet out tonight but unfortunately I can't. So looking for help on here.
 
do you think it may be an abscess? I went out on a great hack on the sat, sunday he couldn't even weight bear and it was an abscess
 
Vet first thing and please don't put on a pressure bandage. ? pus in the foot. Try testing around her hoof wall/sole or if your farrier will come out quickly get him to test. Pus in the foot can cause quite dramatic lameness.
 
Put pressure all around the foot and she didn't flinch. So I'm leaning towards it not being an abscess, But also pressed all down her leg and she didn't flinch either.
 
The hoof was clean, give it a good wash as well. My first thought was something stuck in the hoof but double checked and it was clean. Thank you for all your posts, I'll be up all night worrying now.
 
Could be something in her shoulder that can lead to lameNess but hard to diagnose and find spot as mainly internal. If no better in morn and not weight bearing i would call vet- will be in normal hours so not as pricey. Hope she better in morn and its something simple.
Don't rule out abcess tho my lad had one and it took my very good Farrier half hour to find it he didn't react to my pressure tests and took massive pressure until he did- he is a wimp to so surprised!
 
If the horse is hopping, three leg lame then it's most likely an abscess. Second on the list is that something has broken.

I was on the verge of having my mare sent off for x-rays when an abscess burst out of her coronet band. She hadn't responded to hoof testers and only reacted to you pressing on the coronet (where it later popped) for a couple of hours before it actually burst.
 
I'd get vet first thing. Any chance your parents will take you back up to check on her again? If it was injured just before you went up earlier it might not have had chance to inflame but could be now.
 
An abscess is the most likely cause but dont just wait and see, it needs treatment tomorrow if she is non weight bearing she is in extreme pain and that can cause other problems such as colic if she is unable to move to eat.
 
NoltonSeaShell said:
Put pressure all around the foot and she didn't flinch. So I'm leaning towards it not being an abscess, But also pressed all down her leg and she didn't flinch either.
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this happened to me as well he didn't react to me tapping with a hoof pick, it was only until the vet took the shoe off did the hole reveal itself. Does the hoof feel warm at all? (although my horse's didn't). There are a lot of horses going down with abscesses at the minute, must be the weather.
 
Dizzydancer it's get left hind. Would the top of her leg/flank have an effect? That's what I'm planning, Im hoping she's a bit better in the morning. Ok thank you, I realise abscesses are tricky, my old mare was fine one day and it had burst out the next. If its not any better tomorrow I'll definitely get the vet/farrier out
 
Faracat was your horse able to limp its way to the stable? As she made it up there but when standing wouldn't put any weight on it.

Thank you cazza
 
Little legs I drive so can pop up whenever. Do you think I should pop up and re check her?

She doesn't have shoes on so nothing would be covering a hole, no heat in her hoof either. I feel like popping up and re checking her thou. Aw I hate injured horses, make us sick with worry.
 
Agree it could be an abscess. My girl had one a few weeks ago that came out through her heel. If it is an abscess, once it's burst she's be fine.

Might be worth hot tubbing her foot to see if it eases.
 
NoltonSeaShell said:
Faracat was your horse able to limp its way to the stable? As she made it up there but when standing wouldn't put any weight on it.

Thank you cazza
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On the Vet's and Farriers advice she was actually left in the field. It was awful but they were still certain that it was an abscess, it was me that was freaking out. They wanted her to move in her own time and put what weight she could on the leg to encourage the abscess to burst.


Same mare then went lame on a different leg and although she wasn't as lame, we were once again about to x-ray when that abscess burst.


Poor girl has had a shockingly bad time. :(
 
Tiffany, hot tubbing? I'm sorry I've not heard of that.

Faracat, so me leaving her out what probably for the best? I'm so nervous about leaving her out. I'm actually freaking out. I hope your girl is fine now.
 
Check for a digital pulse i her fetlock. If you can feel it thumping away strongly then you are pretty much, 99% certain to have an abcess.

Saying that my tb came in hopping behind one day and I hoped and prayed it was an abcess whilst knowing it wasn't. Poulticed overnight, got vet our first thing as he wasn't weight bearing very well and he had bashed a hole 50% way through his tendon, round the fetlock taking out the tendon sheath in the process.

Not trying to scare you in the slightest as my horse is a bit of a freak. I would say more of an abcess than anything else.
 
Faracat said:
On the Vet's and Farriers advice she was actually left in the field. It was awful but they were still certain that it was an abscess, it was me that was freaking out. They wanted her to move in her own time and put what weight she could on the leg to encourage the abscess to burst.

Same mare then went lame on a different leg and although she wasn't as lame, we were once again about to x-ray when that abscess burst.

Poor girl has had a shockingly bad time. :(
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WOW! Faracat you are SO lucky to have a farrier AND a vet who believe in letting them burst in their own good time. I've been doing that, following advice from a US barefoot guru for many years now and I have always found that they recover easily once it has burst, usually at the heel and sometimes around the coronet and, once, in the frog.

Yours is the only vet and the only farrier that I have heard of that can resist digging a hole in the sole of the foot. It's pitiful to watch them limp before it pops, though, isn't it :(
 
Oh wow EKW, I hope he's ok now. Well she's a bit of a dope, never messes around etc? So her pulling a tendon, striking herself etc doesn't really seem like her. (fingers crosses) I am hoping that it's nothing and I'll go up tomorrow morning and she will be fine, second to that I'm hoping it's an abcess, not the easy option but I've already had to deal with one before. Hoping it's nothing to do with tendons etc, although she is a field companion I still want her sound and healthy!

Damn tb and their skinny Minnie legs! Haha
 
NoltonSeaShell said:
Tiffany, hot tubbing? I'm sorry I've not heard of that.

Faracat, so me leaving her out what probably for the best? I'm so nervous about leaving her out. I'm actually freaking out. I hope your girl is fine now.
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She'll be quiet overnight now it's gone dark, so don't worry. Get her in tomorrow and have the vet check to make sure it's not an injury somewhere else, and he'll tell you what he wants to do if it's an abscess. They can be horribly lame, but really it's a very, very, common thing. Try not to worry too much.

NSS you and your parents are obviously fairly novice horse owners, like we all were once. They should have allowed you to call the vet this evening given how lame your horse is. Can we help you in any way to get that message across to them for next time???


ps hot tubbing is sticking her foot in a bucket of hot water to soften it to encourage it to break out. You can put washing soda in it, but that is VERY harsh and you need to be careful with it as it will burn your own skin and it makes the whole foot very soft. Once the hole is open, people often tub with salt in the water to get it clean.
 
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NoltonSeaShell said:
Tiffany, hot tubbing? I'm sorry I've not heard of that.

Faracat, so me leaving her out what probably for the best? I'm so nervous about leaving her out. I'm actually freaking out. I hope your girl is fine now.
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Thanks she is getting better.

I think that the Vet in the morning is the best option. Hopefully she will only move as much as her pain allows and wont do anything silly. I was actually quite surprised how sensible my mare was.

Hot tubbing is good for abscesses. You need to have enough hot/warm (not too hot, you don't want to scald the horse) water to cover the horse's hoof and coronet. Put some epsom salts in the water and try to get the horse to stand with their leg in the bucket for 10 mins.
 
cptrayes said:
WOW! Faracat you are SO lucky to have a farrier AND a vet who believe in letting them burst in their own good time. I've been doing that, following advice from a US barefoot guru for many years now and I have always found that they recover easily once it has burst, usually at the heel and sometimes around the coronet and, once, in the frog.

Yours is the only vet and the only farrier that I have heard of that can resist digging a hole in the sole of the foot. It's pitiful to watch them limp before it pops, though, isn't it :(
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Funnily enough, it's the general vet who said that it was Ok to leave her out. The equine specialist from the same practice likes to dig them out.

I agree - the recovery with the naturally burst abscess was quicker. The one that was dug out of the sole left her 'ouchy' on stones for ages. the hoof tester confirmed that that was the sore spot.

Pitiful is the right word. She used to look longingly at the youngsters playing and would then try to join in, but it only took one stride on the bad hoof before she changed her mind. :(
 
Me and my parents aren't novices, it's just they didn't want to pay the £100 odd emergency call out and wanted to wait until tomorrow. Only one vet practice around so no choice to move vets.

If she's the same/worse by tomorrow I'll get the vet out and see what they say about the soaking of the foot. Only problem is she hates water. So getting her to stand soaking her leg would be difficult.
 
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