Infected Joint ( Also HI, Im New )

J

jbramhall

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Hello ! Iv been browsing for a while now and thought id take the plunge and join
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I was wondering if anyone could tell me their experiences with an infection on a joint, what was the outcome and how long did it take to find out it was infact on the joint and how long recover period...

thanks ! Sorry a lot of questions for a newbie
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i promise i wont habit of it
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hi
Normally if a joint is infected, this needs to be identified and treated immediately - there is a 6-8 hour window (I think it is 6-8 hour - sure people will correct me if it is wrong) in which you have before the prognosis becomes very very poor.
Identification is via a joint tap (fluid is drawn from the joint) and then this is visually checked and if possible also checked under the microscope to confirm infection - if yes, the horse must be operated on immediately to flush and clean the joint (this is also the case for tendon sheath infections)
The recovering period varies tremendously depending on how quickly the infection was treated,which joint/tendon sheath and how bad / extensive the infection was.

I have seen a horse recover which was identified much later than mentioned, but he was a bit of a miracle, this is definately not normally the case.
 
Exactly what Germanyjo said... I have seen three cases in the past the first was an ex racer who infected his hock due to a kick and had to have it flushed three times then he made a full recovery... The second sadly was my tb mare who infected both hock joints due to a double barrel kick in the field who did not make it she was only given 20% chance due to crap vet saying she did not need referring until after the weekend (I was a gobby 14 year old aparently who did not know what I was talking about grrrrr)

and my grey this week had his fetlock tested this week and is not infected thank god....
 
Thankyou so much for the information, i have a 2year old who managed to get into some dirty water and came out with a cut to her fetlock that has now inflammed, vet gave her a injection of the anti's and has given me antibiotics n bute for over the weekend and if no improvement will up it to oral anti's, but he mentioned a flush of the joint but only if she is to go lame. Im such a pickle! someone i know had a horse with a infected hock and it made a recovery, just want to make sure if there is anything we catch it before its too late
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If the joint gets infected you will not miss the lameness they are completely crippled.... They cannot hide it or be brave.. It will be a very sudden and dramatic change.
 
Keep a very close eye on her, if there is any change for the worse regarding how lame she is, call the vet immediately - they become very very lame , very quickly if the joint does become infected.
 
It is a dramatic lameness that can't be missed even in walk. Basically the infection damages all the structures in the joint, plus to make worse the joint is a sealed capsule so antib's wont work as there is no blood supply to carry them into the infected area.

I'm sure your vet would have done a joint tap if they were worried they don't hang about. My grey was 7/10 lame at the trot when he was tested last week by the next day he was almost sound. This does not happen with an infected joint..
 
Thank you for your advice ! I'll keep an eye on her over the weekend and see how it pans out ! Think my vet obviously just warned me of the worse case given her cut is just above the joint.

Thankyou once again !
 
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