Leg swollen, not lame (event in 2 weeks)

[Twiglet]

I moved yards two weeks ago, and tried to introduce my gelding to his new herd very sensibly - over a fence, one at a time etc. It seems to have gone well, and he's settled nicely. A few days after the move, he came in with a fat right hind - properly huge, with some heat. There was a tiny scab on the fetlock, and on closer inspection some mud fever like scabs on the front legs (he's chesnut with white socks/pink heels). He was totally, utterly sound, trotted up on hard ground, on a circle and under saddle. He has swollen up before on a different leg, again with no lameness, but with a leg the size of Hampshire. 3 days hosing and bandaging that time and it went down.
This time the leg has been going down (although not entirely) after turnout and exercise, and filling overnight, but a week on its still swollen with heat. Had vet out yesterday and he agreed he is totally sound ("pass a vetting sound"), but he didn't like a week of unexplained filling and heat. Prescribed 5 days course of norodine and bute and reassess mid next week.
Anyone had experience of this? I'm inclined to think he might just be a leg puffer with mud fever, but I'm concerned it still looks large after a week.
The other issue is we have our first event in two weeks (Munstead 80). Due to yard move and this leg, his work has ended up being scaled back in the run up, and I'm worried he's not going to be fit enough. He was very fit during January and start of February, but I feel it's tailed off and not going to be able to do enough work because of his fat leg to get him back before the event. It's only an 80 so I'm not panicking too much but I really did want him to be in much more consistent work in the lead up to it.
Sorry for the essay!!

 

[PorkChop]

I think you are doing everything right, though I think I would be icing with a tubigrip if there was still heat persisting, the cold hosing may well be irritating the possible mud fever.

I would suck it and see with regards to the event, if he was properly fit then there is no reason why he shouldn't be able to compete. Though I would want the leg to be completely normal for at least seven days before.

Horses are sent to try us - fit as a flea and then as soon as you enter a competition they pull a sick note

 

[leflynn]

Mine does the same with mud fever, I use a bit of neat hibi after washing, dry off legs and equimins MSM cream to keep it at bay, I also find that oddly some of the scabs are higher up his legs than you would expect too but his legs will still puff up a bit

 

[Pinkvboots]

It does just sound like the mud fever, a horse my friend was looking after over the weekend had the same issue chestnut with white socks and the legs were huge and covered in scabs, I wouldn't hose them as this will make the mud fever worse as it is drying the skin out I have tried the hypocare for mud fever and it did clear it up but I was putting it on 3 times a day but only wiping mud off with baby wipes and only washing occasionally but making sure I dry them off throughly with a towel, you do use quite a bit of it but it's not really expensive I think it's £10 for a large bottle.

 

[cundlegreen]

It does just sound like the mud fever, a horse my friend was looking after over the weekend had the same issue chestnut with white socks and the legs were huge and covered in scabs, I wouldn't hose them as this will make the mud fever worse as it is drying the skin out I have tried the hypocare for mud fever and it did clear it up but I was putting it on 3 times a day but only wiping mud off with baby wipes and only washing occasionally but making sure I dry them off throughly with a towel, you do use quite a bit of it but it's not really expensive I think it's £10 for a large bottle.

I don't think white socks has anything to do with it. My black mare (no socks) tends to get mud fever every year going into the event season. With her its a stress reaction to all the fitness training. I wouldn't be washing at all, let alone hibiscrub. I saw a horse be made 10 times worse because of all the washing. Its a bacterial thing, once you soften up the skin from washing, the bacteria can get right in and it can take weeks to get right. Take a deep breath, keep dry and just put stable bandages on the leg to keep the swelling down.

 

[only_me]

I agree, I don't think white socks have anything to do with mud fever. It might be that they are more likely?
Mine lives out, has pink skin under his white legs (although only from fetlock down, which is weird) and the field is so muddy and its very deep, but he has never had any mud fever. He did have an abscess in his heel which had burst before seen but wasn't actually looking for anything as he had been 100% sound!

op is there a chance there is an abscess lurking? I know most are v. Lame with one but mine had absolutely no sign of one and also was vetting sound, so might be worth a look.
Also, Do you have access to ice vibe boots? They might help the swelling go down

 

[Hetsmum]

yep had the same thing to you this year and I'm pretty local to you. It was a 'mud fever' type skin thing and I found shampooing with malaseb and leaving on for 10 mins before thoroughly drying (as per mud fever) and then bandaging every night cleared it up. I did go through 10 days of norodine though and about 14 days of bute. All cleared up now though and horse sound throughout - although a little stiff from swelling. He has white legs too and it hyper sensitive!

 

[Eventmum]

Don't wish to scare you but unless you are 1000% sure its mud fever I would get a vet to check and look to see if there is a waitlist and get your money back. We had a horse who was susceptible to mud fever and legs swelled in stable but he had slight swelling one day which wasn't unusual and it would normally went down with exercise, that day it didn't and vets call out found out he had injured himself in the field and it was potentially going to end his career as an eventer and even to get sound and generally working would take a very long recovery period 1year plus. Its just not worth the risk, you said he probably wont be fit enough and although only 80 its still quite a lot and there are always plenty of other events.

 

[HotToTrot]

I wouldn't be worried about fitness, but I'd want to know the leg was fine, so I'd be getting scans/x-rays and pushing vet for other possible explanations, then ruling them out. Could well just be "him", could be mud fever, could be a spot of cellulitis, in time you will get to know what is normal and what is not and make more of a call on it. However, if there is something lurking there and you run, you could make it an awful lot worse. Hopefully it's nothing at all - but I would want to be sure that it was nothing at all!