Leg very swollen after hunting on Saturday *pics and video*

Hoof_Prints

Hoof_Prints

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Things were going so well, but then it has to go wrong! Finn has been on top form recently, moving and working fantastic, been carefully getting him really fit for a year without any injury whatsoever. Been taking him out autumn hunting- were quite fast moving and a lot of jumping, out for hours and no problems at all. Took him out hunting Saturday and it was a big turn out with a lot of trotting at max speed and cantering on roads, plus cantering on boggy fields. We were out for about 4 hours and then I turned back (got a bit lost on the way back!) and loaded him up to take home after a good day. Hosed off legs and checked for cuts and thorns, just a couple of marks that had appeared under his xc boots. I thought I felt him trotting a bit uneven on the roads but I was trying to keep him on the grass verge so thought I was imagining it. On Sunday he was brought in at 7 am and turned out at 3pm so his legs had filled from being in, and I wasn't took worried when he walked out a little stiff and had filled legs.

This morning I found him in the field not looking very well (shivering but was warm under his 2 rugs! and I am one to slightly over-rug to be honest) He walked in slowly and I checked his legs to find one foreleg was still swollen :( all down the outside, fetlock and pastern, no obvious heat compared to the other leg and squeezing along the tendon had little reaction but he was very reactive to me touching a small cut just above the fetlock.

Here is an album with photos. You will see photos of a hole in his white line, I was advised to pack it with surgical spirit soaked cotton wool and carry on as normal, but the same leg has swollen that has the hoof hole.
http://s16.photobucket.com/user/Hoof-Printz/library/Finn before and afters

but here is one to show the swelling anyway

20131118_142500_zps330788df.jpg


Video to follow of walk and trot up. Very worried and vet will be out If no improvement- but he told me to give it a couple of days first the last time I rang with similar symptoms for another horse, and it got better on its own. Have a worse feeling about this though! Gave him a sachet of bute earlier , HW rug and disinfected the cuts. Not sure what else to do now, apart from worry a lot :(
 
Try not to worry, it could be something and nothing. A horse on our yard came in hobbling on Wednesday with a big fat fetlock but after a few days bute and box rest he's absolutely fine and sound now. Fingers crossed for your boy xx
 
Could be all sorts, but the first thing that came to mind was cellulitis, you only need a tiny entry wound to have a quite spectacular swelling. Our pony had it a few years back, leg like a tree-trunk within just a few days, antibiotics cleared it up in a week though with no complications.
 
He does get random little cuts like that all over his legs, not sure why- never trouble him other than being a bit sensitive and the vet just said not to worry. But he's particularly reactive to this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4IGQmAowOk

Not a very good video I'm afraid but he was cold and didn't want to aggravate anything too much. He is never easy to trot in hand, prefers to walk so that is not unusual.

Thanks for the replies, i'll make a call tomorrow and get it looked at but keep suggestions coming as I like to do my research. Oh and the album has photos of his other leg for comparison
 
vet job - mum's mare recently had similar - we could only find a small scratch/mudfever like patch and she'd managed to get an infection from it - some antibs sorted her out.
 
thanks, I did think infection but it appeared so suddenly I had got 'tendon' wedged in my brain. Hoping he's not too uncomfortable, I will update on what the vet says :)
 
I think with pink legs and clipped legs out hunting, he's going to be pretty vulnerable to small nicks which are going to easily get infected.
My guess is that is all it is but I would certainly want a vets opinion and some antibs if so
 
Looks and sounds like celulitis to me too. That could explain the shivering, he might be running a slight temperature. Mine had it in the summer from the smallest of scratches, not even visible until it blew up. A course of antibiotics and danilon soon sorted it.
 
I don't like clipping legs , and my other horses have their left on- but tried that before and he grows feathers as thick as a gypsy cob ! he's very much a coloured TB with the hair of a HW cob in the winter :o so he has them clipped 2 or three times then left on after the feather growth has been prevented a bit ! Because of this I hunt him in eventing boots but obviously muck is going to get in :( fingers crossed its something antibiotics will sort out- as he's feeling a bit sorry for himself at the moment.
 
Hope he is feeling a little better today. With clipping, could you not just clip the feathers rather than the whole leg! I do this as mine gets some stupid loooking feathery bits that serve no purpose.
 
Frankly, I find it very hard to tell the difference between a tendon injury or an infection! My horse has sometimes come in with a filled leg and I immediately panic. One vet had the same problem once, giving my horse several weeks' box rest, only for me to find pus on the bandages from the smallest cut ever after 24 hours, and she was fine within a day or two.
 
It does look like an infection, so bute antibiotics and possibly steroids should sort it out, if he is off colour I would get the vet as it is probably very painful, mine had a stupid temperature and was quite poorly with cellulitis, sorted easily enough though!
 
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