Legs filling - HELP Please!!!

[seche]

My old horse has been out on loan for last 6 months with family friends who’s 13yr old tall daughter has been riding him as her "first horse" They went off to Pony Club Camp - he won the dressage, 2nd in the show jumping and they went off and did a FULL

days XC on ground that was like a road (before the rains!)

That very night his legs -(all 4) were up like balloons. (occasionally after a days Hunting they would fill but we would bandage fronts and put magnet boots on back and he'd have a day off to walk out swelling would go down) I haven’t hunted him for two years so his legs haven’t had the wear and tear.

- These legs go down if he out 24/7 but if he is in for a night (due to vile weather) they swell hard again - he is sound as a pound though he doesn’t want to "power-troop" walk as he usually does out on a hack…. Which makes me think he is sensitive to them and more than likely jarred up as well.

The vet thinks its a circulationary defect, he has been on bute and the problem is still there.
I don’t think he will fair well living out all winter and I don’t know what to do. Are there any blood thinning supplements that could help?

Aside from walking out the whole time I don’t know what to do with him this happened 6 weeks ago now and although there is no pressure for him to return to work – I want him back to normal!!

Rocky Road and Caramel Choc biccys for getting this far!
Also in Vet but this is where the experience hangs out!!
x

 

[only_me]

maybe try a cooling clay like "like ice"?

what about magnetic boots all round?

is there heat in the legs?

 

[spottybotty]

If it is circulatory then gentle excercise would help get the swelling down and massaging the legs.

 

[ladyt25]

Is he turned out? I would say that's generally the best remedy so they can walk about. The worst thing for a horse whose legs tend to swell is to restrict their movement ie stable them), they need to keep the blood flow going so that's the best thing I could suggest really, unless you have any particular reason to keep him stabled.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I would say turnout 24 7 as well. If they are walking around constantly the circulation is far better than if they are standing still most of the time in their stable.

If the horse can be turned out 24 7 then def. do it.

 

[Ezme]

The only thing i've ever seen work with filled legs is walking/turnout be it, horsewalker, in an arena or "normal" turnout. Alot of older horses start to fill when stabled. I knwo most it doesn't bother, just a question of whats normal for him. Sorry i'm not more help!

 

[GT_02]

Hi, my horses legs will swell if he has too much protein in his diet, I can't feed alfalfa for example. Not sure if you have noticed a difference if his diet has been changed?

 

[seche]

No heat in legs and Bioflow advise you only have one set of Magnet boots on so weve been doing day time back legs and nighttime on front legs.

 

[happy_talk]

has he been out 24/7 for the 6 weeks that this has been going on?
perhaps keep him out 24/7 for as long as possible (bring him in when weather/winter gets too bad) and you may find that it resolves itself before winter.
I presume you have put stable bandage/magnetic boots on the legs when he has been in over the past 6 weeks.

 

[seche]

That certainly is a thought - I think he will come home where this weekend where he is fed hay rather than haylage and he can be out alot more of the time - His stable is as big as possible its 16ft/18ft. It will be interesting to see what happens when he is off Haylage and just on a basic diet - He is most happy when he is out I just worry at his age letting him winter out (of course he will be rugged to the eyeballs and stuffed full of food) out at night in winter Id worry about him - perhaps im being neurotic?

 

[seche]

He has been in night out all day as where he is on loan is a stud so everything is on rotation so the stallions keep to their routine.
He is coming home at the weekend where he can be out 24/7 till the weather closes then he can go out 8am and come in round 5pm or untill it gets dark. It just seems strange to me that this leg filling has gone on for such a long time.

 

[GT_02]

I feed my boy haylage but find if I get a particularly 'rich' load his legs will fill a bit more than normal overnight. He's usually walked it off in the first hour or so of being in the field though. Fingers crossed you get to the bottom of it!

 

[annunziata]

my horse had the same issue in her hock!! we used equiform tendon ice gel (arnica and whitch hazel) and turned her away for 3 months came back fine and happy as larry
good luck

 

[happy_talk]

yes, it has gone on for a while, but at the same time I presume they are going up and down like yo-yos everyday. I suppose you could think of it as he's only had a few hours/day when the swelling has gone and legs are normal to recover. not sure if there's any logic in that, but i certainly wouldn;t give up hope on it resolving itself.

 

[ladyt25]

Wouldn't worry age wise with him being out, providing you have plenty of food and rug him if he's likely to get cold/lose weight quickly. All our oldies have always been out 24/7 and our oldest one lived to the ripe old age of 36 so it didn't do him any harm. You actually couldn't stable him mind, we did once he broke the wall down!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Has the vet considered lymphangitis as a possible cause? my big hunter boy has it, if mild it can cause similar symptoms to those you describe?

 

[Ezme]

Timmy (baby percheron) had lymphangitis that was just short course antibiotics and as much turnout as posible and it was all gone. Found the cause was feather mites anthough he has no feathers (his little "grifin's claw is clipped off)