Mysterious Swollen Knee (what could it be?)

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WelshRareBit

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A friend brought Murphy in at about 2/3pm yesterday, threw him some hay and left for the evening.

I then arrived at 6pm to muck out, hay for the night etc. To my horror Murphy was dragging his left front leg. On further inspection he has a fat knee, maybe twice the size of the other. Virtually no heat in it.

A vet nurse at the yard took a look and agreed with me to start cold hosing it to see if we can get the swelling down. Today my friend has turned him out and his leg is apparently swollen from knee to fetlock!
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Upon walking it loosens up so I decided to turn him out for mobility. He is bright in himself and eating.

Has anyone got any idea what possibly could have happened?

Could he have pulled/twisted it in the field and it not shown up til later?

Im going to give it one more try cold hosing it tonight and if its no better its a vet jobby tomorrow
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my big lad did exactly the same thing 2 nights ago. i brought him in for the night (he usually lives out - he was very excited to come in and spent 5 mins piaffing and passaging beside me, so 100% sound then!) and spent ages shampooing and hosing off his legs. no way did he have a big knee, it was normal. by the next morning, it was seriously football sized, and he was really sore on it.
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i iced it a few times, then poulticed it for one night, it does have a small graze on it so i think it must be infected. have got him on bute and walking out in hand. it's slowly going down. how the hell it got so big so fast from nothing, i have no idea. maybe he clouted it rolling in the stable... your lad could have done something similar maybe.
 
If I were you, I would get in touch with a vet to have a look at it. My friend's horse came in from the field the other day sound as a pound, within a few hours his knee had puffed right up and it turned out that he had been kicked or something and the joint fluid from his knee had started to leak out and got infected. He's had to have a massive operation but may have to be put down as it keeps getting re-infected. Don't want to scare you but better to be safe than sorry?
 
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If I were you, I would get in touch with a vet to have a look at it. My friend's horse came in from the field the other day sound as a pound, within a few hours his knee had puffed right up and it turned out that he had been kicked or something and the joint fluid from his knee had started to leak out and got infected. He's had to have a massive operation but may have to be put down as it keeps getting re-infected. Don't want to scare you but better to be safe than sorry?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm with you. I put Patches in her stable one night normal as anything. Next morning dog lame and with a swollen knee.

I took her to the vets and she had an infection in her tendon sheath that required emergency surgery. Had I not got her to the vet so swiftly, she'd not be with me today.

If I ever had another horse come in with those symptoms again, I'd be straight on the phone to the vet.
 
Oh yes the vet is coming tomorrow, just wondering if anyone had an idea first of all.

Unfortunately our vets are a bit crap so a heads up would be good..
 
It could be anything really - he may have twisted it or bashed it pratting around in the field.

Agree with the cold hosing - and would have been up there this morning also doing it for 20 mins prior to turning out. Also a cold compress whilst you're up there tonight will be usefull.

As the vet is comming up I would definately get him to have a little look - he may want to prescribe some bute to help reduce the inflamation as well.
 
Could by lymphangitis....could be anything really, from a simple bump to something less straightforward.

Good luck with the vet tomorrow.
 
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