Reassurance/ advice

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loisb501

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Hello!

Brought my horse in from the field tonight she looked fine, went to go for a hack. When i got on i could feel she didn't feel 100% so carried on walking down the drive (Its flat, straight with little stones) to see if it was possibly just stiffness or the stones in the yard.

When i asked for a small trot to get past our napping area i could feel she was lame in her off hind, stopped jumped off checked for stones, swelling, heat couldn't feel anything. She is not hopping lame but it's obvious when you turn her etc.

Decided to give her some bute and boxrest overnight- will be going up about 5 before work tomorrow. Is there anything else i should have done?? Was considering calling vet but decided to rest her overnight and see how she is in the morning incase it's (hopefully) just a knock.

Haven't had any real problems with her since i got her in November that's why i'm double checking. She was fine when she came in yesterday, was considering the possibility of an abscess with the constantly changing weather?? Anyway, just looking for some reassurance/advice as to what to do next. She's eating and looking happy with herself.

Thanks :)
 
I would have done the same especially as my horse is such a baby, he can have a bruise & be lame.. I even ring my vet just for advise & he says give him a few days because he is such a woose!
 
I wouldn't have given bute. Just in case it's more serious, eg hairline fracture, you don't want to mask the pain too much so that the horse uses the leg when they shouldn't and makes things worse.
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
I wouldn't have given bute. Just in case it's more serious, eg hairline fracture, you don't want to mask the pain too much so that the horse uses the leg when they shouldn't and makes things worse.
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I would! If he's stabled, then he's not going to make it worse (unless it's an abcess or it swells up with standing) - and bute is an much better anti-inflammatorythan it is a pain killer (so you're treating rather than 'masking' pain. Believe me, if a horse has done real damage - or even has a bad abcess - even a hefty dose won't stop it being lame.

One of my 2 year old fillies ripped the ligaments in her stifle in January in a fall in the field - she went onto immediate box rest - 4 days of 4 Danilon a day - and she was JUST as lame after 4 days on that dose as she was at the start! She was then cut down to 2 a day and stayed on that for 6 weeks - and was still 4/10ths lame after 6 weeks at that dose. Thankfully, she is now just about sound - and a full set of x-rays of both stifles las week showed NO changes to suggest anything more sinister.
 
Just back from seeing her now. She looked far better this morning thankfully, there was a small bump so looks like she's just knocked it. Going to call the vet anyway and see if there is anything else I can do.

Put her out in a small section of field as she is calmer out than she is if left in all day. Was worried that i should have got the vet right away since there was no obvious swelling or heat.

Phew, so hopefully it's just a wee bump!
 
JG, a horse with sharp pain in its leg from eg a hairline fracture, dulled by bute, certainly can make it worse even if stabled just by lying down and then getting up again at some point.
 
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