Reassurance needed - Horse been kicked

Quarrybank

Quarrybank

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Spider managed to get kicked out in the field yesterday
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It on the outside of his tibia on his hind leg about half way between his hock & his stiffle.
There is a small cut - just taken the skin off really, but its fairly swollen & slightly hot. His temperature is normal.
I've just put him on a lunge line in the school to see how he is. He's sound in walk. Yesterday evening he was lame in trot. He was going v short on the hind leg, but today he's pretty much sound in trot. However he's lame in canter. He's been out in the field again today to have a wander round and hopefully bring the swelling down, but I've obviously not ridden him.
I've also cold hosed it this morning & tonight.

So my question is..... would you be worried & is there anything else I should be doing?
I was supposed to be having a jumping lesson tomorrow, so that's looking v unlikely
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Don't wish to freak you out, but I have a horse who suffered a similar injury as a two year old, just the tiniest cut on the leg, turned out to be broken!

Keep him in, and call the Vet - just in case.
 
I would get vet out asap
If it is hot and swollen and he is lame, 24hrs after the injury, he is in pain and may have an infection and or deep bruising.
 
Thanks for your thoughts & advice.
The swelling has started to move down his leg. The site of the kick is now not swollen, but around the hock is.
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He's gone out this morning in the hope that moving around on it will reduce the swelling. He's still sound on it in walk (not tried in trot today) However if it's not gone down markedly when I get him in, then I'm going to take him to the vets this afternoon
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I'm starting to think it might be infected
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He's obviously trying to give me one more vets bill for 2008
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Hi QB I had this last summer with my mare, she got kicked by the new horse we had in, in about the same area as your horse. She was lame that night when I bought her in, I washed the small cut off and dressed it with Dermagel gave her one bute in her feed. The next day she came out a bit stiff and sore but then the next day she seemed to be getting better so I cut down the bute to half a sachet, that night she came in worse and the leg began to swell, well to cut a long story short she had got an infection in the cut from swishing her tail round over the cut, I had the vet out on a saturday morning (double time) he was very good he pumped her full of 2 syringes, one antibiotic and one antiinflamatory, she had antibiotic powders morning and night for 10 days and 1 bute for 5 days. She got better very quickly after that although her leg did swell at first (I bandaged her leg at night) her hock looked like a capped hock and I had to ring the vet and he said that is usually gets worse before it gets better - but she came right and went on to win at the BRC Nat Champs. If you are at all worried please get the vet its worth it to get them right, incidentially the bill was £223 pounds which I didnt think was too bad when it got her right and also friends of ours cat was knocked over and they took it to the local small animal vet and he was stabilized over night on a drip and they charged them £308 FOR ONE NIGHT!!! So for an emergency call out to a horse and all her powders I think I got off quite lightly. Good luck and I hope your horse gets better soon - please let us know how he goes on.
 
Thank you so much for this reply.
I walked him out this afternoon & he's def sound but hock area still swollen & it seems to be moving down the leg
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I spoke to the vets after I'd got home & they've said to keep an eye on it for the next day or so & if it hasn't improved to let them know & they'll have a look.

My concern as with your mare, is infection & I think I'll see how he is in the morning & if it hasn't improved then I'll take him in as they are only a few miles from me. For the sake of an exam & some antibiotics I think I'd rather be safe than sorry.
I'll keep you posted.
 
The swelling moving down the leg, especially if he's not been moving around much, is normal. That's gravity overcoming his circulatory "push". (Horses don't have muscles below their knees so rely on the function of the frog and movement of the lower leg to "shoot" blood and lymph back up. That's why immobile horses stock up and also why they risk founder. The intestines also work partly on movement, hence the colic risk for immobile horses.) So IF he's sound (more or less), moving around should help dissipate the swelling.

While it's always possible to have a bone chip or small fracture, unless he was kicked on the tendon the most likely injury on the stifle is muscular. Although this might still be very sore it's unlikely to be as potentially serious as damage to a joint and more likely to respond to gentle exercise.

That said, if he stays "off" call the vet. Obviously.
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If the swelling return, he seems more lame, the cut starts to look different or he seems otherwise unwell, call the vet. There is always the risk of cellulitis and that's serious. It's also very painful, though (I know, I've had it
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), so you're not likely to miss it.
 
Thanks for your reply - you've def reassured me
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The YM said it looked at lot better when she turned him out this morning - hock looked virtually normal, but lower leg was puffy. He was out for about 4 hours & I then took him for an hours hack. Mainly walking with a bit of trotting.
He's def sound, his temperature is normal & the site of the kick is only slightly warm.
I've had to leave him in this afternoon (as we only have 4 hours T/O daily at the mo) with his magnetic boots on & I'll see how it looks when I go back tonight after work.
I was all set to take him into the vets today, but I'm feeling much happier now that it's healing itself.
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Do be careful about using magnets if there's any possibility of infection. Whether they're ""helpful" or not remains in debate but there's no question they encourage circulation, which you don't want with an open wound. (Most magnets come with this warning and I discussed it at length with a friend who has been selling magnetic products for about 20 years.) I'd be tempted to leave the boots off until the cut heals closed.

You could also put standing wraps on if he's in at night. They won't really "help" but they will keep the leg warm and compress the swelling, which will prevent the tissues "stretching" from constant filling.
 
i would just monitor him for a few days-if he gets lamer or if the area is tender or hot he could have an infection and would need a vet
otherwise sounds as if its bruising.moving about will help keep teh swelling down-you could try wrapping his legs with gamgee and stable bandages.
 
Our mare was kicked in the field, had a small cut but was hopping lame, could hardly put her foot to the ground. She had a fracture
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Had I seen your post on the day it happened I would have been urging you to get the vet, however it sounds as if he was never as lame as her and is now improving so fingers crossed he continues to do so. If you are concerned though I think it is worthwhile getting the vet rather than leaving it too long. Should add our pony made a full recovery after several weeks box rest.
 
Thanks all. All your replies have been apreciated
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The 2 things I was worried about when he first did it was fracture & infection. However he's never been lame in walk, so I think he's been a very lucky boy
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If he had been lame in walk I think I would have had the vets out the day he was kicked.

I've spoken to the YM this morning & only the fetlock was swollen (it moved down the leg each day & got less & less) & he'd been in his stable since lunchtime yesterday. It hopefully means that the swelling should finally be all gone in the next few days & I can get back to normal.
He's been out for 4 hours this morning & as I finish work at 2.30pm today, I should be able to walk him out when I get home.

Happy New year to you all.
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Yes, the swelling will travel down the leg that is what happened to my mare. I bandaged her legs at night and turned her out in the day and it gradually went down. The vet said it is due to the circulatory system that it travels down the leg. I think my mare had more swelling than yours as I asked my neighbour to come up and have a look as I was worred, she is stabled in a livery yard where they are always getting kicked. She pulled Emma's tail aside and said that she was losing the definition on the inside of the top half of her leg. You know where they bulge out and then it goes down towards the hock well the whole lot was becoming one size. Anyway with the antibiotics and moving about outside she got better qucikly. She was off work 3 weeks in total. I hope this helps and it sounds as though your horse is on the mend if he has come sound but do keep an eye on him.
 
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