Should I be worried??

[Kelly1982]

Just over a week ago my horse stayed in all day as it was raining. I got down after work and her front leg was quite puffy all above her fetlock. Her back legs usually go puffy if she stays in but not the front. Anyway there was no heat in it and she wasn't lame so i rode her.

When i came up her back legs were fine but front leg was still slight puffy so i hosed it anyway. When she came in from the field the following day it had almost gone down completly and by the next day it was back to normal.

She stayed in again yesterday and her leg was back up again!! This time though there was heat in it and she was being funny about me touching it (although she can be like this when putting boots on that leg). I trotted her up and she was completly sound (in fact she was moving quite nicely) so i put her out for an hour and when she came back in it was more or less the same.

She has gone out today though so will see what it is like tonight but its just worrying em a bit coz its all around the tendon area and i know they dont have to be lame if they have done their tendons in.

 

[juliehannah58]

From experience (sorry it is a bummer) I would get the vet out, scan if possible. My horse had these symtoms for about 4 months and remained totally sound, I have 5 scans and 3 vets look at her and all said to continue work as no injury could be found, then over night she suddenly went dog lame. 7 months of complete rest later and she's just had shoes put on and started walking. It's ALWAYS worth being cautious and if my experience has taught me anything about tendons, it's go with your gut instinct.

A good vet will be able to tell you where the swelling is localised to but to be sure you really need an ultra sound, these don't always pick up everything (not in my case anyway) but it's much more reliable.

In the meantime I would focus on keeping the swelling down and I would personally, box rest her. If it were me I would also bandage her all round too and hose twice daily.

Sounds extreme ! But I know how devasting it can be to lose your only horse to 6 months rest and you really can't be too careful.

Most good vets have a mobile ultra sound scanner so it's usually only costs call out and exam fee then time to scan, mine is usually about £27-35 per scan so not dear.

Hope that helps!

 

[Kelly1982]

Oh no that dont sound good!!!

I really hope its nothing too serious as i have had enough vet bills to last me a life time.

Thing is if she stays in then it makes it worse!! Its only when she is out or ridden that the swelling goes down. I was considering bandaging it though!!

I am really worried now!! I really dont wanna go through all that again!!

 

[Sooty]

I would have thought leaving her out to move around as much as possible would help with the actual swelling, but you do need to find out what is the cause of it. I don't know if a pair of leg wraps on her front legs in the stable would help. It would be worth ringing the vet for advice if nothing else.

 

[Kelly1982]

I was thinking of giving them a ring just to ease my mind a bit.

If it was tendons though then wouldn't the swelling stay up rather than going down when she is out??

 

[Petrie]

I would be worried if there was any pain or prolonged heat and swelling in the tendon area, and I would definitely get the vet out.

 

[vicm2509]

This happened to my horse around xmas time. His back legs usually go up a little but his near front was up, little heat, kept moving it away from me if I touched it but no sign of any cuts/infection/kicks etc. Got YO and a few other very knowledgeable people to look at him and no one could find any reason for the swelling.

Kept him in for 3 days and remained the same but went down after 5mins walking out. Put him back out and 2 days later was full of scabs. Turned out to be mud fever even though there wasnt a single scab or any sign of mud fever when his leg was up.

Not saying this is whats wrong with yours, but dont get to worried and stressed just yet as is my be something really simple.

I would call the vet if its no better in a few days.

 

[Kelly1982]

Thanks for that, i hope it is something simple.

Thinking about it though this happened to my old horse last year (probably about this time too) and it turned out to be mites but he had 3 white legs and the vet said they only usually get them if they have white legs but my mare doesn't.

He didn't have any heat though but she has started to get it

 

[juliehannah58]

That's exactly what my mares was like, and hers was soooo minor anyway, but look what it turned into! I'm only going by personal experience. I was told to carry on as normal and she went out jumping etc (still doing clear rounds!!) but it was a warning that we didn't listen to, not for the want of trying I might add! If you catch it early and treat it accordingly, even if it was a tweak of the tendon you could have it sorted in no time. Rambo did a similar thing before xmas, but because it was spotted early and rested accordingly he made a full recovery in no time.

I wish i had listened to my gut instinct

Don't want to scare you etc, but it's such a common injury, especially in jumpers, that you have to be careful.

I'll PM you....

PS. Even though she might swell by standing in, bandage her up (not too tight, I always like to use fleece ones with fibergy too) if it is a tendon being turned out won't help, even if swelling decreases. Controlled walking is OK but I wouldn't advise you to do that until you had spoken to a vet TBH.

 

[BBs]

Personally I wouldnt expect a horse of her age to have any swellings/puffyness from just standing in all day.
Snoopy is the same age and is boxed up in his stable 24/7 since Xmas. His legs are down and cold and have never showed any signs of heat or swelling, bar the tiny splint which has formed, but even then no swelling or puffyness.
To be on the safe side i would ring your vet and perhaps arrange a scan. You cannot be too careful.
It should, if anything like my older horses go down within an hour being turned out if it is just general wear and tear on her joints.
But if its still slightly up and taking a good few days to go down then I would be slightly more suspect.
Last year I had winston checked out , his leg was slightly more puffy but NEVER went lame. Turned out he had the start of ringbone, had i not got it looked at and xrayed we would have never known, still to this day!

 

[Kelly1982]

All these posts are worrying me so much now but glad i asked if you know what i mean.

I called the vet at lunch time, she is comiung out on Monday at 9am. She said it could be just an old splint playing up which she does have so fingers crossed its something simple.

My friend said its been like this for weeks but she never bothered to tell me until now

Of course i never noticed it coz when i see her she has been out all day. I had such a go at my friend coz this could of been looked at earlier.

 

[kick_On]

IMO (not that i can see horse) if you have puffy legs and then they go down after exercise that's good sign. Now your say leg has old splint OR New one?
If old one should not causing any problem

If a new one forming can/should cause some lameness/puffness
Are you sure it's not down to be in stable at night??? what happens after a full day in field, if no heat and down i would defo say down to standing in stable which is very normal.
Throwing a span into works, could it be something in foot eg pus brewing???? 90% of lameness in legs are in foot

 

[BBs]

Could well be an old splint problem. Winston has one rumbling on, which causes heat and swelling from time to time but nothing to worry about (according to my vet)
I make a point of hosing legs down after going in the school and off the walker. Gives me a chance to check their legs daily.

 

[kick_On]

see where your coming from, as splints can be very decieving, but if cold and no swelling on site. I would still hose as you say be also keep eye on foot and work out whether in is 'stable puffness'

 

[Kelly1982]

She is usually fine after she has been out in the field all day and thats why i never noticed the problem until she stayed in all day due to the rain. But my friend said she has been like it for weeks.

Usually it wouldn't both me if it goes down once she has been out or ridden but last time it took a few days to go down even after turn out. And this time round she has heat in it as well which is what has concerened me the most.

The splint is an old one and has never caused any problems before but the vet said it could be a number of things and this was just one of the problems it could be

She is the vet so who am i to argue, i have never had a horse with splints before so dont know a lot about them.

Will check her foot tonight for heat etc but i haven't noticed heat in it before when i have been picking her feet out and stuff.

 

[Kelly1982]

It was cold the first time so did put it down to stable puffiness but this time there IS heat

 

[Kelly1982]

I hose her legs down too as i dont like her going to bed with sand all over her (i dont do it every night admittedly but most nights) and there is no other signs of a problem and like i say there is no puffiness once she has been out.

Lets just hope its something and nothing and i am just being paranoid!!

 

[kick_On]

well you going down right route as your not sure and as much as us folk on here suggest stuff, we can't see or feel your ggs leg.
Splints are weird things as it's where an extra boney growth develops on canon bone. This bone is U shaped and splints can growth outwards (and these we feel) or inwards onto the main tendons and ligaments (we can't feel these) and to see if that's your what problem is you need leg scanned, nerved blocked etc......
This is why i hope it's some simple for you, but as i say ask the vet about foot???
I've know people to get very focus on tendons or ligaments and it could be very simple like pus in foot or even mud fever which has broken out yet....
good luck

 

[Kelly1982]

Thanks, i hope it is something simple too!! I had loads of problems with my last horse so cant bear to go through it all again.

Will def ask vet about the foot but i haven't felt any heat in that, only the leg.

Does sound like mud fever could be a possibility too and she did have a small scab down there a while ago so who knows.

Will keep you updated and fingers crossed its something and nothing.

 

[kick_On]

Sometimes i find if you give a vet what you think is problem, they sometimes don't see big picture.
So IMO defo ask about foot, mud fever etc... as then they will see a clear picture quicker... (if you see what i mean, if they are presented with clear case sometimes they don't think laturilly (sp) and in NO way am i dish your vets)
defo would like to know

 

[BBs]

If this has been going on for a week or so I wouldnt think it would be the foot as infection normally gets worse.
Lets hope its just the old splint flairing up.
Might be worth lunging her on a circle to see if shes unlevel at all, also pinching down the tendon too.
Personally just until the vet comes out I would keep it simple and keep her ticking over. Its probably something of nothing, but not worth risking her as shes still only young.

 

[bandit]

mate

hate you coz you never emailed me. aren't you @ work!!

anyway - my YO was concerned about one of his race horses as he normally has cold legs etc... then there was heat in it, although no pain in it, and turns out there was a tiny hole in the tendon! there wasn't any pain or lameness, but YO knew that as the horse always has cold legs that something wasn't quite right.

glad you are getting the vet and getting it scanned - better to be safe than sorry. look what i went through and although had one relapse, I know what the mare's weak spot is, and therefore can manage it (fingers crosses).

Bx

 

[Kelly1982]

I haven't recieved any emails from you

Haven't really had a chance to email you as i have been off sick so trying to catch up.

I really hope it is not the tendons, i will be completly gutted if it is as once they have gone you have to be so careful in future

 

[Kelly1982]

I lunge her twice a week and i have never noticed any unlevelness. The last time i lunged was Monday and she was fine, if anything a little too fine at first LOL.

Think i will do as you say and just keep her ticking over til the vet comes. Dont really want to rest her up completly but like you say i dont want to over do it too.

 

[BBs]

Sorry, my mistake, I mean lunge her on a hard surface, rather than a sand school.

One of YOs sons horses is lame on a circle but sound in a straight line/surface. Vet coming out to that one too, but he does have sidebone which could be a problem.
But again hes 9 and jumping 1.40m

Yeah just keep her sweet. Once the vets been anyway.

 

[bandit]

well, what i'm saying really is that somethings need to be investigated properly. not saying it is a tendon, however you want to catch what ever it MIGHT be sooner rather than later.

horse in questions tendon didn't 'go' so horse will race again. my point was that - it was discovered before any perm damage was done.

agree with BB's - needs to be hard surface in a circle - not in your menage!

monday is only a few days away - don't fret and be patient!!!

Bx

 

[Kelly1982]

I did think you might of meant that but wasn't sure.

There isn't nowhere big enough to lunge her on a hard surface unfortunatly. I did try and trot her in a tight circle last night (round the tap thats in the middle of the yard) and she seemed ok at that but couldn't really pick up a proper trot as the space was too small so i trotted her up the track in a straight line instead.

 

[Kelly1982]

Yeah i see what your saying, its just where it is has got me panicking about tendons anyway LOL.

I'm sure she will be fine and i am just being paranoid but like you say its better to get it checked early in case there is anything wrong there.

Horse ah!! Who'd ave em!!

 

[Hannahbone]

Yeh they do like to worry you, Mine always has problems with his off hind its gets very filled during the night but once he is ridden it goes down. Our vet has said the swelling will always be there but he isnt lame with it or anything so thats good. Id just wait to see what your vet says and advises you try not to worry i know its hard