Swelling on inside of hock - Lymphangitis?

TED2010

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Much appreciate any experiences ....

Last night I brought my TB horse in from field, he had been standing resting hind leg earlier when I checked them but thought he had just had belly full of grass and was resting. Caught him to bring him just before 7pm and he was very stiff and uncomfortable on off hind. Pottered in slowly, moving badly and stood tied up still resting that leg. Weight bared on it for me to pick up other feet. No new visible cuts, abrasions, swellings or heat although he had a couple of tiny scabby healing wounds which he did a week or so ago hooning around field. I was terrified that damage was further up in stifle or hip from stiffness moving and no swelling in lower leg. Because it was late and I couldn't see what vet would be able to do in the dark other than give bute, thought I would see how he was in morning. Tried to get some equipalizone into him but he wouldn't eat feed. This morning, no obvious sign of swelling, he wouldn't eat breakfast with equipalizone but had eaten most of haylage so wasn't off feed altogether. I had to be in a meeting for work an hour away at 8.30am so assessed that he seemed no worse, was stiff but weight bearing and put him out with other horse, he just put head down to eat grass quietly. Left my mother to bring him in early if he was standing looking depressed. Got hold of farrier who said he would come and check for pus in he foot in first instance. I arrived home just as farrier arrived, brought the boy in and he then had considerable swelling to inside of hock. Thought most unlikely to be in foot and not walking on toe but as farrier was there he checked anyway. Nothing. Then called vet who came out at about 5pm. Treating for Lymphangitis but if no improvement by morning wants to come back and x ray. I have never known Lymphangitis isolated to the hock and no further down the leg. I understand it may be because of infection in one of the little healing scabs (both were treated with veterycyn). Has anyone had a horse with Lymphangitis isolated to swelling on inside of hock? The ones I have seen in the past have been in lower limb and have been like small tree trunks!??


Alternatively, has anyone had swelling of inside of hock that turned out to be something else??

Sorry for long waffle, just trying to include all info any thoughts gratefully received!
 
Wouldn't be lymphangitis if isolated and related to scabs it possibly cellulitis - similar treatment. However sounds more like a joint trauma - so poss idiopathic/ collateral ligament/ arthritis flare up etc
 
Thanks for your replies, vet came back yesterday, gave another steroid jab and we are continuing with Danillon and antibiotics over the weekend. Swelling has gone down to the point you wouldn't know it had been there. He is much less stiff but wasn't sound when trotted up for vet yesterday, still not flexing hock properly. They want to scan/X-ray Monday if he's not right. He's not insured and I've not had him that long so hoping it wasn't something underlying. I didn't have him vetted either. He's only 5 so I hope it wouldn't be arthritis, although I know it's not impossible. I think it is most likely to be something he did in the field as he was sound when I lunged him in the morning before he was turned out.

Odd that swelling was limited to inside of hock almost following the vein.

Keeping fingers tightly crossed as having a month of very large vet bills :-(
 
Inside of the hock following the vein is exactly the location of the tarsocrural joint capsule. If you had said it was higher up the leg following the vein and he was non weight bearing/ very lame and feverish it would sound more like a type of lymphangitis.
 
Thanks glenruby, his temperature was high end of normal on the day he came in lame, he seemed very stiff and was not very happy weight bearing although he did whilst i picked out his feet and although he was initially resting the leg and i would say is still favouring it he has also been weight bearing on it and resting the other one on occasion over last day or so. There was heat and swelling which has now gone but then he is on drugs. Do you have any idea what sort of action is likely to have caused the damage? What would be your advice moving forwards? Thank you
 
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