Swelling on lateral cannon bone

jenh166

jenh166

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Hi - would appreciate any ideas please on the following:

Horse got turned out with a new horse on Sunday, and came in with a cut on his dorsolateral hock, looked quite deep to start, but I have been cleaning it and it's healing up suprisingly well. Cut is horse-shoe shape so I'm assuming he was kicked. Hock area was a bit warm so I've been buting him (2 a day for 3 days, 1 a day for 3 days). Throughout, he has remained sound. Nice pink skin now forming so am not too worried about cut now.

However, yesterday, I noticed his lateral cannon bone area on the same leg has a warm swollen area (most swollen about half way down cannon), cannot illicit any pain on palpation (but he is VERY stoic). I personally don't think it's an infection, as this swelling is not that close to the initial hock injury, and it's confined to just the lateral mid cannon region. All I can think is that he either has bruised it (blunt blow from kick) and I just didn't realise, or there's a microscopic cut there which has blown up, or that he has fractured his splint bone. The swelling is too lateral to be DDFT, and too distal to be suspensory lig (I think!). Today, the swelling is worse than yestraday. Horse still sound! Bute will have worn off by Sat so will trot him up again then, but I just can't figure it out. Vet will be called Mon a.m (or sooner) if becomes horrendous.

Thanks!
 
Could easily be a fractured splint bone, it is in the right place as you say. Or a bone bruise to the cannon. Having said that my friend's horse fractured her cannon bone and was never lame, just had a large lump. If it is a fractured splint, hopefully it is a clean break with no fragments.
 
Hopefully your horse has just bruised leg but when my mare fractured her splint bone the swelling took a few days to develop and she was never lame on it. I think if it is a fractured splint bone the sooner the leg is pressure bandaged & exercise restricted, the better chance of healing fully without further intervention, so may be worth vet sooner rather than later. Hope it heals quickly.
 
Sure, his leg actually looked markedly better this evening, swelling gone down enough to actually feel bone under skin now, feels like there is a small lump there. My vet not too concerned (I was panicking - typical vet student always fearing the worst!), so he's going to come out Monday to have a look and I'm to call him if it dramatically worsens before then. I hope it's just a bruise.
 
If anyone is interested, vet said small bony lump is an old splint (I have only had horse for a few weeks so was unsure of what was 'normal' for him), and that the swelling just built up in that region due to a bit of old scar tissue acting as a focus. Hock cut healing well, so he's on the mend. Phew!
 
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