Swelling to front inside cannon bone

[yaffsimone1]

Hi Guys,

My I start, I will be calling the vet out this afternoon if the swelling has not improved.

I have tried taking some photos but to be honest you couldn't really see much.

I don't have experience with tendons as i've never had a horse with a tendon injury (touch wood) my question is this.......my mare came in last night with swelling on her front offside on the inside cannon bone pretty much from the hock all the way down to and including part of the fetlock. I cant see any cuts or puncture wounds, there is a little heat but not much and she isn't lame in walk only slightly off in trot.

My thinking is its probably a kick (even though I cant see a cut), skinny TB legs, treat with danillon over the weekend, cold hose and see how it is on Monday.

What are the chances of it being a tendon? I always thought tendon injuries present themselves at the back of the cannon, horse will not weight bear on that leg, it will be obvious bulging either top, middle or bottom and will be lame in walk. Could it be tendon even though swelling is on inside and she isn't obviously hopping lame?

 

[Nugget La Poneh]

Could be a splint forming, although typically swelling is local to the splint area. I would treat as you are (but maybe not use danilon just yet), consider reducing turnout area for a couple of days and then as you say, re-assess Monday.

 

[yaffsimone1]

Could be a splint forming, although typically swelling is local to the splint area. I would treat as you are (but maybe not use danilon just yet), consider reducing turnout area for a couple of days and then as you say, re-assess Monday.

My concern and paranoia with tendons is i'm not quite sure what a tendon injury looks like so every time I see swelling I think tendon! although to date it never has been thankfully

I can make her paddocks as small as they need to be so turning her out in a small area isn't a problem. I bandaged both fronts last night (she is in at night) to help with the swelling, it didn't go down much but it wasn't any bigger either.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I usually pop an animalintex wet poultice on something like that o/night, agree with bandaging both legs, I tend to use a Danilon, its Friday, so vet today or Monday, I think Monday, but would be 50/50 about turnout, probably walks in hand today, depends on her nature. Don't want any hooling about.
Tendons ......... obviously a worry, but they may be more insidious, ie in this case you have swelling over a larger area.

 

[yaffsimone1]

I usually pop an animalintex wet poultice on something like that o/night, agree with bandaging both legs, I tend to use a Danilon, its Friday, so vet today or Monday, I think Monday, but would be 50/50 about turnout, probably walks in hand today, depends on her nature. Don't want any hooling about.

Hooning around is exactly what she will do, even in an a small paddock and it doesn't help that our paddocks are getting thicker with mud everyday!

I'm more inclined to keep her stabled, I can walk her in hand to stretch legs. I will probably do this over the weekend and if it isn't any better call vet out on Monday.

IF it was a tendon, would leaving it over the weekend and treating as I am cause any further damage?

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I don't think it would harm and cold hose twice a day just in case, but you can ask your vet, ours do good advice on a weekend, well any day I suppose, but I don't think I ever needed advice on a Friday, I keep a first aid kit with four days supply of Danilon to carry me through.
Examine for a thorn and do a bit of palpitation.

 

[dianchi]

Sounds like a splint to me, I would leg ice and leave it, with cold hosing as much as possiblen for the weekend, then decide if I needed vet if no better.

They will only tell you to rest if its tendon anyway.

 

[yaffsimone1]

I've called the RVC and spoke to my regular vet....I don't want to call him out unnecessarily if its something I can manage

He knows how paranoid I get at not being able to spot a tendon injury not having seen one before 1. he reckons when a tendon goes I will know about it and be able to spot it and 2, given the description i've given him its probably not tendon related and to carry on as I am and if it not any better call him out Monday.

It looks like she has been clouted right on the front of the cannon, although the swelling is down the inside. He said if she had severed the tendon / ligament on the front of the cannon (sorry I cant remember what he called it) she wouldn't be able bend her toe as it were and if it was damaged / torn she would still have trouble walking.

So its carry on as I am.

Thank you for your replies