Tendon injury but unsure of what to do

Birker2020

Birker2020

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Basically my horse had a fluke accident on sunday whilst at a dressage show and managed to get a plastic tub handle caught on the back of his shoe. Poor horse pulled and pulled, eventually the handle broke and resulted in a slightly twisted shoe with a bit of handle between the shoe and foot which I have asked the farrier to deal with sometime this week. However as I guessed would happen within about ten minutes his tendon came up and because we had not gone in my car (hence to first aid kit - I know VERY stupid) I did not have access to an instant ice pack but instead put his leg in the mangled handled tub with water and sloshed it around for ten minutes, boxed him home and cold hosed, ice packed and ice cupped AND iced bandaged. However the tendon is still slightly up yesterday after a few hours turnout, but comes up and down corresponding on whether he has been moving or not. I.e if he is trotted up it goes down, but if he stands still it comes up. I presume this is synovial fluid build up, a bit like filled legs and not serious. The staff have said his tendon is right down this morning so he is going out for half a day (he is pretty sensible) and they will get in lunch time. If it has come up when they get him in the vet is visiting this afternoon to another livery so they will ask the vet to look at my horse. If it is down when he comes in I will continue to cold hose and assess. Is this normal behaviour for a tendon though? Could it be a check ligament injury with the swelling up and down like this? He is half a tenth lame. There is no heat from the tendon and there is no sign of bowing, in fact it is only very slight. What would you suggest. He is having two danillon every night in his tea. The accident happened on Sunday morning. Ice cups were the idea of my horse physio student friend whose tutor said to fill polystyrene cups with water and freeze. When horse has tendon injury put ice cup on leg moving it around slowly but continuously over the tendon area to prevent ice burn, peeling off the polystyrene as the ice melts and you use the cup up. Excellent idea that every yard should do.
 
I think you took the correct initial action, but it would be difficult to hazard a guess at the exact nature of the injury without seeing the horse so in your shoes I would probably be cautious until the vet has given a view and restrict turnout unless you have one of those clever neddies who just go out and eat and don't hoon around.

I know countless people will say here that if you have been a horse owner for xxx decades and are experienced then you should be able to treat simple injuries - but legs have a way of getting difficult and having long term problems if not dealt with properly in the early stages.
 
I would be box resting and getting the vet out just in case. I would also be begging my farrier to come out ASAP to sort the shoe, as if it is a tendon injury the bad state of the shoe could mean he is putting m ore strain on one or more tendons - either making it worse or pulling another tendon.
I'm no vet so I wouldn't like to comment on whether I thought it was a tendon injury or not, so if I were you I'd carry on with the icing and get vet out just in case.
 
Update: staff says leg right down this morning, so he went out for a few hours in his paddock, they've just got him in and its still down and cold so I am going to continue to ice for a couple more days, the vet is dropping off some anti inflamms for him. I will take him for a potter round the school on Friday night and assess again and if it should continue get the vet out to assess. Thanks so much for your help/advice x
 
I'd box rest him and get his leg scanned. Having had one with a tendon injury which looked nothing at the time, no heat or lameness just slight swelling. That had stem cells injected.
 
Thanks for all your replies. I went up to the yard last night and the horses leg is better than the opposite one, completely cold, flat, no lameness, no heat, no resting the leg. I am going to keep an eye on it over the next few days and give the anti imflammatories one more night and keep icing it with the ice cup and the ice boot just in case. I was really suprised how cold it was last night. I am going to have a walk on him tonight round the building a couple of times and see how we get on doing that for the next few days. x
 
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