Terrifying Tendon

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PercyBrown

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Hi I have an ex racer who damaged a tendon in Dec 2009. He has since come back into work and we have been able to use him as a hack. HOWEVER he has now reinjured the tendon it is so painful he cant bear any weight on the leg . Vet has prescribed box rest and max dose bute. Has anyone experience of a tendon injury this bad and how long did it take for your horse to start weight bearing. Also tonight he has developed an open wound on his coronary band which is leaking fluid pus and a little blood Help!! I am thinking if still like this on Mon will have to pts. Obviously will talk to vet again tomorrow am.:(
 
If an infection has burst out at coronary band i would have thought it way more likely that he had an infection in the leg and that caused the swelling rather than doing the tendon again. Did vet scan the tendon? When you say he won't weight bear is he standing/moving like a horse with a hoof absess or dragging the leg?
 
He keeps lifting the leg and all his weight is on his off hind he can only hop. his leg is swollen up to and including his hock only small amounts are seeping out .
 
Or lymphagitis. Is there pitting when you press the filled leg? Sounds like some form of severe infection to me rather than an injury. I would get the vet out pronto again.
 
The seeping sounds far more like infection/lymphangitis type issue than tendon related. Is your vet an equine specialist? I would call vet back and ask them (or else and equine vet) to come out in the morn and get anti-biotics started but I would be very surprised if its the tendon. Is the swelling localised to anyone area or does he just have an "elephant leg"?? Def get vet out again....pus and seeping = infection! and fingers crossed if it is infections it is likely a much better prognosis than tendon being redone!
 
PercyBrown said:
i think correst me if Im wrong but is foot abcess and it hade burst out he would be feeling some immediate relief
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he would be considerably less sore but if there is significant infectionin the leg then lameness will not subside. Foot absess is more like a pimple...burst it and there is release whereas infection in the leg would be likely to still cause lameness even when it starts to break out! either way get the vet out again
 
my old loan horse (TB) came in from the field one day dragging her hind leg, it was so swollen i thought she had done major injury but as it turned out she had a kind of lymphangitis, it was so swollen and painful. after 5 days of anti b's it had gone down considerably but there was still swelling on her cannon bone. another 5 days on and her leg was oozing pus, cleaned it up and got the vet out who suggested to keep cleaning it and bandage up with turn out. anyway a couple of days later it was really bad so got the vet back out who scanned her leg and it showed she had masses of pus in it, he cut her leg open and literally scooped out what can only be described as congealed custard!!
stitched her up and after a fortnight she was back to her old self.

my old boy has had lymphangitis and it was very badly infected, he couldn't move at all and needed alot of anti b's and now his legs do ooze from time to time, a year after his second bout of it.
 
i think it's more likely to be the pressure from the infection making him that lame than the tendon. i had a mare reinjured a tendon VERY badly (jumped a huge post and rail fence with a big drop, on her own, when the cattle got out and scared her) and she would still weight bear. she had to be pts it was so bad.
i'd speak to the vet asap really. if he's not weight bearing at all on it he's likely to develop problems in the other leg...
 
It sounds far, far more like an infection. When tendons go the swelling is generally localised to the tendon area and they don't tend to be overly lame on them, as weird as that may sound. Unless they have properly ruptured the tendon then the fetlock would sink to the floor when they move on it as there is nothing keeping it up.
 
I think you will find that if you want to advertise, you have to pay to have a classified advertisement.

The horse needs a vet to prescribe antibiotics, not an expensive spa treatment!
 
It is unusual for a horse to injure a back tendon, usually when this happens it is because the horse was struck into by another horse. Once healed it rarely gives further problems.

From what you describe it sounds far more like a foot abscess and I would get a different vet out because the one that examined him in the first place seems pretty useless.
 
More pus today and keeping on the floor a bit longer waiting for vet and antibiotics now never thought Id be so pleased to see pus!
 
Agree with the others. It dosn't sound like a tendon injury to me. Tendons do not usually make the hock swell too, nor are they quite so painful as an infection. Just hope you get it under control though as the fact that it is swollen right up to his hock is indicative of a very severe infection. Good luck! I hope he is okay.
 
If it's an infection, and it sounds like a nasty one, you need the vet out NOW!! When is the vet coming? You don't want the infection to spread as it could create serious problems. Make sure the vets know the urgency of this. I nearly lost a horse to a leg infection and believe me time is of the essence!
 
He is a lot more comfortable today :) The only thing im wondering is that this is the day the vet said i would start to see improvements when it was the tendon . Could he have done his tendon and got an infection how do I know its not both How quick is the rate of improvement from tendon injury. I know he needs a scan but i want to know now !! Help I hate waiting. x
 
PercyBrown said:
He is a lot more comfortable today :) The only thing im wondering is that this is the day the vet said i would start to see improvements when it was the tendon . Could he have done his tendon and got an infection how do I know its not both How quick is the rate of improvement from tendon injury. I know he needs a scan but i want to know now !! Help I hate waiting. x
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Is your vet a horse vet because if so get a second opinion!!! Tendon injuries are generally longer and alot more severe than two days. The leg swelling doesn't even sound like a tendon injury. If your vet did not prescribe antibiotics then please please please get someone else out. this cannot wait until tomorrow...his leg may be improving but who knows what kind of damage the infection is doing to his system. I have categorically never ever seen pus/infection with a bust up tendon....and i have seen quite a few tendonds over the years.
 
Please, please get a second opinion. I lost my first pony because she was misdiagnosed by the first vet when she too had an infection. In the end she turned out to have a tooth abcess, but due to the delay whilst the first vet was stating it was other problems, she ultimately ended up with blood poisoning and was PTS!
 
Hio sorryt ifI mislead you. Yes he is on antibiotics yes the vet now thinks its infection its just me panicing about tendon because of previous injury to that leg.
 
PercyBrown said:
Hio sorryt ifI mislead you. Yes he is on antibiotics yes the vet now thinks its infection its just me panicing about tendon because of previous injury to that leg.
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Ah few....honestly I wouldn't be worried about the tendon! Infection could have occured in any leg! Certainly get it scanned to put your own mind at rest but I think once infection is cleared you will see a big improvement!
 
He has had small incidents of the leg filling before ,then this time he was lame a couple of days then went nearly sound then crippled lame . Can an infection be there for a long time and then flare up? I will get it scanned asap.
 
yes it can
my friends mare had slight mud fever over winter ,in may the whole leg was suddenly massive and the horse was very lame ,couldn't find any cuts or grazes any where and the 1st vet thought she had broken her leg :eek:
luckily it was a badly infected leg and the vet thought the infection had got in through the mud fever then festered until may

good luck with your horse ,it does sound like an infection
 
Hi everyone thanks for all your help so far.
So today is day 4 of antibiotics, leg has gone down a lot but still filled and warm he can move about on the leg and rest the other hind(which has filled around the fetlock as he is standing in which it always does) but still lame. The point on his coronary band where the pus came from is now a hole where rotten flesh came away!!!! still trying to drain it.
He is very bright in himself not happy about being shut in and i can see a burst of speed when he is allowed out!!
So what do you all think ....does this sound like recovery is going ok do i still dismiss all tendon worries from my head (I am trying to get info from racing yard about his original injury but they not very forthcoming) Would moving about more help infection swelling go down .....I know ask the vet but he has 10 days of antibiotics so feel i will see what happens in that time. ....Can you all put my mind at rest ??
 
Sounds like its going in the right direction to me,but it will take time.
I would not be at all worried about the tendons.Moving about more will help with the swelling.Are you poulticing at all??
 
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