Thorn in knee

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chicolena

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Hi . I pulled out what i think was a blackthorn from my 2yrs knee 3days ago, the knee is still up abit but she dosn't appear to be lame. gave her a tet antitoxin just in case. she lives out in fields away from yard so cant really be bringing her over ever day to hose. the thorn wasnt big only 1/2 or 1cm, think it was the tip and it looked intact.

never dealt with this type of injury, so will the knee go down in time or should i give her antibiotics ? the vet never mentioned it when i went to get the antitoxin, i did explain what had happened.

there is still a wee lump where the thorn came out of. cant really get a good look at it ( wont stand still long enough). most accident prone youngster in the country :rolleyes:
 
Most of us who hunt blackthorn country pull thorns out very often. Practically every week for me. If it's not hot and swelling more I'd say you don't have a problem, but keep your eye on it of course. I would make sure you keep it open to heal from the bottom by picking off the scab daily, otherwise it could close an infection inside. The filling will go down in time, possibly not completely but it will get less.

Do you realise that emergency tetanus anti-toxin won't give her tetanus immunity, it will just protect her from getting it from this injury? Personally I would not leave any horse without tet cover, it's a filthy, cruel killer of a disease and not uncommon.
 
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thanks for the advice. :) yes i know the antitoxin is only short term. she wasnt up to date ashamed to say. have to start her on a programme in 6 weeks.
 
No problem :) A couple of years back I pulled a blackthorn out of my hunter's stifle more than 8 weeks after the last meet of the season! It had got in, been closed in behind, and took that long for him to spit it out again. No infection though :)
 
Cor your lucky!
My yearling filly got a thorn in her knee
Equalled..............
Double joint infection
Emergency operation to flush the joint
8 weeks box rest
£3k in fees in total!
 
I just want to explain why I didn't query a joint puncture, which is of course a serious risk with a thorn in the knee or fetlock.

The thorn was removed three days before she posted and the horse was sound and the vet had been informed. It was therefore extremely unlikely to be a joint puncture at the time the post was made.
 
AdorableAlice said:
^^^^^ followed by frantic call to the long suffering vet. Sounds like you have been incredibly lucky.
Click to expand...

I see it the other way. I hunt with maybe twenty others who jump blackthorn hedges and very many of those horses will have thorns picked out of their legs when they have finished. It's a rare hedgehopping hunt that I don't pull any out of mine.

I would consider it UNlucky to get one that penetrates a joint, not lucky that it didn't.
 
My old boy got a hawthorn in his knee from grazing in a field before I brought him. it ended up in surgery and cast on for 8wks and then a slow return to work.

Keep an eye on it.
 
Knee seems to have gone down. Apart from that wee lump. No heat. Not lame cause she was running round in the snow having great craic. found the Blackthorn bush, which I will attack tomorrow. Must of bushed past it. Watching it very closely.
 
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