What to do about puffy legs?

[Chippers1]

Hi everyone,

Buzz has started to come in at night now that the weather is changing and every morning he comes out with puffy legs. They're fine once he's been out for the day but I rode yesterday morning and he felt a bit off which I'm putting down to the puffiness.

I bought him some mixed herbs (fenugreek, micronized linseed, meadowsweet, clivers, marigold, hawthorn, seaweed and burdock mix) and a Glucosamine supplement but he of course decided that this was poison, despite the fact he's eaten the supplement before and he loves Clivers in their normal form .

So today I will give him a little sprinkle and see if he eats it but what else can I do to help? wraps/boots/other supplements? Unfortunately 24/7 turnout isn't possible at the moment but he's out from 7am - 4:30pm everyday.

Thank you

 

[Equi]

Correctly applied stable wraps can help (if they don’t have any other leg issues like cpl or cellulitis) or some people have success with magnetic straps. But I think the best solution is going to be getting them out of the stable first thing to deflate before any work is commenced.

 

[rara007]

Stable boots work too

 

[meleeka]

I use either stable bandages or Equilibrium magnetic stable chaps. My old mare likes to come in when the weather is bad and they help massively with filled legs.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I dont use bandages in the stable unless really necessary, but I do buy a marigold and clivers mix from ebay, that alone is enough for me to keep any swelling at bay.

 

[sportsmansB]

My mare is like this when transitioning from out full time to in over night
I use the premier equine infra red stable boots/wraps - less faff than bandages but stay on well and give enough support to keep swelling to a min. Only her back legs swell

 

[Alibear]

I'm glad to see a post on this as Amber's legs filled when stabled for a show at the weekend. The thing is, she's lived out all summer, and at summer staying away shows, her legs didn't fill. So it seems to be both seasonal and movement related?
YO messaged to say their down this morning after a night in the field, but she'll be coming in overnight at the end of the month.

 

[Chippers1]

Thanks everyone, I will look into getting him some stable boots. This is his second winter coming in overnight and I didn't have this last year but he has recently had his arthritis diagnosis in his hocks so that probably isn't helping matters. We also have some covered pens that we can use so I'll be putting him in there before riding if I ride in the mornings as well. Hopefully some boots help

I dont use bandages in the stable unless really necessary, but I do buy a marigold and clivers mix from ebay, that alone is enough for me to keep any swelling at bay.

The mix I have given him has marigold and clivers in, he normally loves clivers (I pick big handfuls for him) but he decided marigolds are an absolute no!

 

[Barton Bounty]

Thanks everyone, I will look into getting him some stable boots. This is his second winter coming in overnight and I didn't have this last year but he has recently had his arthritis diagnosis in his hocks so that probably isn't helping matters. We also have some covered pens that we can use so I'll be putting him in there before riding if I ride in the mornings as well. Hopefully some boots help


The mix I have given him has marigold and clivers in, he normally loves clivers (I pick big handfuls for him) but he decided marigolds are an absolute no!

How about just clivers? Try that as a mix

 

[nikkimariet]

Equi med silver wraps. My exracer suffered terribly but these are fab. They’re not cheap but they haven’t been destroyed by Rooni several years on now.

 

[Chippers1]

Thank you

 

[Bobthecob15]

What breed is he? Could he have CPL? Legs filling when stabled is a common feature of the disease. Hopefully it’s not that though x

 

[kathantoinette]

It’s been mild weather, ime you’ll see an improvement when the nights get cooler.

 

[wispagold]

The zip on equisox are really good. But not cheap!

 

[Chippers1]

What breed is he? Could he have CPL? Legs filling when stabled is a common feature of the disease. Hopefully it’s not that though x

He's a connemara I don't think it is CPL though. I have managed to get him to eat some of the supplements (the tiniest sprinkle!) so I will slowly increase that and this morning his fronts were looking better. Back legs were still rather puffy though! Hopefully soon they will be ok. Thanks for all your replies

 

[Chippers1]

I just wanted to bring this up again as I think I may have found the issue after a little googling and some other issues i've noticed...I think his hay might have a too high protein content? Apparently it can cause puffy legs and strong smelling urine, his bed is smelling really strong at the moment which caused me to have a look into it.
Just need to see how to counteract this now!

 

[LEC]

Mix straw in so gets the roughage but it won’t have the protein. I possibly would get it analysed if you have large amounts at yard or a single source.