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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
  
| It's been very very cold the last two days, (-15 last night), all our horses are bedded down in barns with lots and blanketed. Everyone handled the cold well, we hayed inside the barns so they could stay out of the wind. This morning I noticed my big 3yo, (big boned, 16hh) had very swollen front legs. I noticed it just from a quick glance. Along the whole backside of the canon bone down to his fetlock was rock hard and twice the size. Not hot to the touch, maybe slightly warm. His back legs were 100% normal. I've seen stocking up before but never in the front legs only, and this isn't squishy at all, it's rock hard swelling. It's sort of warmer today and I threw hay outside in their normal feeders and he wouldn't leave the barn. He just stood there, not with his head hanging but looking outside, but didn't move an inch. Now he is my ranch colt, tough tough tough, he'd be out eating in a blizzard, but today I had to chase him out of the barn. He walked really slowly, but didn't appear lame. No head bobbing, but he looked stiff. Anyone know what this could be?! I put on back on track wraps to see if they would do any good. I called my vet, but she hasn't gotten back to me yet. Help! |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
 
Location: Arkansas | Have you found out anything yet? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
| The vet thinks its most likely just stocking up, but it's odd that it's just his front legs. We are gonna watch him and see if it goes away soon |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | My gelding did this recently. Although, not as bad as you described. It's usually his back legs. But, it was the fronts this time for some reason. They went down after about ten minutes of being out and just walking around. Anyway, he was on deep bedding. I have found that, if I don't bed him down too deep, he does much better.
Good luck! |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Glad it seems to be an easy fix. . . |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | does walking around help bring the swelling down at all? If so then you can conclude it's probably more likely stocking up. If it doesn't go down them I would be worried. Have you wrapped it at all? I put my 4 year old on Nitroxide because he had a hind leg that he kicked or something in his stall and the swelling just wasn't going away. I was also wrapping it too but then it would come back within a few hours after I took the wrap off. Being on the Nitroxide for 3 days and the swelling went away and never returned. I figured he messed up the circulation in his leg when he banged it. |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| My gelding swells like that when he ingests hoary alyssum. And sometimes its both hinds and one front, sometimes both fronts and 1 hind, sometimes all four legs, sometimes two. it is bizarre, so I would look at your hay. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
| The BOT wraps and walking has brought it back down, almost normal! I think it was just bad stocking up, hopefully we're done youth this! |
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