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Regular
Posts: 67
| I have an 8 year old mare I have been running for 2.5 years. I've always kept her in tip top shape. Beginning of October we were making a run and we had a really nice first barrel, about half way to the 2nd she started bucking. And bucked the whole rest of the run. While it's not something she hasn't done in the past (she had ulcers over a year ago, in which I have cured, and maintenance daily that would cause bucking fits.) Basically, if there's pain anywhere she will buck. She's been great ever since I cured her ulcers, stepped up her game was running 1d/2d times, etc. Anyways, a couple days after the run where she bucked I noticed her hind right leg was swollen. There was no heat. No lameness. So I poulticed it for 12 hours, no change. 12 hours off. The next day I sweated it for 12 hours. No change. I waited a week, and used magnacu wraps on it daily, while they helped it go down it was never back to normal. Made an appt with the vet, she passed a lameness/flex test exam at the fetlock because that's where the swelling was generating. The vet was a bit stumped so she recommended X-rays, just to make sure she didn't chip a bone or had something going on in that fetlock joint that could cause the swelling. X-rays were completely clean. No issues. She said it probably wouldn't hurt to lightly ride her and see how she does, she may have just basically rolled her ankle. She gave me some surpass cream, I put it on her leg that night and boom back to normal the next morning! So I waited a couple more days and it stayed normal. I went to ride, lunged her for a bit. Got on and rode her for maybe 10 minutes and was done. The next morning the swelling was back. So I tried the surpass cream again, didn't take the swelling away, still no heat, and no lameness. Waited about a month, and it was never back to normal (no riding & stall rest). I live in the Pacific Northwest, and we have had a wet winter already, it is normal for my horses to be completely stalled in the winter. They're use to it and don't mind. Stocking up crossed my mind but it just wasn't really adding up. So, I called a new vet out, a race track vet that specializes in sports medicine. He also passed her with flying colors on a lameness exam. (You've got to be kidding right?). He basically said if there was a tendon or ligament injury, even a strain she would show lameness. I should add this horse is a huge pansy and goes lame over a slight cut. So I honestly believe if there was a tendon/ligament issue she would show lameness. He asked if I was injection happy, and while I said not particularly, I also said if it helps my horse I'll do whatever. So he injected that fetlock. The next morning all swelling was gone again! I waited 4 days to ride. Rode her she was great, and the next morning her leg was still great! So naturally I was excited. This was Wednesday of last week I rode her. She has been in a stall ever since. Yesterday morning, I go out to feed her leg is huge and swollen again, but only on the inside. I poulticed it, and when I got home from work it was worse! Both sides are swollen.
I'm seriously stumped. I'm guessing most of you will say to ultrasound or get a different vet, but I've already spent and ungodly amount on this god dang horse only for it to backfire. While ultra sounding has crossed my mind several times, and still does, I will probably end up doing it. There was a very very slight slight heat on the inside fetlock this morning.
I guess mostly I'm looking for insight or ideas if anyone has experienced something like this. What it could be, or something. I know you all aren't vets but I'm desperate for some sort of answer. I started using a laser last night and was going to look into a shockwave therapy... I'm just on the verge of giving up. It's winter time so it doesn't hurt my feelings to have her be resting but she's pretty much been resting two full months with only two light rides.
Any ideas or help will truly be appreciated. Sorry for the long post but I didn't really want to leave anything out. Thanks!
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
  
Location: Bandera, TX | My mare injured her suspensory - never lame, never swollen, but not right.... Found it by accident when we did a bone scan and were looking for something else....
Also lyme disease can make legs swell.
Good luck. I hope you find the cause. I know how very very frustrating and expensive this is. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | Agree on the suspensory. Need to go ahead and do the ultrasound. |
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Regular
Posts: 67
| Thanks that has been my gut feeling every single time I start back over. They always say to go with your gut 
Edited by GiveYourAll 2016-12-02 9:51 AM
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Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | GiveYourAll - 2016-12-02 9:40 AM
Thanks that has been my gut feeling every single time I start back over. They always say to go with your gut
If I have learned one thing over the last few years, then it's to always go with your gut. Always. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
 
| Windpuff - which I believe is associated with the digital flexor tendon. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1611
Location: bring on the heat, NV | Mine had/has a soft tissue injury and never trotted off lame. Ultrasound is the only way to see whats going on with that sort of injury. Kind of like a bad sprain and she would develop/keep fluid on the joint. Id poultice and cold hose to no avail but sweating for an hour helped some. We used a bute regiment, sweating for one hour AM and Id poultice/cold hose PM. The bute seemed to help quite a bit. Im using Nutrawound right now (actually for a whole different reason HA!) and I think we may be on the up swing. My girl injured herself rolling and seems to have gotten cast and uncast on her own. I think be very careful and thorough with your warm up/ conditioning program. Start slow and bring her back up slow and steady. Lots of cold hosing and im going to try and splurge on a set of hock boots. Do try the US on her if you can incase soemthing is torn.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 575
| I have one with a strain to the lateral branch of the suspensory. Exactly in the spot your describing, just on the outside of the fetlock, and he has never been even slightly off. No leasons, no tears, just swollen and strained. Ultrasound is the only way to go. We're going into month 5 of stall rest and hand walking. |
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Member
Posts: 24
| Get runners relief. Follow directions. 5 days on 2 days off |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| rpreast - 2016-12-02 10:40 AM
I have one with a strain to the lateral branch of the suspensory. Exactly in the spot your describing, just on the outside of the fetlock, and he has never been even slightly off. No leasons, no tears, just swollen and strained. Ultrasound is the only way to go. We're going into month 5 of stall rest and hand walking.
Same here. If you're not wanting to spend more $$$ you could just treat it like a suspensory issues with at least 8 weeks stall rest and then gradual walking to bring her back. |
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Regular
Posts: 67
| Thank you everyone. I don't want to spend more money just because of the time of the year (Christmas) but I'm willing to do it. I'll make an appt and see what we can figure out. I appreciate all the feedback. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Do see if you can find a lameness locator machine. A locator will pick up on tiny hitches that even really really good lameness vets can't pick up on.
I have some experience with this type of thing:
My mare. Right hind. Came up pretty sore on right hind. Ultrasounded it, found suspensory tears. Stem cell. Stall rest. Handwalking. Water therapy. Game Ready. Wrapping. Corrective shoing. Slow work up back to fitness. Oh, didn't we do it all...still had some holes in suspensory but was working sound.
Everything hunky dory going back to making runs, but always some slight swelling on right hind. She lived in wraps. Runner Relief is amazing, for the record, as is Sore No More Poultice with plastic wrap and standing wrap. But I digress...
Came up lame in a run. I was seriously upset, I just KNEW she'd blown out her suspensory again. Went back to vet. Has tears in suspensory, dang it! Well, compared them to the old ultrasounds from over a year ago. Same tears as had been there before. Hmmm.
Well three weeks later she was fine. Fine. Nothing to see here folks. Lameness locator was quiet.
Four months later, she shows up with a cut on her inside fetlock. Nothing major, or even anything you'd notice without getting your fingers across it. Detective work found the head of a nail on her left shoe had a sharp edge.
She was BRUSHING!! I had been running polos on her back, or SMB Ventechs. I ordered special ankle boots for her from Veredus. Put those on her, we've never looked back. No more swelling, no more issues.
Just something to consider. |
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Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | Crazy. Glad you found the problem!! |
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Regular
Posts: 67
| classicpotatochip - 2016-12-02 12:09 PM
Do see if you can find a lameness locator machine. A locator will pick up on tiny hitches that even really really good lameness vets can't pick up on.
I have some experience with this type of thing:
My mare. Right hind. Came up pretty sore on right hind. Ultrasounded it, found suspensory tears. Stem cell. Stall rest. Handwalking. Water therapy. Game Ready. Wrapping. Corrective shoing. Slow work up back to fitness. Oh, didn't we do it all...still had some holes in suspensory but was working sound.
Everything hunky dory going back to making runs, but always some slight swelling on right hind. She lived in wraps. Runner Relief is amazing, for the record, as is Sore No More Poultice with plastic wrap and standing wrap. But I digress...
Came up lame in a run. I was seriously upset, I just KNEW she'd blown out her suspensory again. Went back to vet. Has tears in suspensory, dang it! Well, compared them to the old ultrasounds from over a year ago. Same tears as had been there before. Hmmm.
Well three weeks later she was fine. Fine. Nothing to see here folks. Lameness locator was quiet.
Four months later, she shows up with a cut on her inside fetlock. Nothing major, or even anything you'd notice without getting your fingers across it. Detective work found the head of a nail on her left shoe had a sharp edge.
She was BRUSHING!! I had been running polos on her back, or SMB Ventechs. I ordered special ankle boots for her from Veredus. Put those on her, we've never looked back. No more swelling, no more issues.
Just something to consider.
Wow that is something I would never think of. I'm honestly not quite sure where to start with finding a lameness locator machine but I will certainly call some bigger vets to see if they have them. I'll see if I can attach some pictures for you guys to see.. I edited the original post with some pictures. May be hard to see because I had to resize them way down
Edited by GiveYourAll 2016-12-02 2:42 PM
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Red Hot Cardinal Fan
Posts: 4122
| GiveYourAll - 2016-12-02 2:30 PM Wow that is something I would never think of. I'm honestly not quite sure where to start with finding a lameness locator machine but I will certainly call some bigger vets to see if they have them. I'll see if I can attach some pictures for you guys to see.. I edited the original post with some pictures. May be hard to see because I had to resize them way down
You can go to this website to see if there are any vets close to you that use the lameness locator.
https://equinosis.com/map-of-current-users |
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Regular
Posts: 67
| I just thought I'd throw in a update... had her leg ultrasounded. All suspensory and other ligaments looked good except the inside "collateral ligament." Her outside col lig measured .75 cm and the inside "injured" one was .87 cm. There is no tears just some inflammation. So maybe just a tweak/sprain? She gave me a 12 week rehab program...starting with just two weeks of walking for 30-45 minutes and increasing from there. Does that sound adequate or would you stick with stall rest for awhile longer? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | 30 -45 minutes seems like a long time to start walking. Mine usually has me start at 20 minutes. I'm dealing with an inflamed suspensory. I put my horse on nitroxide and nutrawound. I did handwalk for 10-20 minutes for 4 weeks. Now I can tack walk 20 minutes every other day for 4 weeks and hand walk on the days that we dont tack walk. Then he will get a recheck and I'm assuming we will start with tack walking everyday then move to adding some trot. My vet may be extra cautious but I figure since it's winter and we don't do much anyways that it was a nice break for him. |
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