Bandage Bow

[chawley]

I’ve wrapped literally thousands of legs over the past 25+ years and never experienced a bandage bow. I had to have someone (who I trust) at the barn wrap my horse Sunday because I was traveling and when I came to the barn Monday, I found the right front wrap had slipped and he had a bow in the front and back of the leg about half way down. It was warm and sensitive when I palpated it, but he wasn’t off at the jog. Of course I immediately iced, poulticed, wrapped, and buted him. My trainer didn’t seem to think it was more than a surface issue, but obviously we’ll watch it closely for the next few days.

What have been your experiences with bandage bows? I’ve only ever dealt with real bowed tendons, which are no fun!!!

[chawley]

bump

[purplnurpl]

sounds like adema.

My horse used to puff up like that even with a good wrap job. It took 2 weeks to settle down one time!!

bandage bows are usually from a wrap that is uneven and too tight right?
I would bank on edema if the bandage was loose enough to slip off.

let us know what happens.

[chawley]

Yea, the wrap on that leg had slipped down. The other leg was wrapped lose compared to how I typically wrap a leg. There was a hot lump on both the front and back of the leg.

I pray it is just edema and that there isn’t actually any damage to the tendon…I’m on my way to the barn now, I’ll post tomorrow how it looks.

Thanks for your response.

[Trixie_s_mom]

a horse at our barn recently had one. the rider iced the leg a lot…multiple times a day and it went away pretty quickly and the horse was sound. there was a lump on the back of the cannon only.

i’ve had horses get edema after wrapping but usually only when i have had to medicate a fungus or something…usually white legs.

[Blinkers_On]

Bandage bows although sound horrid aren’t often. Sounds like you are do the right things. Cold therapy, poultice, bute for the inflammation. My pony horse was looked after by a hot walker who at one time had been a groom… not a very good one it seems. He always wore 4 poles during training. One day I was cruising around the barn looking at the kids in their houses before heading home for the evening. My jaw dropped when I looked at the horse. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I opened his door and wow… a bandage bow… actually not just one, but the of his four legs had been bandage bowed. He’s fine now, but I was so frigging mad! We couldn’t use him for a while and we needed him! I remember feeling so sick.
Bute and naquasone for a few days, cold hosing and gel casts and he was ok, Thank God!

[Laurierace]

Bandage bows (almost) always involved inflamation of the tendon sheath without any real damage to the tendon itself. An ultrasound to be sure wouldn’t be a bad idea but I personally would treat it for a week or so and see how it comes along. I stall rest during the wait and see time just in case.

[chawley]

Thanks for all the comments. The swelling was down probably 90% last night, with just a slight bit of heat. I’ll just keep treating it until it’s cold and tight, but, it appears I’ve dodged a bullet. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going to make my show this weekend, but such the life of a horse owner.

[deltawave]

They are scary to contemplate and can look awful, but IME they usually quiet down quickly and leave no permanent issues. Bummer about the timing, but I’m glad the leg is looking better already. That’s a good sign! :yes:

[chawley]

[QUOTE=deltawave;3581916]
They are scary to contemplate and can look awful, but IME they usually quiet down quickly and leave no permanent issues. Bummer about the timing, but I’m glad the leg is looking better already. That’s a good sign! :yes:[/QUOTE]

In your opinion, if the heat and swelling are gone, is it okay to return to work, or should I give it more time beyond that?

[WalkInTheWoods]

[QUOTE=chawley;3581900]
Thanks for all the comments. The swelling was down probably 90% last night, with just a slight bit of heat. I’ll just keep treating it until it’s cold and tight, but, it appears I’ve dodged a bullet. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going to make my show this weekend, but such the life of a horse owner. :)[/QUOTE]

I would for sure forget about that show. Sounds like you are doing everything right for his leg but i would add rubbing the leg to your regime. Rubbing does a lot to help move that fluid and it feels good for the horse. Start right under the knee and rub downwards using a light patting stroke. I would use some alcohol - cools the leg and makes it slipperier for rubbing.

In your opinion, if the heat and swelling are gone, is it okay to return to work, or should I give it more time beyond that?

I always err on the side of caution and give it a few days after the leg is cool before starting any strenous work. However I wouldnt leave the horse locked in a stall. Can he be turned out without self destructing or hand walked ?

[pattnic]

Not to sidetrack, but sidetracking… is it common/normal for hair to grow in white after a bandage bow? Horse in question was being wrapped for another injury (in August) and got a slight bow. Never unsound, subsided quickly, but hair is now growing in white.

[chawley]

[QUOTE=WalkInTheWoods;3582544]

[COLOR=“seagreen”]I always err on the side of caution and give it a few days after the leg is cool before starting any strenous work. However I wouldnt leave the horse locked in a stall. Can he be turned out without self destructing or hand walked ?[/QUOTE]

He’s being handwalked, and he is also turned out in a small paddock during the day. Thankfully, he’s very quiet and mostly sleeps and eats all day.

[chawley]

Well, it’s day five since the bandage bow and while the swelling is completely down, the area on the SFT, where the bow was, still has a slight bit of heat in it. It is improving every day though, so I need to be patient. I jogged him last night in hand and he is very sound.

[asanders]

Sounds like things will turn out OK. The first ‘bandage bow’ I saw was at the track, and the trainer immediately (and this is key) put an elastoplast bandage on it (2 inch width I think). Then proceeded as you with cold therapy. Elastoplast stayed on 24 hrs. Then treat as you have done. I remember thinking at the time it was one of the best miracle cures I’d ever seen. When the elastoplast came off, you couldn’t tell the horse had had a giant swelling the day before. …of course I might not have the same person run the elastoplast as ran the original bandage

[Laurierace]

[QUOTE=asanders;3587731]
Sounds like things will turn out OK. The first ‘bandage bow’ I saw was at the track, and the trainer immediately (and this is key) put an elastoplast bandage on it (2 inch width I think). Then proceeded as you with cold therapy. Elastoplast stayed on 24 hrs. Then treat as you have done. I remember thinking at the time it was one of the best miracle cures I’d ever seen. When the elastoplast came off, you couldn’t tell the horse had had a giant swelling the day before. …of course I might not have the same person run the elastoplast as ran the original bandage ;)[/QUOTE]

Elastoplast on a bare leg? Wow, that is not something I would ever do with the exception of maybe making sure a bandage stayed in place by running a strip around the top. I am a big fan of gel casts for this situation however. I keep one in the refrigerator just in case so its cold when it goes on. It can be reactivated as the days go by with rubbing alcohol poured over the top of it.

[Blinkers_On]

Elastoplast? Or coolcast or gelcast? those make far more sense.

[asanders]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;3587812]
Elastoplast on a bare leg? Wow, that is not something I would ever do with the exception of maybe making sure a bandage stayed in place by running a strip around the top. I am a big fan of gel casts for this situation however. I keep one in the refrigerator just in case so its cold when it goes on. It can be reactivated as the days go by with rubbing alcohol poured over the top of it.[/QUOTE]

Honest-to-god. It was elastoplast. It was a long time ago, and the cool new polymer gel wonder product bandages weren’t really around. I think the elastoplast trade name has been reduced to plain old tape and bandaids, but the stuff we used was pretty thick and fabric-y (for lack of a real word), stretchy stuff. Laurie, you are right, it is gel cast in my fridge, but I guess I always call that elastoplast, since it was my replacement for elastoplast (I never used elastoplast for anything else, just regular adhesive tape) --and I’m fortunate in not having had to use it at home. Anyway, use a GOOD (not just regular wrap) compression bandage on this kind of bow.

[Jaegermonster]

If he were mine I would have the vet to ultrasound it before I put him back to work just to be on the safe side. I,too, err on the side of caution. Tincture of Time works wonders.

[equinefine79]

I have a 21 yr old finished reiner mare with a bowed tendon. It is about a month old on the back of her cannon bone area and I have been using a support sock and turn out. She doesn’t have a limp unless she gets to screwing around. What I am trying to find out is a proper and right way to wrap it and what to use for a poltice. If possible a step by step explanation on the wrapping and how to apply the poltice. Thank you!