Heat in fetlock, freak out commencing now

[brightlights]

Hey y’all. I’m self-diagnosing a branch suspensory injury on my jumper and don’t have a vet appointment until middle of next week. I’m well aware there are much more important things going on in the world, but at the same time, I would love to think I’m wrong about this mare. Can anyone share experience with similar symptoms that weren’t a suspensory injury?

We jumped Monday and I felt nothing iffy in the cool down period afterward. Tuesday she came out of the stall fine, went on our horse walker, and had a day off otherwise. This morning she came out fine, went on the walker for half an hour, and seemed normal. I took her out to ride this afternoon and noticed she came out of the stall stiff. Didn’t feel anything in the first few minutes though the weather was wild and she’s reactive, so a fair amount of jigging around is normal. After about five minutes, I noticed she felt off, dismounted, trotted her in hand and couldn’t see/hear anything. We took a video on a straight line on hard ground and I still couldn’t see anything. Got back on and could feel slight lameness. This increased on a circle. I imagine she would be lame in hand on a hard circle but I’m not going to put her through that. There is very slight heat and swelling on the outside of her lower fetlock. She is slightly reactive if I squeeze it. Of course I will not be exercising or turning her out until I have some clarity on this, though I haven’t broken that to her yet

[StormWarriorC]

Did it get better with ice? I’d ice it heavily in the coming days as vets can’t ultrasound if it’s swollen badly. Keep the inflammation down and wrap/sweat it to support it if her skin can handle that.

Is she clipped so you can see if there’s fungus or rain rot under there? We’ve been having a terrible month of fungus woes and swelling/heat so maybe that’s it? Trying to be positive for you!

[brightlights]

Thank you for being positive! It feels/is super indulgent to be anxiety-posting right now but I love this horse. I cold hosed her and have it wrapped. It’s only very slight swelling/warmth and she is often puffy in both fetlocks so if she hadn’t been off in the ride I wouldn’t have noticed. I wish it were rain rot! I’m in Ireland and we’ve had a rare dry couple weeks until today.

[Xctrygirl]

This will sound weird but when she is on the walker do they shift it during the time on it to go both ways or not?

Depending on that answer, if they don’t shift it, is she lame on the inside leg of the circle she walks or the outside?

Can you have her NOT on the walker for a few days while you’re treating? Maybe hand walk her in a more straight line?

Em

[brightlights]

Hi Em, she’s been on the walker in both directions since I jumped her. It’s an oval shape so it’s two 19m straights with a curve on each end, if that makes sense. Usually they go in one direction each day to avoid them spinning around on a direction change. That would totally make sense if it had only been the one direction on a circle. It’s possible she could have banged herself but it’s such minimal swelling and the lameness comes and goes, so it seems like something deeper 😞

[nu5ha]

Anti inflammatory and ice ice ice till the vet gets there, also I think best no walker. My little mare got a strain on her front right suspensory 8 months ago. Was fine when I took her out her stall, went on a walk ride around the property on the way home she was lame, got off her walked her home, called vet. Iced her and gave her Bute until the vet came 2 days later. She had limited swelling her leg wasn’t very hot but little heat nothing major at all, but she was visibly lame from a walk so didn’t even trot her. She is sound now and I will start to leg her up after the summer, but I really suggest ice 3 times a day if you can, dont let her jump around and some type of anti inflammatory

[StormWarriorC]

Suspensories present so different in every horse, it’s crazy. My guy’s strain presented as just pitting edema in that leg after a hard jump school. Absolutely no lameness once but when we ultrasounded it it was there.

Hopefully whatever it is you caught it very early and it can be mended. I understand the pit-in-your-stomach feeling. My jumper stuck her leg through the wall of her stall three weeks ago and it was swollen and hot and scratched up, but now she’s 100% sound and happy. Hopefully it’s just a minor swelling. Fingers crossed!

[Cocorona]

My mare is dealing with a sprain much like yours, I bought a small ice pack wrap meant to go on the hoof of a foundering horse to get targeted ice. I got mine on Valley Vet (USA)- if you can find something similar, get as much ice as possible on that injury and try to get the swelling down before the vet comes out or you’ll waste an ultrasound on an unhelpful image. I’d also start a bute regime and would handwalk on straight lines and avoid the walker until the vet comes GOOD LUCK

[RAyers]

I am going to go with I think you are looking for something when nothing is there.

No horse, nor human for that matter, is ever 100% sound. Just because a horse is “off” (and you admit you can not see or feel anything), does not mean it is lame. I have a severe limp due to sciatica. Yet I can ride, jump, and run. My horse had a large laceration on his cannon bone yet galloped all over the pasture. Pain is not lameness.

A recent vet study (unpublished) at NAJYRC at Rebecca Farms showed that horses with a 1+ lameness placed higher than sound horses. The reason posited by the vets is that those horses have developed better physiologic and biologic responses to injury, they are mentally tougher and more capable of handing pain.

The point is, yes, there is never anything wrong with having a vet out. But, you have stepped well beyond that by already creating a worst case scenario with no real indication that is what it is.

When I was competing FEI I had the vet out at least once a month even for the slightest cut. But I never dropped off the training or hacking unless the vet indicated that was necessary. Horses in the past made it to the World Cup on bute, banamine, and ice, combined with fitness and working through soreness.

[brightlights]

Thanks so much for the replies, everyone. I really appreciate your kindness and positivity. I’ve kept her in other than to cold hose this morning and will keep her rested until our vet appointment Tuesday.

RAAyers, thank you for your opinion and experience. Made me feel better and I do hope I am overreacting!

Miss mare had mild heat and puffiness this morning but 15 minutes of cold water took that out and her leg has been cool and tight for the rest of the day. I can’t imagine it’s nothing after the several head-bobbing lame steps yesterday, but I’m relieved she walked sound to the hose and that the leg appears closer to normal. I will cold hose again and give her a couple days of bute, and keep fingers crossed for Tuesday 🙏

[Justice]

I have had them do this with skin stuff. I would wash with chlorhexidine daily & if I could find any nick on the leg I’d start smzs before vet comes.

[Xctrygirl]

@Justice

I have had them do this with skin stuff. I would wash with chlorhexidine daily & if I could find any nick on the leg I’d start smzs before vet comes.

Believe me when I say that I ran headlong into the medication and care differences in the UK on the H&H forum board.

I would say that our normal treatments are not the same over there. The over prescription of antibiotics and overuse of nsaids were two things that I found out about. They do not give or have SMZ’s like we do.

Ireland is of course it’s own country but as one of my dear friends just came back to the US after living there for 14 years, they too do not have the same access to drugs that we do and their opinions of overuse of Nsaids is quite similar to their UK neighbors.

Em