Leg Cut- How long will the swelling last?

[piperspapers]

My wonder pony almost never gets hurt but last week she cut her leg above the fetlock. Small cut lengthwise about an inch but it was fairly deep so I had the vet check it. The cut is just soft tissue and did not effect the tendon sheath. She is not lame on it but it was puffy. Vet started her on SMZs and had me furezone sweat wrap three nights and regular wrap three nights. Cold hosing it morning and evening. She is going out to turnout daily no wraps. It’s been about 6 days since the vet was out, 8 or 9 since injury, and while keeping swelling down, her leg is still puffier than normal.

How long can I expect the swelling to persist? Is this normal for it to stay puffy beyond a week?

[RainWeasley]

I would call the vet again. I had something similar happen last year, but higher up on a hind leg, and the SMZs didn’t do much and he ended up with cellulitis that would.not.go.away. Might need stronger injectable antibiotics. And mine had to stay up all the time wrapped up with furazone, dex and I think something else mixed in. Just to be safe, let the vet know the swelling isn’t going away.

[piperspapers]

Ugh. Yeah I do not want to deal with cellulitis. I will definitely call vet again if it’s not looking better by the next few days.

[Simkie]

I’ve had filling stick around for a couple/three weeks in that sort of scenario. You figure there’s inflammation through the entire healing process plus a little beyond, so no real surprise to see some filling. Definitely call the vet if you’re concerned, and wrapping at night might not be a bad idea. But there’s nothing scary in what you’re describing here, imo.

[findeight]

Couple, three weeks most of the time. As long as there is slow improvement, no heat and no sign of infection, you should be OK.

Is she getting any exercise? Often times when recuperating, they don’t move enough for their circulatory system to pump out and reduce the swelling. The lower down on the body it is, the harder the system has to work and moving helps run the pump. Be sure you are at least hand walking daily, don’t see anything wrong with tack walking here either and it’s easier to tack walk an hour then hand walk.

Hand graze her moving every 5 minutes works well too. But she has to move to help her body heal itself.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

I agree with others - puffiness and slight swelling can last a while on a lower leg injury (sometimes several weeks). Look for abnormal heat, redness and/or stinky/puss/excessive drainage from the wound. Those would definitely require a repeat visit from the vet.

I’d use Vaseline or Neosporin on the wound when outside, just to put a barrier between the dirt/flies/etc. and the wound. And continue with the cold hosing. Wishing your pony a speedy recovery.