Ok- let me rephrase- this project horse is still my personal horse ! If she is stuck with me for life so be it, she is still sweet and beautiful to look at. If this was a life or death situation, I would not be posting on Chron, I would be putting her in my trailer and finding money for emergency vet bills.
No what is wrong is withholding medical treatment in an emergency. If you can’t clean up your own mess it is inhumane not to find someone else who will. You do not know it is fractured so what is the point of getting other people’s experiences with fractured knees? I do have experience with fractured knees for the record. I knew it was fractured because I had the vet come immediately.
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Right, I got that, and I think that initial course of action was reasonable.
The issue was the subsequent “now the knee is huge and oozing but the vet doesn’t seem to think waiting another 2 days, with turnout, is an issue”
- I unfortunately had 2 major bills on top of regular first of the month bills that have prevented me from a hospital visit. I do not have a credit card and the hospital is a pay all at once situation. I love my local vet and I trust her .
I know some have said you should have had the horse at a hospital, but I disagree. You don’t even know what’s wrong, and not everyone is close enough to a hospital to take a horse at the drop of a hat for everything that only might be serious. If I had a situation you described yesterday, with the oozing and such, my vet would have said “I’ll rearrange my day and be there even if it’s 7pm”. Not “eh, just give some antibiotics and I’ll see you in a couple days”, and not for a knee that suddenly blew up. That’s where I have the problem, the vet’s seeming nonchalance about what could be a serious issue.
- I am thinking fracture now, not originally . I thought cellultus originally which is why I treated like so not like a fractured knee. If I had originally thought fractured knee I would have just gotten the x rays done and not wasted the money on antibiotics.
Cellulitis wasn’t even a real option originally. As Angela said, cellulitis is not localized like this, and while not impossible, much less likely without an open wound of some sort. But, if you had originally been thinking cellulitis, that would have warranted wrapping, which I don’t see listed as something you’ve done.
The fact that it (I think) was more or less the same from the day it happened, until yesterday, so about 10 days, and then the knee blew up, may be a sign there’s a bone chip that broke off finally and is now wreaking havoc in there. The joint capsule may be damaged. Prolonged swelling that’s bad enough can cause fluid to leak out,so that’s not necessarily any indicator of what’s going on inside.
Antibiotics would probably have been prescribed no matter what, particularly if it was/is cellulitis, so it’s not a waste. Pen isn’t that expensive anyway.
At this point, with the vet coming tomorrow anyway, I would put her in a stall, or whatever situation keeps her the absolute quietest. If that’s where she is now, then that’s fine.
The post became about your financial situation because you brought it up 
IMHO, everyone with a horse (well, actually, everyone who can get a card) needs a credit card they keep just for this purpose. Charge gas on it once a month and pay it off to keep a better credit rating.
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Some vets are better than others. They are people, after all–they’re not perfect or infallible, and they don’t have crystal balls.
I assume you shared your concern about a potential fracture with the vet, as you’ve shared it with us. If that is truly the case, and she advised antibiotics and waiting, then it’s time for a new vet. Fractures aren’t generally a “throw some penicillin at it and we’ll take a look at the end of the week” sort of deal. They’re a “radiograph now so we can come up with a game plan that’s fair to the horse (and your wallet)” sort of deal.
Please find a vet to actually lay eyeballs on this poor horse, and radiograph her 
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I appreciate all the advice and concern I’ve gotten. I will keep everyone updated on her prognosis.
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Because the vet wants to get paid, and does not “just come out” unless specifically asked to come out by the owner. When you post things like, “I unfortunately had 2 major bills on top of regular first of the month bills that have prevented me from a hospital visit. I do not have a credit card and the hospital is a pay all at once situation,” then people think you are soliciting anonymous online opinions from people who may or may not know anything about horses because you can’t afford to get the horse the care it needs.
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That’s true.
Also, when I worked in an animal ER as a Vet Assist./receptionist we did not tell people to bring their animals in… and we did not Dx over the phone.
If you are calling us, you must be concerned which means you need a Vet to look at the animal to allay those concerns.
The client tells the Vet they want them to come out. Period.
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A client does have the right to tell the vet not to come out, and can ask and beg them to come out. But a vet also has the responsibility to suggest, however strongly, that they NEED to come out because the situation sounds serious enough.
This situation sounds like it should have warranted the vet saying “I really think I need to come look at this now”, but instead “give some pen and I’ll be out in a couple of days”.
Of course, that is all the information we have been given, and there may have been more to the conversation, but what we’re told is all we have to go by.
I sincerely hope that today’s visit just proves the leakage is due to the huge swelling, and that things are already better.
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Agree, but like you said, there’s always a chance the Vet had more or less info than we do.
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Guys, everybody has emergency. Everybody has something unexpected that pop up that prevent them from going extra miles. Lay off OP. She did not take on a horse that she cannot take care of. She took on a horse that had injuries at the worst of timing.
OP, if it were me, I would want to have some X-ray taken, just to know what is going on. Is X-Ray not in the card? With that said, if it IS fracture, what can a vet do, except to prescribe anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and stall rest? If I were you, I would start treating her as if she had fracture. I imagine that operation of any type is not an option, and it may not be a good option even if you had the fund lying somewhere.
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Not sure I’d ask a three legged horse to trailer any distance when mobile x-ray machines are available. It’s Friday! Let us know what the vet said!
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Waiting for the results! Jingling it’s something simple.
I’ve been there more than once, gotten a cheap 2nd horse when #1 horse has been laid up. Unfortunately horses don’t know when they are supposed to be cheap & low-maintenance, or when they are expensive & fancy. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way: 2 horses just means double the bills - including the unforeseen. Hoping for a good outcome for you & your horses.
We have a fairly successful QH gelding (44 QH points, showed at congress). He sustained a fractured knee at a show when young, and treatment was delayed (as you have).
Skip is now 15 years old, permanently lame, retired for the few years we can keep him comfy, and will be off to greener pastures in the sky YEARS early.
I could KILL the girl who dinked around with it, then buted him up to show and sold him off when she got tired of him.
We are footing the bill for her mistake because he deserved better. Your mare did too.
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No fractures!!! Just a sensitive OTTB with a big infected knee. Thanks to everyone who has been supportive and I’m glad that this isn’t as bad as it could have been . She responded great to her first day of penicillin and the swelling is down a ton. Very happy (: vet says we may need to inject the knee down the road but to cross that bridge when we get there.
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Sweet! That is awesome news :yes:
Once the infection is taken care of, I think I’d seriously consider a loading dose of Adequan, and some rest during that period. That will provide some good support for that (and all) joints, and may well help delay whatever injections might be needed down the road.
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Going to consider your advice strongly, that seems like a very good idea !! Thank you !! This is why I love this forum (:
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