OMG, I’m about 6 weeks in with a similar story! Mine is doing better, but I might be looking at more diagnostics or perhaps tenoscopy. I hope yours is quicker to resolve. To the OP, YES, horses can indeed have swollen legs from abscesses. From anything that looks like they’re stocked up to a huge stovepipe leg.
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Jingles for your horse.
Lameness can be so frustrating.
I do not agree with your farrier regarding the leg swelling.
I have experienced leg swelling on more than one horse associated with an abscess or a stone bruise.
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Count me in the same boat as the others here. A few months ago I had a pony that I thought might be working on an abscess so I soaked and poultice his foot. A day later the swelling went from pastern right up to his knee. Had me second guessing an abscess but I kept soaking the hoof and poultice from his hoof right up to his knee in case it was something other than just an abscess (he was recovering from a laminic episode, was getting better then all of a sudden could not walk so I was going between an abscess to perhaps some leg injury from when he was outside).
The abscess burst out the cornet band the next day and his leg swelling went down a day later. The abscess drained for over a week - it was a nasty one!
My own mare never stocks up from an abscess but my friends horse stocks up from abscess or even heel scratches/ mud fever. Abscess are very alarming as they get so lame so fast! Soak wrap and let them move around on soft footing. I find that when the abscess is really bad they won’t want to walk down the paved barn aisle but are happy out in the soft hog fuel run out. As soon as they are willing to walk out on the paved aisle I take them for walks or to big turnout area. They recover fast once it drains or blows.
