New horse came off the trailer with a hock full of fluid and several cuts on and around the hock (superficial). He isn’t lame or sensitive to the touch and the hock itself is pretty cool. I’m debating calling the vet or waiting to see if it goes down at all. What would the wise folks of COTH suggest?
You call the vet and have a complete exam on your new horse. If anything is wrong, you’ll have something on your side to report if you want to return it.
I wouldn’t wait.
Thanks. I appreciate it.
I guess it would depend on whether I wanted an “out” to send the horse back. If that’s a thought in your mind then yes, have the vet out to document everything.
But I’ve had the same thing happen many times over the years (a minor bump/scrape/swelling) from trailering, turnout, being stalled overnight in a new place…you name it. If the horse is not lame on it and you’re talking swelling in a leg, I rarely involve the vet. I generally give a couple of days to let it resolve - if there’s minor soreness I’ll bute the horse, if I suspect an abscess (which, of course, usually means lameness) I’ll put a soaking/poultice boot on the horse. My general rule, however, is that if there’s minor swelling and I can find a cut that it might be related to, it becomes a relative non-issue in my mind. That’s not to say that I don’t keep an eye on it, but swelling as the result of superficial cuts is not unusual.
I guess it comes down to your comfort level evaluating the horse and the situation. At the very least, it would be worth snapping a few pictures and sending them to your vet to give them a heads up.
I appreciate your advice!
