A concerned horse owner gets help from an AAEP vet about his horse’s swollen legs.

Question:

My horse ran on Saturday and had a little bit of swelling above his ankle and lower tendon on Sunday. I sweated it with a DMSO/Furazone sweat and gave him phenylbutazone. The next day, the swelling was up past the knee.

I thought it might be a pulled suspensory, but the amount of swelling seems more like a fracture. He is not lame, but I am still concerned. Could you give me your thoughts?

Answer:

The first thing that I would tell you is to contact your veterinarian to get a thorough examination of the leg in question. This could be several things. There may be different recommendations for each of these problems depending on the initial observations of your veterinarian. If he or she suspects a soft tissue injury, the vet may suggest that you have an ultrasound examination performed to determine the presence or extent of the injury.

If the veterinarian suspects a bone injury, he or she may suggest that a series of radiographs be done. Commonly, a horse may sustain abrasions or lacerations to a limb when racing. If the veterinarian suspects this to be the cause of the swelling, a treatment to combat infection may be suggested.

As you can tell, the source of the swelling can be many things. It’s difficult to give an exact cause without seeing the horse directly. Having your veterinarian look at the horse is the first step. From there, you should get some answers pretty quickly.

– Dr. Scott A. Hay, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners