# Swollen Fetlock due to a foot abscess??



## coreteam1 (21 October 2010)

My boy came in from the field on Wednesday evening with a swollen leg, just on the inside and outside of his near hind around his fetlck and slightly above.

I automatically thought the worst (I always do!) and thought of damaged tendons, ligaments etc

The I remembered in the past my boy has had the same symptoms when he suffered a series of awful foot abscesses.  It was almost every time he was shod (so sacked that farrier!)  but he has been fine over the past two years, until now!
So I got my farrier to take off the shoe today but sadly,no sign of an abscess.  I did poultice his foot though and will continue to poultice  tomorrow in the hope that this will draw out the abscess if there is one.

I just wondered if anyone else had seen their horses leg swell due to a foot abscess?  If I remember rightly my boy got the swollen leg, then the lameness and the abscess normally burst/showed itself a few days later so fingers crossed this happens soon!
Why do things like this happen to me when I have so much planned I'm sure my boy knows what is coming up so does this on purpose!


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## tgsporthorse (22 October 2010)

I would get it scanned to check, as I had a horse come in from the field hopping lame, with the same swelling and no visible injury. Like you, we initially thought foot abcess, but the farrier found nothing. By this time the leg had swollen further so the vet thought cellulitus, but I pushed for a scan and we were in Newmarket a few days later, with suspected septic superficial digital flexor tendon where they recommended pts! To cut a long story short we are persevering with him as he refused to accept his days were numbered or as my vet says he obviously hasn't read the text books! So if I was in the same situation again I would scan for peace of mind rather than wait for an abcess to emerge. Fingers crossed yours is an abcess.


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## coreteam1 (22 October 2010)

tgsporthorse said:



			I would get it scanned to check, as I had a horse come in from the field hopping lame, with the same swelling and no visible injury. Like you, we initially thought foot abcess, but the farrier found nothing. By this time the leg had swollen further so the vet thought cellulitus, but I pushed for a scan and we were in Newmarket a few days later, with suspected septic superficial digital flexor tendon where they recommended pts! To cut a long story short we are persevering with him as he refused to accept his days were numbered or as my vet says he obviously hasn't read the text books! So if I was in the same situation again I would scan for peace of mind rather than wait for an abcess to emerge. Fingers crossed yours is an abcess.
		
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Not much lameness at all, obviously more in trot.  Fingers crossed it's an abscess.  Will give it until Monday then see what it's like.  If no better and no sign of anscess will take him in for scans etc.


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## Spinal Tap (22 October 2010)

A horse on my old yard once came in with a filled leg and swollen fetlock, and was waving his foot in the air very dramatically.  Had us all in a right panic but that turned out to be an abscess


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## loopylucifer (22 October 2010)

yep they can get swollen fetlocks and pasterns with an abscess


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## ImogenBurrows (22 October 2010)

I have seen several PIF cases with swelling up to and including the fetlock.  However, the foot usually warmer than the other to feel and digital pulses are frequently increased.

Don't forget fetlock injury can cause fetlock swelling too....

If nothing has changed, or especially if the lameness progresses I would certainly ring your vet for investigation...abscesses are common, but that doesn't make other causes unlikely either.

Hope that helps
imogen


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## coreteam1 (22 October 2010)

ImogenBurrows said:



			I have seen several PIF cases with swelling up to and including the fetlock.  However, the foot usually warmer than the other to feel and digital pulses are frequently increased.

Don't forget fetlock injury can cause fetlock swelling too....

If nothing has changed, or especially if the lameness progresses I would certainly ring your vet for investigation...abscesses are common, but that doesn't make other causes unlikely either.

Hope that helps
imogen
		
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Today he is hardly lame, the swelling has gone down slightly but I think this would be due to the two bute he had last night and two this morning?  The fetlock feels warm as does the inside of his foot, but not really majorly hot?
Thought about turning him out for an hour on Sunday to see if the swelling goes down any.  I haven't given him any bute since this morning as sometimes I feel it masks injuries?

How long do you think it would take 'normally' for an abscess to burst it's way out if it was going to? I think in the past his legs swell before the abscess was found. 

Of course it may not be an abscess and maybe a dreaded fetlock injury but I can't think how on earth he would have done it? And surely he would be more lame?

Thank you for your earlier reply


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## ImogenBurrows (23 October 2010)

janey said:



			Today he is hardly lame, the swelling has gone down slightly but I think this would be due to the two bute he had last night and two this morning?  The fetlock feels warm as does the inside of his foot, but not really majorly hot?
Thought about turning him out for an hour on Sunday to see if the swelling goes down any.  I haven't given him any bute since this morning as sometimes I feel it masks injuries?

How long do you think it would take 'normally' for an abscess to burst it's way out if it was going to? I think in the past his legs swell before the abscess was found. 

Of course it may not be an abscess and maybe a dreaded fetlock injury but I can't think how on earth he would have done it? And surely he would be more lame?

Thank you for your earlier reply 

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I don't personally like dealing with abscesses that burst out rather than those that have been found by farrier or vet, but it's better than not draining.  I don't like poulticing the coronary band either, IME it turns into a soggy mess rather than drawing the pus up and you can find separation of the hoof wall along the coronet with i don't really like. If it does burst out the top then i find salt water (epsom salt) tubbing for 10 mins twcie daily is ok, while the farrier or vet tries to get it from the bottom, or failing that expose it from the top. 

How long will it take to burst out?  I have seen cases that have taken 3 weeks before we've found the damn pus and even then then didn't burst out.  There was not swelling, the foot was not that hot and the horse went from lame one minute to sound the next  - it can take a while!!

It doesn't really sound like PIF, but you never know without looking.  I'd reduce/stop the bute so you can see what lameness is there, cold hose for 20mins three time daily and stable bandage for the weekend.  If no lameness is evident tomorrow restricted turn out is probably not going to do any harm.  If a sudden increase in lameness occurs then I would get the vet straight away.

As for other injuries and how could he have done it....golly I'd be a millionaire and diving in Truk lagoon rather than being on call today if I knew the answer to that one!!  

Remember, your vet is at the end of the phone for advice!!!

Hope that helps.


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## brucea (23 October 2010)

I've been dealing with a springtime abscess - there were all the abscess symptoms, but the vet was unwilling to dig in my guy's sole and wasn't really sure where it was anyway (it's 25mm thick solid barefoot hoof on the xrays, hoof testers are misleading,  and he's done it once before and not keen to repeat the experience!)

It came and went a couple of times, but a couple of months ago a huge chunk came off his hoof right at the heel, and underneath was a lot of black tarry gunk. All cleaned up and the loose raggy stuff taken off. No heel on one side, but he grew a large calus on the edge of the sole to compensate.

All OK now - but sometimes you can't find them, they recede and end up growing out.


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## skint1 (23 October 2010)

The first year we had our horse she had numerous foot abscesses and many of them involved swelling and heat in the fetlock/pastern area.

Recently she injured her fetlock by being a loon in the field, she's had 3 weeks off 2 of them on box rest but is allowed back out now.  A scan revealed no injury and I began to think it might have been an abscess but it wasn't that either, so the vet decided she'd twisted/sprained it.


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## soulfull (24 October 2010)

Its always so difficult to say without tests.  Abcess can take weeks and weeks to burst if really deep.  Friend horse had one and it was so deep vets or farrier could not find it so presumed it was something else.  AFter 5 wks was all set to go for scan and the night before it burst though coronet band!!

On the other hand my lad had minor heat and swelling around a hind fetlock, no lameness even in trot, yet his was scanned at the yard by vet and found annular ligament damage.  He came perfectly sound 2 months later  but if I had carried on riding him or turning him out it would have been much much worse


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