[QHgin]

these are pictures of almozo's right back leg. the other day (tuesday) we had a pretty hard work out b/c he was acting up. afterward i noticed that he was a little off but couldn't see anything so i gave him bute and turned him out. yesterday when all the horses where running around he was a little slower than normal so i brought him and he was slamming his right hind down when walking. i seen that the area right above the fetlock was swollen and soft. i gave him bute and truned him out. today it was smaller and he wasn't lame at all but his attitude was off. he semed very down and just not putting any effort into anything. but he still leaned in to the brush and crulled his lips while i was grooming him so he was still enjoying himself, he just wasn't himself. what could it be?
right hind

right hind.front veiw

left hind

[pippy]

IMO - an what i think of straight away is swelling of the bursa on or around the joint and attaching tendon sheaths.
Comes from work on hard ground, or excessive work when the horse isn't used to it, or strain/sprain of the fetlock joint.
Basically they have pulled somthing around that area, and possibly made worse by the "hard" workout, or come as a results of the hard workout.
Nothing really major

Also other things to note - the pictures don't tell us much at all as we don't have anythign to compare it with i.e pic of leg not swollen, or the other leg.
but start cold hosing it 2 times a day for 10-15mins will really help it.
Is/was he (still) lame on it at all?
Is it hot to the touch?
Has it gone down much if at all?

All questions we need answers to to hlep you best we ccan.


And with him not being himself - how do you feel the day after a hard workout? Sore, tired...... so why shouldn't he? On top of a slight sprain to the leg?
i know i drag my sorry self out of bed in the morning after a especially hard workout at the gym.

[QHgin]

he was acting normal yesterday even a little sprited. the workout was on tuesday. so its been two days. and he was normal the day after.
it has gone down
it is not hot to the touch and no noticble pulse
he is not lame on it today and it feels squishy
the ground that we were working on was grass. we werent in an arena or anything so it might have been the hard ground.
after i hose it should i wrap it or anything?

[pippy]

i wouldn't worry about wrapping or bandaging - you can do more harm than good....

I'm not sure about where you live but here in NZ, we often work horses on hard ground and their legs get a bit puffy like yours has from it, cold hosing and a cooling gel is always applied after work on hard ground.

I could go into a bit more details - but i'm not sure I know enough about it to be correct enough.

[DiamondRio]

It could be a windpuff. They are normally squishy (fluid filled) and not warm. They normally do not cause lameness and will go away with continued work and turnout.
I would discontinue bute for a day or so just to make sure that he is actually not lame and then have a vet evaluate it if the swelling is still there after a week or so.

[pippy]

A windpuff or windgall is a specific site of swelling on or around the fetlock normally around 10mm diameter - not generalised around the joint.

Well from what i know anyway

[Dawn]

It does look like a windpuff to me as well.

Windpuffs in and of themselves are cosmetic. What caused it could cause lameness.

[JBandRio]

I would discontinue any bute and back off the work for a week or so. He can still go do some light work. As dawn said, if it's a windpuff (if) it itself is cosmetic, but the cause is a stretched and over-fluid-filled tendon sheath, and that could get worse if hard work is continued. Backing off work early can keep the windpuff from becoming permanent, but certainly no guarantees.

[QHgin]

i didn't give him any bute last night b/c he wasn't acting lame and i wont give him any today to see if the lamness comes back. Im hoping its just a windpuff.

[QHgin]

well he was not lame today. the swelling was still there but still not hot and no noticable pulse. so i road him up the dirt road and back and he wasn't lame afterward so im guessing its just a wind puff.