Hock Trauma: Vet On Way Tomorrow, Would Like Some Input

[Robby Johnson]

Hello,

My broodmare had an innocent galloping frolic with her pasture mate on Friday afternoon when the hunt horses arrived at the farm where she and said mate live 24/7. All was fine by eye witness accounts. Eventually everyone settled and about 15 minutes later farm owner noticed she was standing stationary and went to check her. 3-legged, non-weight bearing. Within a few hours, hock began swelling.

Got her into barn, called me, found a hunt member with bute and gave her two grams. (She's 1:15 away from where I live.) I went down first thing yesterday morning, hock swollen and hot, but I didn't panic. Walked her out of stall just down barn aisle to get a better assessment. Definitely lame but not horrid. In fact, my thought was we'd turn her out this p.m. and just give it a few days.

Farm owners turned her out this morning after watching her and agreeing she looked significantly better. They went hunting and returned to a huge stovepipe and, again, NWB. I was already en route because I wanted to check her again, so she's in the barn again tonight with vet on way tomorrow morning.

The swelling is quite significant - hock 2x size of the other. While there is no visible trauma (kick or anything), farm owner did say there was a "goose egg" on inside prior to onset of swelling yesterday.

I know it's possible to "pop a hind splint" but isn't that normally on the cannon where those metatarsal bones attach? If it's up higher, might it be one of the actual other bones? I just reviewed my UC Davis book, and am trying not to panic but, quite honestly, it doesn't look good from a clinical presentation, and the book did indicate that fractures of the hock usually carry a poor prognosis. She's happy and content and eating - not drinking great but very, very lame of course and her leg is just huge and hot.

Any input or experience would be greatly appreciated.

[LAZ]

Robby,

After a similar thing I will tell you I don't mess with hocks--if they're that fat and hot and the horse is at all lame it is an emergency.

Best of luck and let us know what the vet says. Hopefully it's just a sprain and she'll be fine with a bit of R & R.

[Buffyblue]

I'd want to rule out a fracture with some x-rays. Good luck - hopefully it's not too serious.

[Robby Johnson]

That's what my gut is telling me too, LAZ. I do have a contingency plan, of course. She's quite sensitive, and the idea of a big vet hospital visit (2.5 hours either way) just to get the same news is difficult to justify. We considered taking her in this afternoon but honestly I was concerned with her being on the trailer and, even more so, trying to get off of it. Hopefully we'll get some x-rays shot tomorrow morning and have a clearer picture of the prognosis. She's content and happy and if it is a worst case scenario, I'd rather her be at her "home" permanently, and not at a hospital worried and alarmed.

Thank you for your feedback. It's so hard having horses.

[Thomas_1]

get the vet out and hose it down to reduce any inflammation and reduce pain.

[Jleegriffith]

Robby,
My horse came in with a similar type of injury although I am not sure what happened. He possibly had some sort of trauma but was very 3 legged lame and the hock was hot and swelled after a night of stall rest. No cuts or signs of injury.

We found out he had an infection in the hock joint which was either causing the lameness or was a result of some sort of trauma which allowed bacteria to settle there. I was treating it as not a huge deal until he did not get any better. We did go to New Bolton where they did x-rays, cultures of joint fluid and an overall test to figure out what was going on.

If you local vet can ultrasound or x-ray it might give you some idea of what is going on without making a long trip but it is not something I would wait to long on.

[JSwan]

Oh no Robby - I'm so sorry.

I understand what you mean about the trailer ride - it can be hard to get her off the trailer. If you end up having to do that, I suggest finding a stock so she can turn around and come off head first. If you have a step up, perhaps the clinic has a ramp so she can come off without have to step down onto the bad leg.

I'll be thinking of you and hoping it's just a minor, albeit ugly, soft tissue injury.

[findeight]

Bummer.

Ummm, can you ice it to relieve some of the heat and swelling? See little harm in trying to make her more comfortable while you wait. Had good luck with an ice pack for a few.

[Peggy]

Given that the vet may already be there with the time difference and all...

I'd cold hose or ice it b/c it may well help, is highly unlikely to hurt, and will make you think that you are doing something to help.

Surpass is amazing stuff, but your vet will probably give you some if it seems appropriate for the injury.

[Seven]

I don't have any new advice to offer, but I hope you get some positive news today.

[RiverBendPol]

Oh Robby, I'm sorry. What a worry.
IF I were you and IF it were my horse and IF I hadn't taken her immediately to the hospital, I would ice the hell out of it-strap 2 bags of frozen peas on with polo wraps. Bash the peas around before applying so there are no clumps. A cold hose is fine for flesh wounds but not for deep things like bones and joints, the water just isn't cold enough. By the time the peas have thawed, they've been on long enough. Peas are better than ice cubes because the peas conform to the shape of the horse. Cubes have ouchy-making pointy parts that can dig into a sore place.
IF the horse was mine and IF the vet was coming in the morning, I would not give bute so that the vet could see just how lame is lame.
I hope you get nothing but good news. Please do keep us posted. Good luck.

[Robby Johnson]

Hi all, thanks so much for the feedback. We spent all day at the farm waiting for the vet who, once she arrived, didn't offer much assistance. Fortunately a good friend who is very adept came up over an hour with her truck and trailer ... I really needed someone else there too to help me decide.

The mare wasn't much different this morning when I arrived at 9:20 - I had to wait until offices opened to ensure I could get a call through as cell coverage is spotty on the way down. We watched her and kept poking/prodding but she began bearing weight about 10:30 - likely the result of 1g of Bute she got around 8:30. Around 1:30 I was fed up waiting for vet so got her out to walk her just to see if she'd improved. She drug me out of the barn to munch some grass and was 85% fine, of course she still had swelling though it was a bit reduced from earlier this morning.

Vet arrived, gave her some antibiotics and NSAIDS and pain for the trailer ride, with a 3-day protocol for treatment since, oh yeah, she didn't have an x-ray machine. My friend, who is amazing and has her own farm, is willing to have a look at her for a few days and was stopping her by a clinic she knows for x-rays an hour or so ago. It's times like this I hate not having a truck but I'm really blessed to have good friends who are willing to help.

While we still don't know what exactly is the matter, we're well on the way to finding out.

Thanks again for the feedback and suggestions. I will keep you posted.

[poopoo]

If her leg is that big, I would give her a good dose of Bute - it's not going to hide anything if it's that bad. Also, if you're sure it's not an infection you could give her some Naquasone to get rid of the fluid - especially if you have her on SMZ. The longer the leg stays that big, the higher the chances of it filling up from all of the tissues being stretched. I don't know how much Bute you've given her, but one is not going to reach the therapeutic dose. There were times when I was told to give 4 grams a day - but that's on you. You can wrap a hock, I've had to do it - you use elasticon, vet wrap over the rolled cotton batting. It's a PITA.

Sounds like you need x-rays. What vet comes on an emergency call like that with no X-Ray machine? I know, one of the ones from the canning factory.....

Good luck with that. I think ice and drugs are the way to go for now.....

[Robby Johnson]

No broken bones or visible fractures upon x-ray. Diagnosis: inflammed joint. Protocol: antibiotics, NSAIDS, some stall rest. We'll see how it all sorts out. I thought it was really serious swelling for a little galloping session but, who knows?

[LAZ]

So far so good! If it continues I would see about getting her somewhere that the hock could be infused with antibiotics if indicated. If a hock gets septic the prognosis is grave (this is something I know from personal experience, my mare survived in spite of my lack of knowledge and lack of agressive treatment from my previous vet). However, my mare went from being a dynamite sport horse type to a broodmare with a sketchy future.

I don't mean to be gloom and doom, but since that point I have never been comfortable with hock injuries!! Any serious heat/swelling/lameness and they're at the clinic.

[Jleegriffith]

did they culture the joint fluid or inject with any antibodics? When I took my boy up to New Bolton he blocked out to the hock but we were not sure of infection. They ran a quick panel and saw the white cells were elevated indicating trauma to the hock or infection. The joint fluid was watery and yellow in color. We treated him as if he had an infection b/c we did not know. He was getting 18 smz's morning and night. The day at the clinic he got his joint flushed and an injection of antibodic (amicasin). I was to keep treating him with bute and smz's but no steroids or anything like that due to possible infection. The culture showed a mild bacteria but it took several weeks to fight it.

It was super strange that he came up with an infection as there was no injury and no prior joint injections. Who knows!

That sounds like a mild injury. Is she on stall rest now? Hope she is feeling better quickly.

[onetempies]

Sounds similar to what my late mare Sass had years ago after getting into a herd ranking "fight" with the #1 herd mare at the time. Swift kick to hock that DID manage to break skin but also blew the hock up HUGE. Stall rest, hock wrap, cold hosing, SMZs, bute and all was fine a few weeks later. Nothing showed up on xrays so it was all soft tissue damage. After healing up, she was totally sound on the hock.

[VirginiaBred]

Cold hosing and icing will be your best bet to help her. Good luck and keep us posted.