umm...is there anything that *looks* like a bow but isn't?

[TSHEventing]

I have a three year old gelding that I have had his entire life (bred him). He lives out in a field with my other gelding. I periodically will check on him and groom him, and I see him every day when I go to ride my other gelding to make sure there are no open wounds, etc. He has never shown signs of being lame or injured in any way.

However, I am starting the process of breaking him…very slowly so I have been catching him every day to do various tasks… pull his mane, longe, whatever. This is day two of this and I was giving him a thorough grooming. When I got to his right front I noticed something funny… it looked swollen but swollen like his feathers on his leg were just pushed out funny. As I ran my hand down his leg it was clear that it was swollen.. but not hot or painful to him at all.

He has always had clean legs and this, to me, looked like a low low bow (or felt like one) that was hard and set. However, He hasn’t been lame, isn’t lame now, it isn’t hot, isn’t sore to the touch and I haven’t noticed it in weeks past.

I poulticed and wrapped him to see if I could get the swelling to go down, but I was wondering if there was anything else it might be?

[Evalee Hunter]

Well, I don't know. (Lot of help that is, right?) I was going to suggest a bandage bow, but obviously not in this case. They can bow themselves out in the field. Unusual, but it can happen. I guess I'd get a vet to look at it.

[SEPowell]

Last winter one of my mares over reached while galloping and the next day there was a hard swelling on her LF but she was sound. We ultrasounded it and the damage stopped just before the tendon. I decided to treat it like a tendon and now, 6 weeks later it's completely clean. I have another mare who bowed racing around the pasture. Again, she clobbered herself and most of the damage was above the tendon, but in her case there was some damage to the tendon and so she got 6 months for that one. It's so maddening when they do these things to themselves!!!

[Justmyluck]

Yes there is is this is exactly what happened to my guy. He came in and looked like he had a killer low bow. I just about fell apart. The thing was that he was off, on it, but not like a typical horse who has a still hot low bow. We ultra sounded it and I guess you can bruise the tendon and the tendon sheath with out doing any of the tearing associated with your actual bowed tendon.

We cold hosed every day and walked in long straight lines under saddle for about a month and hes fine. Hasn't had a problem since. It would be worth the Ultra sound, which wasn't expensive at all, to tell you exactly what is going on with it.

[TSHEventing]

did the scar tissue or whatever it was go away"?

[Justmyluck]

Oh completely, you cant even tell he was ever injured no swelling or thickening of the tendon.

Bow's happen when the tendon tears for extreme downward force. Bruises happen from concussion, when you bruise something the area always goes back to its original shape. You can always an old bow because of the thickening from the scar tissues surround the tendon

[TSHEventing]

See, thats the weird part... I poulticed and bandaged and I would have thought if it was just swelling it would have gone down a little anyway... but it didn't...

[Edgewood]

I had a 19 yo broodmare that was perfectly sound come up lame one morning (she is out 24/7) and had swelling on the tendon and just above the ankle as you describe. She was very lame at the walk (and obviously trot). Because she was older and not being ridden, I didn't want to confine her to a stall (she hates stalls). I kept her out and tried to keep her quiet.

It took quite a while and often I could feel a strong pulse in the leg (I gave banamine during those days to decrease the pulse). Now about 7 months later she is 100% sound. She does have a bit of swelling on the leg, but it is cold and hard now. FWIW.

[SEPowell]

See, thats the weird part... I poulticed and bandaged and I would have thought if it was just swelling it would have gone down a little anyway... but it didn't...

Yes, it seems like it would; however, I had the same experience with the first mare I described (overreach, swelling, no damage to tendon). She hit herself so hard there was a hard knot that took a good 6 weeks to go away. Although not as serious because a true bow I treat them as seriously if they're at all off. Anyway, when this happens, I hate to call the vet yet again, but in the end I always do because the ultrasound confirms for me the best strategy for managing the wound.

[Sithly]

One day I noticed my horse had a lump on the back of his left front tendon. It was pencil-sized and wrapped all the way around the back. It was just slightly squishy. He wasn't the least bit sore or lame, so I just ignored it and filed it away in the back of my mind to ask the vet later.

It turned out to be a vein. No idea why it just popped up out of nowhere one day, but it was a vein. You can feel his pulse through it. It does look a bit like you described, like his feathers stick out in that area.

[Justmyluck]

You'd think but imagine kick yourself so hard in the achillies that it swells up. It's still a major injury though not like a bow. It will take time cold hose it and just hand walk him/her until you can get the vet out to ultrasound it.

[TSHEventing]

true.. I mean, with injuries the body heals in many different ways.

I am a call in to our vet for an ultrasound. This is a very nice gelding that I don't want to take chances with on guessing, so as mentioned, it is better to have the vet look at it.

[BornToRide]

Is there any possibility that this swelling also comes from scratches?

[TSHEventing]

I wish.... There isn't anything around the leg... no lesions, no scabs, nothing. Wish it was just a puncture or something.... something I could figure otu!

[Acertainsmile]

It may or may not be a bow, only an ultrasound will tell... in the meantime (untill you can get your vet out) treat it as one...icing or cold hosing, poultice and a bandage, and Bute or Banamine for inflamation.