Swollen hind legs

Question
Hi there

I have something going on I haven't seen before. I have a Belgian/quarter
horse cross 5 yr old mare. I've had her one month only. She is a rescue and
is thin and in poor condition. The place I got her from had had her a month
as well and she had already gained some weight. She has shed out and
looks better butvis still thin.

I noticed about 4 days ago her hind legs looked swollen. They are equally
swollen and I thought at first her legs were just naturaly thick as I've never
had any dealings with draft crosses before! Then i realized I couldn't really
see the bone structure underneath vlearlyband her ankles are more swollen
today.

Exercise or pasture time makes no difference in the amount if swelling g. She
is stalled at night and the swelling is no worse in the morning. There is no
heat, pain or lameness. She is not off feed or acting strange. She does have
a snotty nose on the left side only. About 4-5 days ago she had
clearbdischarge thatvhas since turned thick, yellow and smelly. I suspect a
sinus infection?

She does have feathers and I got her out this am and scrubbed all 4 legs
with betadine. I found 3-5 small round sores on each hind leg. These were
located on the front and back of her pasturns. She had a couple of sores on
her front legs in the same area with no swelling. No pus, but some serum
and blood. All scabs are off and her legs are clean. That's all I've done so far.

So younghink there is a link with the snotty nose and swelling? I think she
has scratches. I've read that drafts are more prone due to the feathers. She
is also a palomino. I've never had a horse with scratches before! And I'm
surprised that she does as it has been dry here for 2-3 weeks with almost no
rain. She does go out first thing in the morning so there is dew, but our
pasture is relatively short.   I keep the barnyard and stalls very neat and
clean as well so there is no mud or nasties around. It's raining today so I'm
keeping her up to keep her legs dry.  

I'm going to call my vet tomorrow but was wondering if I'm missing something
I could be doing until tomorrow. Should I give Bute or anything?

Thanks for any input!

Amy

Answer
Amy,

Has she been wormed yet?  What you are describing could we be what is known as "summer sores" and it's due to one cariety of blood worms migrating out through the skin.  A lot depends on where the scabs/sores are; you weren't specific as to location.  Even if she has been wormed I would worm her with the Panacure Blast pack to take care of everything she might have.  You don't want her bringing anything on to your farm.  Having a vet check her out is best thing you can do.

The swelling the in hind legs only could be due to liver/kidney dysfunction. Not an unusual problem in starvation cases.  Vet will be able to tell you more.  I wouldn't give her any bute or anything else until the vet sees her.  In her debilitated condition it would be hard on her.  She's not uncomfortable so there's no real reason to give it right now.  

Same thing for the snotty nose.  Could be something simple or indicative of a bigger problem.  I would isolate her from the other horses at least right now until you know what you are dealing with.  

Good luck.  Let me know what the vet says, OK?

Lyn