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  Discussion on Poulticing the upper front leg
Author Message
Member:
beckettj

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008 - 4:22 pm:

Dr. O:

My horse has a great deal of swelling and heat coming from his right front "elbow" area - right where he lays down in the stall. My vet suggested that before he ultrasound and lance the swollen area, I try to apply a poultice to draw out the heat. The problem is that while I can easily apply the poultice to the area, I have a really hard time bandaging it. The wraps just fall down his leg when he starts to walk. Any suggestions? Today I just left the poultice on without a cover so at least he might get some relief, but I'm sure it will dry and flake off in no time.

Thanks!

Janice
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 30, 2008 - 7:08 am:

Janice,

You are right this is a very hard area to bandage, so if it is possible you might have to put the poultice on more than once a day if you have access to the horse ( like in your backyard).

You might also try to cut a brown paper shopping bag, soak it in water and slap it on to where the poultice is on the elbow without securing it. That might make it stay moist a bit longer for a little more relief.

Good luck

Rachelle
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 30, 2008 - 7:52 am:

I have never been able to bandage the elbow without elaborate techniques that either build the bandage from the ground up or cutting a sheet to fit over the horses head and neck and draped down to cover the elbow. This would not be very effective at developing pressure on the wound. I think attacking the main cause of the problem might be more helpful at reducing the irritation. Does your horse lie down a lot and why? What type ground is he lying on?
DrO
Member:
paul303

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 30, 2008 - 10:10 pm:

Does your horse have a shoe boil? I delt with one of those twenty-some odd years ago. What really helped back then, was a padded strap-on weight that was used to train gaited horses. I don't know if they still make them. It was a canvas tube filled with sand that strapped around the pasterns of the "horse in training".

A friend gave it to me when my filly sustained a severe heel bulb injury ( amputation ). She spent a lot of time lying down,and wound up with a "shoe boil" on the elbow of her good front leg/foot. The strap on weight ( we called it a "donut" ), cushioned her "bad elbow" by letting it contact the sand stuffed tube ( fleece lined) strapped around her pastern, instead of the tip of the heel of her shoe. Now, maybe these weights ( donuts ) still exist in the gaited horse circles, or maybe you can make something up on your own that is comparable. There are velcroed ankle weights ( for human work-outs )that might furnish some padding if the velcro is strong enough. Maybe shipping boots could work to pad the hoof so that it doesn't constantly come in contact with the elbow when your horse lies down.

We used a lot of "drawing salve" and hot soaks on the elbow itself, but we really made progress once we got the padding for the foot, because it neutralized the irritant ( the hoof and shoe that kept "bonking" her elbow when she lay down ).
Member:
beckettj

Posted on Thursday, Jul 31, 2008 - 2:49 pm:

He always lays down in his stall to sleep - sometimes he lays flat on his side, but mostly he lies with his hind legs curled to one side and his front legs curled up where the shoes can touch his elbows. He's 27 years old, though, and has never had this problem before.

My vet believes that he may have just accidently "knocked" the elbow while getting up or got cast in his stall and knocked it with a hind leg while struggling to get up. Anyway, this hasn't been a chronic problem - just a one time event.

Actually, a clay poultice has stayed on long enough to work without bandaging, I just have to reapply it a couple of times a day to keep the area moist and the clay effective. The swelling is reducing without further treatment other than Bute - 1 gm twice a day.

Thanks to everyone for responding.

Janice
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