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  Discussion on Surpass and seroma
Author Message
Member:
gramsey1

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 12, 2009 - 2:39 pm:

Our TB got a good kick to the hind quarter. It left big mark, did not break skin. About a week after the kick a big bulge appeared between the skin and the muscle. It is fluid. Not very painful but he does avoid pressure on the bulge.
The vet has prescribed Surpass once a day before we go to drains. The flys are pretty bad right now and she is concerned about infection right now.
Thoughts?
Member:
dres

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 12, 2009 - 3:24 pm:

Surpass is not cheap .. how about hot and cold treatments to get the swelling down?

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Aug 13, 2009 - 4:38 am:

Bute would be cheaper and more effective as a antiinflammatory but would have been best as a preventive.

Guy the seriousness of this injury depends on exactly where in the hind quarters this happened and how much damage was done deep to the muscle, something we don't know at this time. For more on possible complications of these types of injuries see Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Muscle & Tendon Diseases » Fibrotic or Ossifying Myopathy & Myositis.
DrO
Member:
gramsey1

Posted on Friday, Aug 14, 2009 - 4:16 pm:

We cold hosed the kick for the first three days after the kick and gave him Bute during that time. He seemed not to be in any discomfort. The lump began to appear six or seven days after the kick.

We did not try heat at that point. The lump reached its maximum size by the 9th day after the kick.

It did not seem to be going down, seemed to a source of minor discomfort and the horse was more prone to stock-up in that leg.

Wednesday 12 days after the kick was day one of the treatment. The lump was about the size and shape of an ostrich egg.
Today, the 14th it is about half the thickness it was on Wednesday the 12th. The Surpass seems to be a effective treatment.
More to follow.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Saturday, Aug 15, 2009 - 3:10 pm:

Guy's description sounds like what happened to the center of the long bone in the front of my leg the last time a horse in front of me on a trail ride kicked me on the trail after he came to a a half halt thinking that my horse was perhaps wanting to pass him.

The bruise extended from my knee to my ankle.

Ugly injury for a long time with heat and pain, but it finally healed.
Member:
gramsey1

Posted on Sunday, Aug 23, 2009 - 3:53 am:

The treatment worked, 10 days after we started once daily rubs with the topical the fluid is gone. The heat and pain, which was never severe, is completely gone. His hide does wrinkle a bit over the site of the injury. But, it seems to me this was a better option than a drain.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Aug 24, 2009 - 3:40 am:

Guy, lets be clear, the Surpass does not treat the seroma, which is a simple fluid filled pocket. The Surpass or any NSAID for that matter, helps relieve the inflammation of the damaged tissue that initially caused the seroma and when used early may help control the size of the seroma. but once the inflammation is relieved (something that happens whether you treat with NSAIDS or not, treatment just speeds it up) fixing the seroma consists of the body picking the fluid back up chiefly through lymphatic drainage.

So whether you need a drain or not is not much effected by the use of a NSAID after the seroma has formed but depends on the severity of the seroma, some are so large or so positioned that they resist being picked up.

Guy you did not comment on the fibrotic myopathy possibility I bring up above. Does your case look like a possible candidate and if so are you doing preventive exercises?
DrO
Member:
gramsey1

Posted on Monday, Aug 24, 2009 - 8:10 am:

Presently, he shows no signs of FM. Thank you for the reminder. We will discuss it with his trainer.
His training has continued. It think it may have been wise to have stopped working him for those first three or four days, hand walking, cold hosing and Bute. It think we had two days off went back to work and a few days later the swelling started up.
Member:
gramsey1

Posted on Monday, Aug 24, 2009 - 9:41 am:

It really didn't look like it was going to go down by itself. Do you think the massage, while rubbing the Surpass in help get the the fluid picked up?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 25, 2009 - 3:58 am:

I do think that massage will increase the rate of fluid pick up by the lymphatics as hyDrOstatic pressure created by the surrounding elastic tissues is the primary driver of this process. Massage temporarily increases this hyDrOstatic pressure. However even without treatment if this fluid was on the side of the leg, gravity will eventually pull it ventrally, spreading and thinning it out, and then the lymphatics pick it up.
DrO
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