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Discussion on Swollen Knee on 2-1/2 year old quarter horse
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New Member:
spuddy98
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 - 11:26 pm:
Our young gelding developed a swelling on the outside of his front knee after exercise on december 30th 2010. The horse had been in 90 days of training just after turning two years old in late May before I owned him. He has been in the pasture since September. My daughter took him for a ride in the snow in December and the next day he had a large swollen knee. We now believe his knee had started to swell before the ride as I took video at the end of her ride. I think it is possible that he banged the knee when laying down as his stall has uneven concrete floor - two distinct levels - we had intended to keep the bedding deep but the upper level has been exposed some this winter. He never showed any lameness and was not tender on palpation. The swelling then extended down the leg and half way up the forearm. My vet looked at him and allowed a week of Penicillin G procaine 20cc twice a day as a precaution. He carefully shaved and cleaned the front of the knee and used a new needle to check the fluid in the knee. He seemed to extend the needle deep into the knee at what appeared to be the center of the joint in the front. What fluid that came out was clear. He then suggested stall rest with controlled walking. Cold hosing twice a day as well. We turned him out after about a week when the swelling seemed to be reduced. then within a few days he cut the side of his knee allowing the fluid to leak out. (was probably chased by another horse) I then started the penicillin again for about 4 days at 15cc twice a day. His knee is now is tender to touch and is generally larger and thickened but I believe it seems to be getting better. He is still not particularly lame but due the the enlargement of the knee his leg is stiff when he is turned out in the morning. However he moves to the pasture with the herd which is about a quarter mile walk down a lane in the snow. (It is 10 degrees now and was -3 last night)
I apologize if I included too many details.
A radiograph is not very likely as our vet has never mentioned one with any injury our horses have had.
This horse is expected to be a western pleasure AQHA horse starting this summer if the knee heals well.
I can provide images of the knee at various times during this month if requested. Thanks in advance.
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New Member:
spuddy98
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Posted on Sunday, Jan 23, 2011 - 12:40 am:
Also forgot to say there was no rectal temperature elevation when the vet looked at him on day 3.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Sunday, Jan 23, 2011 - 12:00 pm:
Welcome Chris,
I am afraid "a swollen knee" is not much to go on. It does sound like you have had a fair amount of subcutaneous edema but if this was inflammation what was the cause? Your first step to properly treating and accurately prognosing this problem is to identify exactly what structures of the knee are damaged and the nature of the damage. If this cannot be obtained from careful examination then ultrasound and radiographs will be needed for this information. For more on possible conditions of the knee see, HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Diseases of the Upper Front Limb » Overview of Lameness of the Knee (Carpus). We always like to see images to better define the appearance of the problem.
As to treatment of nonspecific swellings of the leg see HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » First Aid » Pressure Wraps, Poultices, Cold and Heat Therapy for Swelling in Horse Legs.
DrO
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New Member:
spuddy98
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Posted on Sunday, Jan 23, 2011 - 10:06 pm:
I have a couple photos. You can see the cut and the swelling especially on the outside of the knee and front. One is from a week ago and the other two are from yesterday. the injury was at the end of December.   
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Jan 24, 2011 - 7:48 am:
Chris looking at the photos and re-reading your first post I am uncertain your history is quite accurate. First what occurs to me is that the drainage after the laceration was found may have been from the cut itself and not a preexisting injury. The second possibility that I wonder about is whether the laceration was missed in the first instance of swelling and was missed until the wound began to weep serum? In both cases the current swelling is do to the wounding of the skin and resulting subq inflammation?
DrO
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New Member:
spuddy98
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Posted on Monday, Jan 24, 2011 - 7:22 pm:
Thanks for your input and I understand not being able to look at it. Trust me. The knee from half way down the radius to the fetlock. The vet examined it. I have no idea how it happened there was nothing on the skin or hair. The cut happened about a week ago nearly two weeks after the initial injury. And yes the cut was directly on top of the area of the worst swelling. With horses the strangest things happen. The cut is healing well and I am trying to watch for any infection. I do know the serum that drained is from the original swelling as it drained when I pressed on the swelled area.
My concern is will the thickened part return to normal within 8-10 weeks? I guess a radiograph is the best answer (or an ultra sound?)
Regards
Cris
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Member:
rtrotter
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Posted on Tuesday, Jan 25, 2011 - 6:02 am:
Hello Cris,
This is just a thought because I have had a similar thing happen to one of my horses. and you may not have seen anything prior to the knee originally swelling up, but because you noticed a cut after the original swelling, is it possible that this horse popped an abscess where the cut is.
The original site could be far removed from where the noticeable injury occurred and may not have been noticed early on, it could be as simple as a splinter or a bug bite or a well aimed kick Sometimes it doesn't take much. As the infection travels downward it tries to find a way out. And where ever that happens to be, that's where the abscess pops.
I had one horse, who from a cut on his knee blew and abscess out the back of his tendon, I had another who got kicked above the knee( no cut or abrasion just a lump), that traveled first to his knee, then to his tendon, then to his ankle and eventually out the bottom of his foot through his frog.
And from a personal note: my husband was dumped and dragged by a horse back in the early 80's on a stone dust path. Other than the underside of his arm being badly scraped, he appeared to be fine, for a few weeks, then he started complaining his back hurt. The final wind up was a six week hospital stay on IV antibiotics. The cause was that scrap to his arm allowed bacteria into his system that settled in his spine and caused a very severe infection.
On the brighter side all my animals and my husband were able to make a complete recovery. The horse with the tendon abscess even made it make to the races and then worked for years as a campus patrol horse at Cook College (Rutgers University).
How long the recovery takes depends on the horse, and the only additional piece of advice I can give you and if your vet concurs, is to keep your animal moving in some sort of regular activity to keep the fill out of his leg. It will also help with the healing.
Just my thoughts
Rachelle
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Jan 25, 2011 - 2:45 pm:
No considering the cut and lack of lameness, I would consider waiting until it has healed well since the cut alone is enough to cause the swelling.
DrO
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New Member:
spuddy98
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 23, 2011 - 6:30 pm:
Here we are nearly 90 days after the original injury and the horse is doing pretty well. The cut is entirely healed however the knee still is larger than the other one. There is slight puffiness in the anterior area of the pisiform bones but no tenderness or lameness. My daughter rode him for the first time since december this weekend. After the ride the knee was slightly warmer than the other but he had no swelling and no lameness. I have a photo I can post when I get my camera down loaded. I will continue to follow up because it is important that other can see the progress. Again I have to state that the cut was an entirely separate injury that happened while he was out with the herd several days after the initial injury. No, I did not miss it, no not an abscess. I am very careful to examine my horses entirely every day. Lord knows we have had our share of pasture injuries with an old dairy farm and 13 horses at one time. Thanks!
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Mar 24, 2011 - 7:30 pm:
Hello Chris,
It sounds like a good outcome Chris, congratulations.
DrO
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 - 11:32 am:
Good news, Chris!
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Member:
spuddy98
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Posted on Thursday, May 26, 2011 - 11:02 pm:
Here we are near Labor Day May, 25th. Eddy has had another problem with his knee. About three weeks ago he showed with another swollen knee. this time it was more medial and had a squishy spot on the inside over what might be the radial carpal bone area. The squishy area solidified and now is a thumb sized lump that moves a bit. It is almost now like a knee cap. Just wondering what it is? Solidified Hematoma or a fibrous mass from the swelling? The horse was never lame with this injury and was only slightly sensitive to the touch. The bump on the knee to the right is the bump and no it is not the end of his radius bone - that is actually just above to the bump. Also he didn't cut it days later as he did before.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Friday, May 27, 2011 - 12:48 pm:
Hello Chris,
Without examining the knee alls we can do is guess but your description and image sounds more like edema. To help you with these swellings review the article associated with this discussion area. It should help you make a stab at diagnosis.
DrO
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Member:
spuddy98
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 23, 2011 - 11:28 pm:
Just an update on Eddys knee. The swelling went away with stall rest. We were going to take him to a clinic near Cleveland O but we waited another week and he seemed well. We allowed light riding and he showed no lameness whatsoever - he never did. Now in November you can hardly tell it was ever swollen. So in the end I think he banged his knee on something when he was lying down. Did it twice and hope it won't happen again.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Sunday, Nov 27, 2011 - 9:28 am:
Thanks for the update Chris and delighted to hear of the good outcome. It would not surprise me if in time there is no evidence of a past problem.
DrO
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