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  Discussion on Can a tourniquet applied for an RL Flush cause damage?
Author Message
Member:
mfinan

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 15, 2013 - 12:18 am:

Evening Dr. O.
Background: My mare Annie cut her foot about 2 1/2 weeks ago. The cut was above the bulbs of the heal and cut into the flexor tendon. The first vet that looked at her missed the extent of the injury and advised me to cleanse and treat with Alu Spray. The next morning she was down. Second vet found that the cut had invaded the tendon sheath. He applied a tourniquet and gave her an RL Flush to treat for infection. The wound has come along very well and is mostly closed.
Problem:
Her leg from the fetlock to 'knee' is swollen. It is NOT grossly swollen, there is no heat and it is spongy to the touch. The one significant note here is that she consistently responds negatively to pressure on the inside of her leg at the base of the carpal bones. When this point is pressed she will pick up her leg. We started out wrapping the leg but it seemed to cause her to swell more and become painful. I have tried a poultice with no significant difference. We have been using DMSO for the last 6 days with very little response.
Questions:
Could she have had an allergic reaction to the flush?
Could the tourniquet have caused tissue or nerve damage that has resulted in the edema?

I have given her 1 to 2 grams a day of bute as needed. She is on 15 CC of Baytril and 10 CC of ranitidine for ulcers. I hope I have given you enough detail. Thanks in advance.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Oct 17, 2013 - 4:52 pm:

Hello Marnie,
An allergic reaction to the flush is very unlikely. As to the tourniquet having caused damage I cannot judge but do not see any clear evidence of it from your post. As long as you have an open wound that is being treated, even treated successfully edema to the knee is a normal response. She may have injured herself at the painful spot or infection may have ascended but with as painful as the foot has been she just may be adverse to being messed with. To help answer this question ask yourself: Is the lameness getting better or worsening. Is there fever?
DrO
Member:
paul303

Posted on Friday, Nov 1, 2013 - 8:13 pm:

Rough time, Marnie, how is your mare doing now? I like DMSO for swelling, and also, ice packs or bags of frozen peas bandaged to the leg for 2 to 3 specific time periods per day while the swelling lasts.

I'm hoping, that by the time you read this, that things are looking up and healing has taken place.
Member:
mfinan

Posted on Monday, Nov 4, 2013 - 12:51 pm:

Ann is doing much better thank you. We tried DMSO but it had no effect on the swelling. She was also definitely not a fan of having DMSO applied. We switched to a half tab of Previcox for 4 days then reduced to a qtr tab. The swelling is virtually gone. Vet came out and did an ultrasound which showed the original injury was a small cut of the exterior surface of the sheath and some of the tendon. Thankfully the open wound has completely healed. My vet says she will probably need another month of limited movement and then he will perform another ultrasound before we move to the next stage of more exercise.
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