Swollen knee? what could this be?

Question

I have a two year old filly, I went out to the barn a couple weeks ago and her knee was extremely large and swollen (no cuts or punctures). I thought perhaps she slipped on some ice, or maybe got kicked by another horse. I hosed it and put her back. Being a young horse, and with limited resources there is not a lot I can do with her. She is jumpy and not well behaved when I need her to stand still. It does not hurt her when I touch her knee, and she is 100% sound lunging in the arena. I waited a few days to see if if the swelling would go down and it still looked the same. It does not hurt her at all and it does not have much heat. It's now been two weeks and I have tried bute for a few days. I called the vet for an appointment because the leg looks bent of of shape and twice the size it should be. I am worried it might be OCD, which is common in a lot of young horses however my budget is tight and the only outcome I can think of is a 3000$ surgery.

I know OCD can be left uncured, but it's for sure something that I would not want to leave untreated. I was wondering if anyone has been through this with their horse? How much the expenses are? and what the chances are of OCD correcting itself without surgery?

Also if you have any other idea of what this might be? what I may have to expect? thanks

pike_pole28 · Accepted Answer

The best person to answer this is a live in person veterinarian. That said I will relate my experience. Our two year old show horse presented with a swollen knee. No lameness as with yours. We called the vet, he checked for fluid and infection. In the end it was decided that he had probably bumped it and it needed to heal. Really not a bug deal and we should have just rode him thru it. There are techniques to control the swelling as in pressure wraps and hosing but in the end what really matters is what you will be doing with this horse? You did not say tge breed or its intended purpose. You can check out "horse advice" with Dr. Oglesby, its a pay site but is awesome for all aspects of horse care. Also post on the horse grooming supplies board. There are some good people there but a lot of opinions too. Best of luck. But like I said breed and purpose would help.

One more thing, our vet, in checking for infection simply put a needle into the knee and drew a sample of fluid to look for clear fluid or pus. This is really simple to do but you need to do it in such a way that you won't cause an infection. Many people will say you need to be a trained professional. But a nurse friend will do. Or just be real clean. Shave the knee, wash with antibacterial wash like hibiclense and carefully poke away. A hundred or two will get a whole lot of advice from a vet though.

Anonymous · Answer

if you really like your horse you will pay for the vet to come out and see it. if you cant pay for the surgery then sell the horse to someone that can, or surrender it to the RSPCA.

Swollen knee? what could this be?

2 Answers