Horses: Weird lump on Fetlock *vet out*

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No bone there, so it is nothing to do with the bone.
She has injured her tendon or tendon sheath. You should palpate it with the leg flexed to be sure there is no pain. It looks like a tear in the sheath or a tendon tear/start of a small bow.
Ice it for a bit and see if it goes down any or not. Small tears are detected usually with a machine that can read changes in tempertures a lot better then we can feel. Whatever it is look very small, odds are she did it by over reaching.
Good luck!
 
Thanks for your reply and suggestions.


Just for the record, there are bones located in that area (the sesamoid bones):
3dmagnethoof.jpeg

although you are correct in stating that the deep flexor tendon runs up, through that area.

I have cared for horses with torn muscles, bowed tendons, and hyper extended ligaments before, and I don't know, this just doesn't 'feel' like an injury in that category... from my experience, these type of injuries have always been "spongy and soft" feeling, often accompanied by heat and pain... this has none of that; it's very hard feeling, but doesn't bother her at all...

I'm not saying your wrong, I just have never experienced this type of "injury?" to one of my horses before... I'm stumped...
hmm.png
 
There are no bones *right there* -- the sesamoids are lower and on the 'side corners' of the fetlock, not where that bump is.

I would almost guarantee you that it is either a) damage to the tendon or tendon sheath due to a whack from a hind toe, or b) constriction of the annular ligament of the fetlock.

(To check my memory of the latter I took Stashak's "Practical Guide to Lameness in Horses" off the shelf, which is a laymans (sorta) version of Adams Lameness in Horses... and your picture is virtually identical to their illustration of it, so I think that would have to at least be seriously considered as a possibility; I have seen overreach bruises of the tendon look a lot like that too. Both of them would feel as you describe, too.)

If it were me I would have a vet out, unless this is a pet horse. You would want a good professional palpation and quite possibly an ultrasound, to determine what's going on and whether you should be exercising her or resting her or what. Tendons and tendon sheaths and ligaments of that area are not something to mess around with,e ven if the horse *appears* sound.

JMHO, good luck, have fun,

Pat
 
Quote:
Equest94 If you want to think the damage is to the sesamoids you most certainly can but do you know that old saying "don't teach your grandma to suck eggs?"
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http://www.horseshoes.com/anatomy/horsesense/horsesense.htm

ETA I agree fully with patandchickens.
Best case is that it is a tear from forging. Worse case is it is the start of a bow. Either one can end the riding career of a horse.
 
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Farrier! - I really did not intended to come off as rude and offend you... I most likely misunderstood your post and wanted to clarify.

Fetlock joint - joint - by definition is where 2 or more bones meet; therefore, there are bones... I think I just took your statement too generally, lol, hence you can see why I was a bit shocked/confused
lol.png


Anyways, to clear up another thing, I NEVER said that I thought it was a bone injury... I was just giving a reference to the location of the lump, which would be right above the sesamoid bones. I do know that there is a lot of soft tissue, etc in the horse's leg, especially in the area of my concern, and that that bump is not directly touching the bone... again, it was just for reference...


Also, I never said that it wasn't a tendon/deep flexor injury - I just never seen anything like what my mare has before in all my 'horse years', and all of the tendon and ligament injuries that I have dealt with were always a different 'consistency' - different feel, pain/discomfort, heat, swelling, etc.. which characteristics are not associated with what she has. It can very well be; a bowed tendon/ flexor injury just wouldn't be in my top guesses based on MY past experiences...

Now, I did search a bit more online and came across someone who's horse had what appears the be the same thing - a hard, perfectly round, nickle sized diameter lump that sticks about 1/2 inch on the backside of their horse's fetlock. Their vet concluded that it was due to an old injury to the capsule of the joint... ??? That surgery can be done to shave the mass down, but all in all it's not normally harmful or career/life threatening... it's just ugly. Is this what my mare has? - I don't know. It sounds similar, but my horse's issue literally happened in the course of 24hrs. One day I came to bathe her - nothing, the next day I came to ride - bump. I'm just finding it hard to believe that scar tissue build up could happen to that degree so quickly
hmm.png



Either way, I left a message for my vet, and the farrier is still coming out to trim on Tue...


Thank you ALL for your suggestions and comments. I find it really comforting to know I can count on people on here to help me (I have yet to get any responses on a horse-health/lameness forum besides is it an ergot? is it a windfuff? - No... lol)
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and again, I apologize if a few of you mistook what I said.
 
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