swelling

[onalimb]

my horse has developed swelling below the knee to above the ankle, more in the front of leg .. have no idea what he did he has been digging holes in the ground like a dog, strange horse, any idea's on what he might have strained and how to fix it. I don't like him in the stall all day don't want it to stiffen up but when I let him out he has to run, dig, and goof off ... he causes his own problems. any sugestons.....

[Inyureye]

Well, in my mind, you won't know the extent of his injury until you get it imaged or at least looked at, then you can tell how much stall rest he needs. I mean, you really don't want a mediocre injury to get aggravated to the point it actually affects his future soundness, and he could possibly be that stupid as to really yank it again. It also could be a rather severe injury, on the front of his shin, what ever it is, you really need to know.

If stall rest will then actually be called for, I would tranque him in order to get it done, if need be. A horse relaxed and not in pain heals a whole lot faster than a neurotic horse anxious and pacing and likely to reinjure himself. We all hate stall rest and the pain in the nuts it entails for both us and the horse, but we all hate a long lay up or permanent lameness, too, eh?