Lymphanjitus and huge hole in leg and infected joint! help!

[Hazel]

Hiya,
My horse is 20yr old thoroughbred mare who i have had for 4 and a bit yrs now! She got a condition called lymphanjitis which causes her hind leg to swell massivly! It took forever to get her right again and her leg has always been permanently big since but we stil competed prenovice and novice cross country untill 2 months ago she got it again but was cought earlier and it was treated again then a month later got it again and was almost better from that when its flared up again! This time her leg went big and now back to its original size but the swelling cause a hole in her skin about inch diamtre circle which now oozes pus and blood and clumps need to be removed and she has a massive hock which the vet is worried about! The thing is i went into part ownership with this horse as i going to uni in sept and she agreed to hav when i away and i have when i home! As sinnie (the horse) is now so prone to this condition it seems to be constant and i despite the obvious enmotional pain am beginning to think its unfair to keep treatin her as its a painful condition when it flares up and she is used to bein ridden and competed and now hasnt been ridden ages! The vet is hinting the same but the lady who i only went into part ownership with 2 weeks ago in the few days it was cleared up disagrees what do i do? obviously i want my beautiful horse who has done so much with me better but i also dont want my beautiful horse to suffer??? please help this is killing me!! xxxx

[0dd]

oh that's terrible, I'm sorry.
is this "part ownership" in like a contract like a part-loan or has she actually put money into this horse? You obviously know that horse like the back of your hand so I think you should have the bottom line in a situation like this - only you know when the horse is ready for that kind of decision.

Good luck xxx

[nutkin]

I would assume the lymphangitis is as a result of an underlying infection which I assume caused an abscess which has now burst hence the hole.I would think that if your vet and you both feel your horse is in pain then you must do what you feel is right.As regard to the part ownership is it a case of they have paid money for a share in your horse and help with ongoing costs or are they sharing/part loaning and only paying when they have your horse? If you have the majority of the ownership then I suggest that perhaps you get your vet to speak to them and explain how they feel and what this means for your horse.If however they own 50% then they do have a say as much as you do provided this is down on paper.However they must take on board the advice of the vet and your opinion so as you can come to a mutual agreement that is fair on the horse.

[Stella2]

Nutkin its not quite that way around. Lymphangitis can be a minor condition - the same name is give to swelling of the lower leg with a bit of infection and it will be treated by low key antibiotics and walking off. But it can be very severe, recurrant and chronic. The lymphatic system runs more or less alongside arteries and serves to drain toxins away from the body. Part of the system can become blocked - sometimes by a bacteria and swelling from a cut or mud fever, sometimes just from bruising and/or swelling from a knock. When this happens the toxics accumulate, causing further irritation, blockage and then infection.

When it is nasty, its very nasty :eek: The leg can swell up past the hock. In my mare's case, the swelling went up into her quarters, her udders and belly. The stretching of the skin to accomodate the swelling can get out of hand. The skin then weakens, splits and fluid oozes out. This fluid can also leak through the corronet band. If it isn't quickly brought under control at that stage, the hoof may be lost :eek: Once a horse has had severe lymphangitis, it is vulnerable to it again. Each episode will cause more perminant damage to the tissue in the leg. My Vet has carried out a number of post mortums on horses afflicted with this and he says the tissue under the skin becomes the consistency of velcro. It can literally be peeled apart and stuck back together. Obviously with that going on, drainage wouldn't be an option in the leg!

My mare also has a weak area of skin at the front of her leg, hock level. It isn't as bad as your horse's though. It tends to be skicky, bit of blood etc, but we didn't get to the oozing stage. My mare hasn't suffered any more bouts of Lymphangitis for over a year. I found that she simply cannot stand in for more that an hour or so a couple of times a day, so she lives out (in a barn at night in the winter). This regime has been a huge blessing for her, she just has to keep moving and she is fine. The leg is vulnerable though and I have to be careful. She got a minor graze on it a few months ago and developed infection, requiring antibiotics because she just can't clear anything herself in that leg.

Hazel, does your mare live out? If not maybe you could arrnage that and treat the hock and weak area aggressively with antibiotics (I'm guessing your vet is already onto that). Once you get on top of the condition, movement (just gentle mooching about) is the key. You could find she has several more happy, sound years in her. If that doesn't work it may have gone too far. Like you I wouldn't keep a horse going with a painful condition that couldn't be controlled.

Good luck with her.

[Hazel]

Hi, thank you all for your responses. answers to the questions is yer she does live out for the same reason your mare does, but it doesnt help, she used be exercised reguarly. She has had the condition once before i got her and with me she had one very severe bout which suprised even the vets, then a small one, then closely followed by another small one (when i saw small it is still the whole leg but not as severe as her severe ones if u get me) and now another severe one, i dnt think its just a coincidence that she has had 3 so close together and i worried that it just cause her tissue soooo tamaged now. Vet seems to agree but is being careful not to influence my decision. As far as owner ship goes there is nothing on paper yet so i guess from what u guys say and i agree i should have final say but will try include her

[Stella2]

Sorry to hear that Hazel, it makes the picture sound much more bleak :( I'd urge your vet to be straight with you about his/her opinion. Maybe ask what they would do if she was their own horse.

Best wishes

[sammylee]

Hey, really sorry to hear about your situation.
I loaned an ex racehorse about 5 years ago who had really bad lymphangitis, but he ahd an op about a year be4 i got him, and went really well...but unfortunately this didnt last long, and we went from riding nearly everyday, to probably one a month at the most! his owner was really helpfull but then moved abroad, and left me with the horse. who was getting worse and worse, but at the end of the day you have to put the horse first. it got quite bad in his case, but i couldnt make the decision i wanted to make, with out her concent, and she wouldnt give me that untill she had seen him her self - so another 3 months down the line when she returned, she agreed and we went from there. it is the hardest thing to do, but as long as you have made absoloutly sure that you have done all you possibly can within your limit to help this horse, then sometimes the best thing to do is let them go. theres only so much you can do, and so much you can spend, knowing theyre getting worse, with a less then "good" condition of life, theyre not happy and your not happy - you know when the time is right. And as for the part sharer, she surely wants what is best for the horse, and by the sounds of it you are the person in the best position to make that decision.
I wish u all the luck u need, and hope every turns out ok! let me know how u get on x