windgalls

[dcp]

Just browsing through Horse magazine and came across a question about windgalls. I'm maybe jumping the gun a bit but the description given sounds like what Charlie has on his leg. He has a fluid lump on the outside of his leg. It's not huge and has decreased in size by quite a bit only to go back to it's previous size. This has happened once. Can anyone give anymoreinfo on them?

[Trewsers]

Vet said Storm had them when he vetted her for purchase - they're nothing to worry about (in her case anyway). Believe they are caused by strain and / or concussion? Anyways, I don't think they cause lameness either.

[dcp]

No Charlie hasn't been lame at all. I've read that a Sulphur supplement can really help. I also read that heavy cobs are more prone to getting them which is strange as Charlie is TB wonder if it could be anything else.

[teabiscuit]

my tb has them too, unfortunately he kicks the stable wall so i know his are from concussion. had to keep him in recently because of a poorly hoof, so he's got them again (they go away if i keep him out) :( he's never lame with them.

[Yann]

Where is the lump on the leg? Windgalls are found on and around the fetlock joint, if they're somewhere else they have a different name :)

Windgalls can be the sign of a problem but normally just mean the horse has led an active working life or is prone to them through conformation.

[Pink's lady]

Pink has severe windgalls on all four legs, bt she's a very heavy cob. She's never been lame, their never sore, and the vet says they're nothing to worry about. The more Sometimes they're more noticable than others. And they make clipping her legs a nightmare :rolleyes:

[dcp]

The lump is on the left outside fore. I'm crap at describing where but it's below the knee where you can feel what I'm guessing are tendons or legiments????? Not sure I really need to take a pic.

[Pink's lady]

That sounds like a splint (which Pink has one too :rolleyes: ). They're caused when the horse fractures one of the splint bones, which are small, long, thin bones that run down either side if the cannon bone. They have no function,as they are just reminants of the other digets (the other toes).

They are easily broken through injury (i.e kicking) or just really hard galloping about. A LOT of horses have them. They are sometimes painful when they are first broken (horse may be lame) but they heal no problem and never usually cause any further trouble.

Where about exactly is it? and is it hard or soft. It's not at all painful? a splint is usualy painful for a few days.

[dcp]

It's soft it's filled with fluid. It doesn't seem to cause him any bother. I can put pressure on it and he's fine. It's below his knee on the outside leg.

[Pink's lady]

Definitinly not a splint them (they're hard) .

It sounds more like swelling in one of the tendon sheaths. Can sometimes be serious, but I wouldn't worry if he's totally sound. I'd get the vet to look at it when he's out doing Chrlie's teeth if it's still there. It's likely it will reduce though.

[dcp]

If you look really really hard
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b197/laurenc84/DPC.jpg

He's had it for months now originally tought it was an insect bite. Vet coming out in a few weeks.

[Jessey]

I can see what you mean (had to zoom in a bit ;) )
I would want to get the vet to look at that, they do sometimes just get fluid pockets but better to be on the safe side.

J x

[Pink's lady]

Yep, looks like a distention of a tendon sheath (would need to go looks up my books to tell you which one :rolleyes: ). Usually nothing to worry about, other than being unsightly, but would definitly get the vet to have a look when you get teeth done.

[Jenni]

To be honest looking at it zoomed it looks more like a muscle sheath than a tendon sheath. Giving the position. Maybe the extensor carpi radialis so it would be the sheath for that rather than a tendon sheath. (guess who's studying surface anatomy!! oh the fun!)

I'd still get the vet to check it though ;)

[Pink's lady]

Jenni, horse don't have any (well, there's one, but it usually calcifies as they develop) muscles under the knee - it's all tendons (which are what connects the muscles that are all above the knee and up to the bones below). And you don't have muscle 'sheaths', only strong sheets of facisa (connective tissue), which can't become fluid-y. Tendon on the other hand have specialised epithelial pillows surronding them, which have fluid on the inside to make them frictionless.

It's in the right place to be the superficial and deep digital flex tendon sheath.

(the extensor carpi radialis runs over the front of the knee ;), next to the common digital extensor, which is slightly more lateral (to the outside). It's an extensor of the knee, so runs over the front - round the back, where the lump is, would be flexors)

Oh, yes, Lauren............ it's basically a windgall (assuming that's what it is ;)), but in a different place (wind galls at the back of the fetlock), so you were right. It's probably got a different name - all common swellings like those have funny (and totally un-logical :rolleyes: ) names.

[Jenni]

Hi pink, i know they dont have muscles below the knee but as the muscles of the forearm finish at the knee region i though it may be a muscle issue, i used the term 'sheath' loosley so as not to go into the difference between synovial sheaths , fascia and connective tissue.

i meant to type the Ulnaris Lateralis Muscle rather than extensor carpri radials. looked at the wrong figure number :rolleyes:

But hey we arent experts so im sure the vet will tell Lauren whats whats.:D