pulled muscle

[sallyanne]

my 15hh IDx has pulled a hamstring she has had a 5 day course of Arquel (anti inflam) with not much inprovement her muscle is still solid iam bathing the affected area with witch hazel and applying gentle massage , she is also on box rest and allowed to walk around the yard but there is no real improvement any ideas would be gratefully accepted.

[ponyvet]

For a pulled muscle I think she should be moving around on it by now, though only in short bursts, so 10 minute walks in the morning and afternoon (in hand grazing will be fine).

Massage is great. You caould also try appying hot and cold packs. For a hot pack make up a bran mash in a plastic bag and microwave it. It'll be ok for a few days then throw it out and make a new one. Cold packs - a bag of frozen peas will do. Both packs whould be wrapped in a tea towel before applying them (for about 5-10 minutes) or they'll burn the skin.

Massage is great. Keep doing that.

[myEllie]

Ponyvet, I was just wondering where is the hamstring muscle on a horse?

[ponyvet]

Hamstring isn't actually a muscle, it's a laymans term for a group of muscles: semitendinosus and semimembranosus. They actually connect the hip bone to just below the stifle, so can be found running along the back of the thigh.

I have drawn an arrow onto my foal drawing so you can see roughly whereabouts they are:

[ilovebacara]

HE HE good example!
It is good tp have a vet online to ask any random questions to!! It will b great wen your website is ready ponyve! :D :p very helpful!!

[ilovebacara]

Originally posted by ilovebacara
HE HE good example!
ready ponyve! :

oops missed off the t!! i meant PONYVET! :p

[sallyanne]

hi ponyvet thanks for your advice , you also answered my problems about the donkey. had a bad day today pumkin attacked donkey over the stable door (donkey ok) but pumkin dished out both barrels and yes she,s worse than ever had to call vet out again 2 weeks box rest and 10 days of bute. She really doesnt like the donkey shes very aggresive towards him , I have spoken to the welfare officer (donkey sanctuary) and i think they are going to pick him up which is really sad as he is rather lovely and we have become very attached to him any further advice would be gratefully received .

[ponyvet]

well if he isn't castrated that could be part of the problem. She may also not really know what he is either, so ihe smells like a stallion but looks like a donkey - "which is what exactly?" says pumpkin!!! I can see how she might get cross!! She may just get better with a little time, when she's used to having him around.

[myEllie]

Thanks Ponyvet, once you explained it, I knew what you were talking about, and the picture helped a lot. I had just never heard of it referred to as the hamstring before.

[sallyanne]

Hi ponyvet over the last few days i have been unable to massage or even touch the area went up yesterday morning to find a lump (golfball size) on her bum which would seem to me that it is an abcess after all and not a pulled muscle. Have phoned vet several times and have even visited the vets for advice but no horse vets ever there and they havent returned my phone calls, i cant really poultice as position it is in not sure *** to do next and would an abcess take that long to develop.
many thanks sallyanne.

[ponyvet]

Well it could be an abscess, it might take that long to develop, and it's probably a lot bigger than the bit you can see (like an iceberg!). If it is it will start to point soon (like the pointy end of an egg) and will burst out.

It could also be part of the muscle damage, but as it's come up over a few days I think the abscess theory is most likely.

There's not much the vets can do, except scan it with ultrasound to see how big it is and to confirm that it is an abscess, and then they could make a big hole in it and let it drain (it will be quite messy and will stink!). They might want to give her antibiotics, depending on how widespread it is. Personally I don't bother as I think once they've turned into abscesses they've walled themselves off from the rest of the body and it's difficult to get the antibiotics in there.

I'd make an appointment to get the vets to come out and see it, but in the meantime you could try holding a hot pack on it, like a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel, for about 10 minutes as often as you like. Obviously if she won't let you don't worry too much, but if you can it willl help draw out the abscess, and if it's not an abscess it will help soothe the lump too.

[sallyanne]

thanks ponyvet your spot on , vet finally came today as abcess burst on monday . He had to sedate her and lance the bottom of the iceberg so to speak wow ive never seen anything lilke it at least a pint of puss came out he did give her some antibiotics and she does seem a much happier bunny now he has told me to leave it drain and not to cover it , i forgot to ask him about the bute so iam still going to give it to her about another 4 days worth is that ok

thanks very much

sallyanne

[ponyvet]

bursting abscesses is so satisfying, but so disgusting as well!!

I'm glad she's feeling more comfy now! Yay!!

the bute should be fine, there will be some swelling around there so it should help.

If you think the abscess is scabbing over try and clean it, so that the hole stays open. The longer it stays open the fater it will heal in the end. If you let it get scabby now the pus will just fill up again!

If it's actually draining stuff out you can use some cream, like sudocrem or udder cream, around the hole and along the area where the pus drains out, as it can irritate the skin otherwise.