Veterinary advice should be sought before applying any treatment or vaccine.

Capped Hock

Hygroma Of The Tuber Calcis

Capped hock is a swelling that occurs over the point of hock. It is typically considered to be an unsightly blemish rather than a cause of lameness in horses. Capped hocks are usually caused by self-induced trauma such as horses that repeatedly kick stalls or horse trailers, lying on hard floor with insufficient bedding or from injury.

Symptoms

Swelling on the point of the hock

Diagnosis

History
Clinical signs
Physical exam
Ultrasonography

Support

Therapies

Therapies	Details
Identification and elimination of the cause	Ensure horses have enough bedding in their stall for lying down without injury, install anti-kick devices in horse stalls, behavioral therapy techniques.
Pressure bandages
Cold hosing and/or icing the affected leg
Topical anti-inflammatory	Applied over the affected area
Surgical drainage	Sometimes required in serious cases, where the fluid within the swelling needs to be drained by a veterinarian as a soon as possible, followed by pressure bandaging to minimize more fluid from accumulating.
Corticosteroid injections	In serious cases, your veterinarian may inject a long-acting corticosteroid into the area once the fluid is drained, as an aid to help improve the chances of recovery from the injury.