Advice on horse whos stiff rather than lame..please

[asommerville]

My 5 yo has been out of work for 4 week now, he has seen the vet after approx 10 (of stiffness not lameness) unfortunately i had been away for work and he was not sound when i came back.

He appears to be stiff through hus back end, this is even evident in walk. it came on very suddenly, rode one day and all fine, 2 days later got on and he was absolutely unwilling to go forward and when my bum hit he saddle getting on he flinches. The vet haa been to check him and said he is in pain thru his off hind, he didnt think.anything serious but diagnosed 2 weeks off work, allowed turnout in small field and danilon. we are at the end of those 2 weeks and he is slightly better but sill not right. vet said he would need to go into surgery for a lameness work up - however horse does not load! I have explained this to.the vet and that i am getting my tnew trailer next weekend with the view to practicing loading him. vet has given me more danilon and advised another 2 weeks off work and as long as it is not hurting him to practice with the trailer. I think that he has hurt his back rather than a leg but I'm not a vet also asked the vet about getting physio to have a look but he said not to bother atm as they dont actually know whats wrong.

has anyone got any words of wisdom.or advice please? Doesnt help that he lives on thin air and gerting fatter by the day, gradually cutting his feed down though.

Sorry ita long

 

[amage]

Sounds a bit like tying up! Why can't vet do a work up at your yard? No reason why they couldn't do nerve blocks etc there! If he was mine I'd be wanting bloods pulled though to check enzyme levels etc

 

[be positive]

Can your vet not do a lameness work up at your yard, most should be able to do a fairly thorough examination with nerve blocks and xrays or at least narrow down the area that is causing the problem.
If he can't come to you, while you are waiting I would get a good physio out to look as it could just be a sore back due to the saddle if he flinches when getting on.

 

[ebonyblackandwhite]

I had this problem with my mare when she needed to go in for a lameness clinic but she didn't load. We spent a week working on loading, got her to the vet but then she refused to come home as being at the vet stresses her out. I had to get her sedated to bring her home. That is always an option. Like the others have said its worth asking him if he can do it at the yard. I know my vet preferred to have them in as they like to lunge on a hard surface, then a soft surface etc then depending on what they find - xray. I know they couldn't have diagnosed my mare if she hadn't have gone into the vets.

 

[asommerville]

Yep worried i can get him to vet but not home!! Hes a stressy horse as it is!! The way the vet spoke it was as if he'll need to in thats it!

Prob not helping that i am imagining all sorts of doom!!

 

[AmyMay]

The vet can do an initial lameness workup at the yard, and that is what I would insist on.

 

[redriverrock]

Im going to be brutally honest! If my vet was being so unhelpful I would change them. I cant believe he couldnt do a pretty good inspection at your place, he might not beable to do all the tests he could do at the surgery but this horse clearly has something going wrong and needs treating!
To play devils advocate what will happen if you cant get him loaded? Also what if he starts to mess about when you are trying and he hurts himself?

 

[asommerville]

He has had an initial work up at home but as it is continuing he has said another 2 weeks off and if not better to go in. if people advise that it would be possible for vet to do more at home then i will certainly be more forceful about it. the thing that puts me off x rays at home is that a few years ago my then vet xrayed my mare at home, couldnt find anything wrong and as i wasnt happy i changed vet. she was then taken into the surgery had the same done again by a different vet and found out what was wrong, hopefully you can understand why i am believing the vet saying he can only be done at home.

 

[asommerville]

Maybe id be better saying i just cant get him in and see what the vet says!!