Advise needed. Horse lame only when trotting??!!

[ycbm]

How unpleasant and bitter. Not begging, hoping someone else has diagnosed and overcome the problem. He is able to roll and canter when turned out, so almost certainly not a broken pelvis. The problem exasperated over 3 months. Thankyou

You cannot say he does not have a broken pelvis. I forget the name of the member, but there is video of her horse on a lesson doing what would be considered a perfectly adequate trot. She knew the horse was not right, pressed for a gamma ray scintigraph scan, and sure enough she'd been riding a horse with a broken pelvis.


For three months you've been riding an increasingly unsound horse. If this was with the advice of your vet, and they did not suggest scans and nerve blocks to get a proper diagnosis then they are incompetent.


Your horse needs a hospital. Strangers on the net can't diagnose it for you. What we can see is that he is in SERIOUS trouble at the moment. He is shockingly lame. I would be embarrassed to post that video and tell people that I adored my horse but would not fund further investigation to find out why.

Please make your next post the one that tells us you have booked him into hospital for a lameness workup.

 

[AdorableAlice]

How unpleasant and bitter. Not begging, hoping someone else has diagnosed and overcome the problem. He is able to roll and canter when turned out, so almost certainly not a broken pelvis. The problem exasperated over 3 months. Thankyou

No one on the forum can diagnose for you. The only thing you can do is speak to your vet and get a referral to hospital. Where are you in the UK ? If central, I thoroughly recommend the Three Counties Equine Hospital, they have all the modern diagnostic kit. Time is far better spent getting him help as soon as possible, you need a correct diagnosis from the best professionals available and then a plan of action to hopefully, get him comfortable.

 

[Orca]

How unpleasant and bitter. Not begging, hoping someone else has diagnosed and overcome the problem. He is able to roll and canter when turned out, so almost certainly not a broken pelvis. The problem exasperated over 3 months. Thankyou

I think it's unpleasant to see a horse in this level of discomfort, particularly knowing that this has been going on for three months without proper diagnosis and worsening. There is a time for testing methods to aid recovery (box rest/ bute trials/ anti inflammatories/ etc) but when his condition continues to worsen to the point that he is visibly, excruciatingly crippled, it is time to take immediate constructive action - whatever that might be. I understand that you have come here in an effort to help him but really, that is futile if you are not able or willing to have his problems properly investigated as suggested or alternatively, put him out of his misery.

You seem shocked by the suggestion of some to put him to sleep if you cannot help him? People aren't being harsh, callous or uncaring but are suggesting this because they do care and most here would do anything rather than see a horse suffer. That is responsible horse ownership, painful as it is at times. As your horse and your responsibility, it is only you who can help him. I don't envy you the position you are in but doing nothing is *not* an option. Please allow the vet to investigate his condition extensively, as a matter of urgency and if not, make the only other responsible choice available to you because you are right, your horse is sweet, kind and gentle. He is clearly the sort who would keep trying even with a broken limb - that doesn't mean he should be forced to.

 

[applecart14]

How unpleasant and bitter. Not begging, hoping someone else has diagnosed and overcome the problem. He is able to roll and canter when turned out, so almost certainly not a broken pelvis. The problem exasperated over 3 months. Thankyou

If the problem has excacerbated to the point it is now, I still do not see how a diagnosis has not been made. If the horse has had steroid injections into his hocks he should be comfortable and not exhibiting the shuffling that we see on the video. Either the injections have not worked (which I cant see happening) or there is another problem which has been highlighted in a different area of his body, now he is using himself differently.

I don't think anyone is saying you are not a caring owner, as to be fair to you, you have been guided by your vet to a point, but I do not understand why the vet is not more proactive in getting a diagnosis for the horse and I don't understand why you do not harrass them at this point.

If it were my horse I would feel most uncomfortable seeing him like this. Horses can and often do make good recoveries looking like your horse does, mine was lame on three bute a day during a bute trial and I was thinking that this was the end and was frantic with worry, but he became sound as the bute was reduced and with the aid of a decent physio. Sometimes if you take the pain away in one area, as they develop a new way of going, and they can then start to hurt in a different area.

As I see it you have two choices, either a veterinary hospital facility or PTS and the latter is something you may be forced to do if you have no funds.

I think you said that you made the video for the vet. What did the vet say to you upon receipt of it?

 

[felix12]

Ps. Thus avoiding unnecessary painful, traumatic intervention.
I of course have funds.
I find texts or calls easier to access.

Is propaganda more prominent when schools are closed?
Don't worry it is only a week closure.

 

[felix12]

The next stage is investigating his back. Thankyou

 

[AdorableAlice]

Ps. Thus avoiding unnecessary painful, traumatic intervention.
I of course have funds.
I find texts or calls easier to access.

Is propaganda more prominent when schools are closed?
Don't worry it is only a week closure.

Just call your vet and get him the help he needs.

 

[Hepsibah]

Ps. Thus avoiding unnecessary painful, traumatic intervention.
I of course have funds.
I find texts or calls easier to access.

Is propaganda more prominent when schools are closed?
Don't worry it is only a week closure.

I'm sorry, what?

 

[applecart14]

I'm sorry, what?

I think when she says exasperate she means exacerbate and when she says Ps. she means PTS.
I think when she says propaganda she means the comments she has received.
I think when she says the school closure is only for a week, she is being sarky.

 

[Hepsibah]

I think when she says exasperate she means exacerbate and when she says Ps. she means PTS.
I think when she says propaganda she means the comments she has received.
I think when she says the school closure is only for a week, she is being sarky.

Oh thank you. It looked like English but I couldn't get any meaning from it. :rolleyes3:

 

[LouiseG]

This is horrific, your horse is unbelievably lame, how can the vet determine it's his hocks without doing any investigations at all? He's so lame it's actually hard to see where he isn't sore. I'm in shock and wondering if this is post is a wind up!!! Stop trotting him around in circles and get him to a vet hospital ASAP.

 

[ycbm]

The next stage is investigating his back. Thankyou

In what way?

 

[ester]

That is horrific, and has been deteriorating for 3 months? :eek3: I am rendered pretty speechless.

If you care for the horse as much as you say you take it to a veterinary hospital for a full work up ASAP, Monday.
The next stage shouldn't be investigating his back, that should have been weeks/months ago.

That poor poor horse, I can't believe you can be on a yard of people and have had a vet and a physio to him and no one has said he needs a full work up as whatever pain relief he is currently having is insufficient. I also cannot believe you lunged him in trot for more than a few strides seeing him so crippled.

 

[ester]

I assume he doesn't respond to hoof testers..

 

[Auslander]

I'm going to come at this from a good cop angle, although I'm as horrified as most, on watching this video.

Has the horse had scans/xrays? You say that the vet and physio have been treating him, but what are they treating?

Treament/pain relief is useless without a firm diagnosis, and you will not get a diagnosis without looking under the skin. Ideally, the horse would be transported to a hospital for a proper lameness investigation, but equally, most decent equine vets can work out what the problem is using mobile equipment. If they can't, they can at least tell you that the horse needs more complex investigations, and will need to go into hospital.

I think that your current vet is doing you a grave disservice y allowing this situation to continue, and I would be actievly seeking out aa decent, highly recommended equine specialist to take over the care of this horse. Whereabouts are you? Someone may be able to recommend one, if we know where you are.

 

[JFTDWS]

I believe the OP is in Hampshire...

Do I gather you're looking to turn the horse away for a few months now OP? I don't think this is a very good idea, given the extent of the discomfort evident in your video.

 

[ester]

It's really annoying me trying to remember the bay horse who I remember the OP had video of it cross country schooling happily and then a few days later really shut down in an arena, am sure that had something seriously broken.

 

[JFTDWS]

It's really annoying me trying to remember the bay horse who I remember the OP had video of it cross country schooling happily and then a few days later really shut down in an arena, am sure that had something seriously broken.

The OP had a previous account then?

 

[ester]

No no, sorry a whole different thread a good while ago!

 

[JFTDWS]

No no, sorry a whole different thread a good while ago!

Because it's a comparable injury or you think it's the same horse or...? I'm being a bit slow here. I'll catch up, sooner or later

 

[Auslander]

I believe the OP is in Hampshire...

If OP is in Hampshire - I can recommend a truly excellent vet, who is absolutely fiendish at diagnostics, and is one of the most thorough imagers I've ever met.

 

[ester]

Because it's a comparable injury or you think it's the same horse or...? I'm being a bit slow here. I'll catch up, sooner or later

Because OP was saying not critical as horse fine in field... this one managed to be fine XC schooling and someone else mentioned it further up the thread.

 

[JFTDWS]

Because OP was saying not critical as horse fine in field... this one managed to be fine XC schooling and someone else mentioned it further up the thread.

I see. I very much got hold of the wrong end of the stick there.

 

[Lgd]

Think the only way to get to the bottom of this is to at least do nerve blocks to try and identify where the problem is.
He isn't wasted over the quarters that I can see on the video so would not rule out something going on lower down.

 

[Leo Walker]

Hes a very unhappy horse, and I know you have been guided by your vet, but I dont think they are helping him. I think now might be the time for a second vet opinion. Not all vets are equal! I know that my physio would have point blank refused to treat my horse if he presented like that without the vet, if not being present, at least having an in depth conversation about what they wanted the physio to do and why.

 

[WindyStacks]

Tbh, I'm not entirely convinced you've had veterinary intervention - by posting your phone number you seem to be looking for someone to text and say "ignore the haterz, I cured my horse with tumeric lol!1!". I find it hard to believe that any qualified vet whatsoever (even one who specialises only in goldfish) thought this horse was anywhere near OK.

Your horse is b0rked. To get the scans at the height required is going to set you back the best part of 5k - and if there's anything left out of that it'll disappear almost instantly on treatment, which may, or may not be successful.

I had a horse PTS a couple of months ago who didn't walk that badly but as soon as I saw him put in a "funny walk" I called the vet on an emergency call out to PTS. I knew something was very wrong (suspected pelvis fracture) and knew deep down that no matter how much money I threw at it, it was never going to come good. (Obviously more to this story than I've posted before I get told off for PTS a horse which had an off day ).

Not all decisions are easy.

 

[PolarSkye]

OP, if you ARE in Hampshire and would like a recommendation for a thoroughly professional vet, please PM me. Your lovely horse needs a serious lameness workup by someone who knows what they're doing - such an undertaking should take about half a day and include nerve blocking, which may then need to be followed up by some sort of scintigraphy . . . as Auslander said, looking under the skin.

P

 

[onceuponatime]

Agreed - Change vet immediately and get a second opinion from a good EQUINE vet! This horse is in serious pain and needs attention urgently!

 

[{97702}]

Just Google the phone number so helpfully supplied and it brings up a whole load of relevant hits....

 

[ycbm]

One hoover for sale. One Shetland for loan. One job application. One horse (this one I think) for loan, but I can't see a date on it. Are you finding something else?