Alternating Front Lameness

[JeriTob]

Just after some opinions before sending horse for a lameness workup, and to see if anyone has had a similar experience. I'm sorry this might be long....

Horse is 19 this year, a big ISH, never had any lameness issues in the 5 years we have had him.

Started bringing him back into work in January after some time off after having a baby. One day he planted and refused to hack out which was very unlike him, trotted him up and he was clearly lame on front right.

Rested him and had the farrier out to see if it was an abscess. Farrier couldn't find anything, did not respond to hoof testers, but he did have a slight pulse low down on that leg and thought he'd potentially tweaked his collateral ligament. A few days later the vet came out for vaccinations anyway so I ask her to look at him, she agreed it was in his foot. Positive to flexion test in that leg. She gave bute, and said reassess in a week or two.

After 10 days he was no longer head nodding in trot, but still seemed short and uncomfortable in front. Worse on hard ground, and on tight circle on hard ground.

Continued to rest, but today I have trotted him up and he is head nodding again but the front left is now the more lame leg.

I am now starting to think the worse. Farrier didn't seem to think it was age related, and he had just tweaked something, but now I am thinking arthritis, navicular etc. On the lunge he does seem to be holding his tail a little higher than usual, and maybe I'm being hopeful, but would it be worth getting physio out to check him over?

I am in the process of arranging him to go to the vets for a full work up so we know what we are dealing with and whether it's treatable. But I would love to hear others views or experiences.

 

[Birker2020]

Just after some opinions before sending horse for a lameness workup, and to see if anyone has had a similar experience. I'm sorry this might be long....

Horse is 19 this year, a big ISH, never had any lameness issues in the 5 years we have had him.

Started bringing him back into work in January after some time off after having a baby. One day he planted and refused to hack out which was very unlike him, trotted him up and he was clearly lame on front right.

Rested him and had the farrier out to see if it was an abscess. Farrier couldn't find anything, did not respond to hoof testers, but he did have a slight pulse low down on that leg and thought he'd potentially tweaked his collateral ligament. A few days later the vet came out for vaccinations anyway so I ask her to look at him, she agreed it was in his foot. Positive to flexion test in that leg. She gave bute, and said reassess in a week or two.

After 10 days he was no longer head nodding in trot, but still seemed short and uncomfortable in front. Worse on hard ground, and on tight circle on hard ground.

Continued to rest, but today I have trotted him up and he is head nodding again but the front left is now the more lame leg.

I am now starting to think the worse. Farrier didn't seem to think it was age related, and he had just tweaked something, but now I am thinking arthritis, navicular etc. On the lunge he does seem to be holding his tail a little higher than usual, and maybe I'm being hopeful, but would it be worth getting physio out to check him over?

I am in the process of arranging him to go to the vets for a full work up so we know what we are dealing with and whether it's treatable. But I would love to hear others views or experiences.

Same sort of issue with my horse although he's sound on a surface and seems to have improved in the space of a week walking on the concrete. The vet nerve blocked and said bi laterally lame and probably coffin joint/navicular arthritis so waiting for x-rays at clinic tomorrow. He was trotting him on hardcore on the lunge to see this.

I'd get your vet out to be honest.

I'm intervening with mine earlier than I'd hoped although I always knew this day would come. Its better to get them sorted earlier to avoid all sorts of over compensatory issues down the line. You can't really get a physio without permission from your vet anyway although to be fair this can be verbal permission.

 

[JeriTob]

Sorry to hear about your horse. I think at least with blocking and xrays you are right in that we will know what the issue is, which is better than continuing to guess, and he could have discomfort in other areas because his feet are hurting.

 

[Zoeypxo]

Any update please ?

 

[JeriTob]

Kind of... a couple of days later he came in hopping on front left. Started hot tubbing and poulticing, and a few days later an abscess broke out the coronet band. I am still poulticing, so when this has resolved it will be interesting to see if he is still lame on the front right.

 

[Zoeypxo]

Kind of... a couple of days later he came in hopping on front left. Started hot tubbing and poulticing, and a few days later an abscess broke out the coronet band. I am still poulticing, so when this has resolved it will be interesting to see if he is still lame on the front right.

interesting thankyou. Glad its an abscess and nothing worse.
Currently going through the same and waiting for an abscess to show although vet also mentioned possible sidebone/ligament damage in the foot ?

 

[ycbm]

Kind of... a couple of days later he came in hopping on front left. Started hot tubbing and poulticing, and a few days later an abscess broke out the coronet band. I am still poulticing, so when this has resolved it will be interesting to see if he is still lame on the front right.

Where did it break out? If it was central above the toe then I would strongly suspect laminitis in a horse that was intermittently lame in either front and then abscessed. At his age I would be testing for Cushings.

Hope that helps.
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[JeriTob]

Interesting, this didn't cross my mind nor has it been mentioned by vet or farrier. It didn't break out centrally above the toe, but a couple of inches to the right. At no point did he react to hoof testers, even when hopping lame and heat in hoof. I wouldn't say he is showing any other typical symptoms. Still worth testing?

 

[ycbm]

At that age, yes I think so. Bilateral lameness swapping feet in a horse of 19 at this time of year sounds very like it could be a Cushings related laminitis attack to me. And one of the simplest things to deal with, too, hopefully.
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