Corns, lameness etc *I'm going out of my mind with worry*

Madam_max

Madam_max

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I had my mare x-rayed on Friday as she is aboput 6/10ths lame on her right fore. X-rays showed nothing (which in itself is amazing). The next step is MRI. However, she does have a corn, but the vet said is so insignificant she would be suprised if it's making her 'that' lame, but obviously she won't refer her for MRI until this has been ruled out. My question is just how lame do corns make them even if insignificant (as far as I know she hasn't had one in the last 10 years)
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No corns, but my old mare had a skin infection (rather like mud fever, but not mud fever) - had the vet out as she was hopping - vet was determined she needed a scan as she thought she had done a tendon because 'that infection would not make her that lame'. Wrong. 3 days of antibiotic cream later = 1 sound horse. Never underestimate their capacity to be complete wusses!

I think the vet is taking exactly the right approach - you'd be livid (wouldn't you?) if they said yes, need MRI now, you got a whopping vets bill and it turns out to have been the corn all along and they then said 'oh, yes, we did wonder if it was just the corn'....
 
Have you ever had a corn yourself ? I can tell you that a tiny corn in the right place can really hurt and once it has been removed, the relief is immense.

Hopefully that is the problem and once it is treated your horse will be OK.
 
Thanks
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Yes she is doing the absolute right thing as far as I am concerned. She's back on Monday to re assess and said she can block the corn area. At the moment she has putty and a pad on her foot. I haven't looked to see if she is more comfortable yet as I am too scared.
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I really hope it is a corn.
 
They can be pathetically lame with a corn (which is in fact a bruised foot that can become a deep seated abcess) and sadly it is not always easy to see how deep it is from the surface. Your vet is certainly right. Just leave it a while and see what happens.
 
Corns can make a horse terribly lame. My horse had one last year, and you'd think he'd broken his leg.

I'm very suprised that your vet has spent any of your money before the corn has been remedied. But certainly they are absolutely correct not to go any further until the corn has been treated.

Has the farrier actually treated the foot at all?
 
My horse get a few corns when he was first shod and was very lame. Once I had his front show taken off to have a bit shaved off where it was over the corn and the blacksmith confidently predicted that he would come sound almost immediately- he didn't!

He ended up having a full lameness workup and nothing showed except for a corn.

He also got an abcess as a three year old which made him very lame and even after it was opened up my vet and I confidently told my husband how great it was as they come sound once it was draining and again - he didn't.

He hasn't had corns for a couple of years and has not been lame since.
 
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what does a corn look like on a horse please explain pictures would be good! Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

when you take the horse's shoe off, there will be an area of red (bruising) in the seat of corn, particularly if the farrier pares the area to reveal it. It will also be sore to hoof testers. The seat of corn is at the heel to the outside of the frog. (where the end of the shoe sits)

(sorry can't do pics!)
 
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