Devastated.

Really sorry to hear that. I agree with others, try not to get too despondent (easier said than done I know!!!)

Thinking of you, take care xx
 
Nah presuming this is the lameness that Ned has had for a while (and possibly aggrevated recently) has ever had any diagnostics (nerve blocks/xrays etc) on it. I'm sorry but if not in this day and age it really isn't acceptable for a vet to say they cannot diagnose and turn away. Perhaps time for a second opinion if not?

Ditto this. I don't know the history, but if they can't find whats wrong, then ask another vet imho - if you have insurance for it at least? I've just bought mine some valerian calmer as after his third stint of box rest (different injuries each time) in 3 years I am taking no chances when he finally gets to go in a small paddock, I am expecting full on rodeo. Would anything like that help you?
 
So sorry to read this. Is Ned shod? If he is, might be worth trying him barefoot, especially if you can't ride him, plenty of time for the transitioning process and there are many stories where owners have a horse with a supposedly incurable lameness has been sorted out by going barefoot. If he's already barefoot, just ignore me :D
 
Nah presuming this is the lameness that Ned has had for a while (and possibly aggrevated recently) has ever had any diagnostics (nerve blocks/xrays etc) on it. I'm sorry but if not in this day and age it really isn't acceptable for a vet to say they cannot diagnose and turn away. Perhaps time for a second opinion if not?

This! There are plenty of good referral vets within travelling distance from you. If your own vet isn't willing to investigate and find the cause of the issue ask for a referral.

Fingers crossed it all turns out ok for him.
 
Oh goodness, that's awful. Please try not to get too down yet. No point worrying unless you know there's something to worry about.

I also agree with ester...but mostly just want to offer (((((hugs))))) xx
 
Hey guys! So sorry for the lack of update, I was at work and then building fencing!

Yes, he's shod and she said get them off and get him a trim too. Calling farrier to beg him to come ASAP!

The problem with Ned, is he is a very difficult patient. She did say I could have X-ray/nerve blocking if I wanted or see how the trail in the pen goes and I chose the pen. If it gets any worse over the next week, then I have to call her back.

She knows 100% it's in his knee, but doesn't know quite what the problem is. There's a bit of heat, though.

He seems quite happy in his pen now, I did previously try and he just jumped out. I've modified the fencing a bit now though!

I almost lost it a bit at work :'( I just can't believe this has happened, he's never been properly lame before...6 months into owning him and I've broken him :(
 
Hey guys! So sorry for the lack of update, I was at work and then building fencing!

Yes, he's shod and she said get them off and get him a trim too. Calling farrier to beg him to come ASAP!

The problem with Ned, is he is a very difficult patient. She did say I could have X-ray/nerve blocking if I wanted or see how the trail in the pen goes and I chose the pen. If it gets any worse over the next week, then I have to call her back.

She knows 100% it's in his knee, but doesn't know quite what the problem is. There's a bit of heat, though.

He seems quite happy in his pen now, I did previously try and he just jumped out. I've modified the fencing a bit now though!

I almost lost it a bit at work :'( I just can't believe this has happened, he's never been properly lame before...6 months into owning him and I've broken him :(

Oh Nah, please don't blame yourself. :( You're a dedicated owner, but sadly such awful luck can happen to anyone. It's not your fault!
 
rubbish you haven't broken him, most probable a small underlining problem for several months, that nobody has notice before and the fact it's been a hot dry summer so far and the ground is rock hard and him jumping out has twinged a nerve, rest and tlc will have him back to normal no time.
 
You haven't broken him Nah, there has been clear evidence of lameness for some time. Personally in your shoes id have him xrayed sooner rather than later.
 
Oh Nah, you haven't broken him I promise you. It is just rotten bad luck.

I really hope the vet will x ray if she is so sure it is in the knee...even if just to be able to really know what you are dealing with.

You and Ned will get through this. More hugs xxxx
 
You haven't broken him Nah, there has been clear evidence of lameness for some time. Personally in your shoes id have him xrayed sooner rather than later.

Ditto this. I would get him x-rayed so you know what you are dealing with. He's had time off already with no improvement so IMO xrays are the next step.

Everything crossed for you and Ned, don't blame yourself!

Is he insured?
 
Agree, get him xrayed. What would you do if the doctor said you might have a tumour or a fracture in your spine, I could xray or we could wait to see if you if it gets worse and by that point you cant walk any more. It's a no brainer Hun, fingers crossed for you and him xx
 
Ditto this. I would get him x-rayed so you know what you are dealing with. He's had time off already with no improvement so IMO xrays are the next step.

Ah, you see he wasn't resting at all before. I may as well have been riding and jumping him! He was galloping around with mares and jumping the fence everyday :( now he will be on proper rest (about time! Finally twisted YM's arm enough!!!!) so hopefully it'll help :)
 
I would also suggest your vet and farrier discussing his feet before you whip his shoes off etc. They will also be able to review the xrays together to ensure a correct shoeing/trimming plan is put in place for the future.
 
Thanks Amymay, will do. I know I probably sound over dramatic, I'm just not used to this sort of thing. I guess it was only a matter of time before I had to deal with some sort of drama. I just feel so useless and like I've let him down :( At least he seems happy in himself I guess. If he looked a picture of misery, I couldn't bare to see him!
 
Ah, you see he wasn't resting at all before. I may as well have been riding and jumping him! He was galloping around with mares and jumping the fence everyday :( now he will be on proper rest (about time! Finally twisted YM's arm enough!!!!) so hopefully it'll help :)

I would have insisted this happened a long time before now.

What's done is done though, and hopefully now he is on box rest things will improve. :-)
 
Oh Nah! You haven't broken him! Horses are very good at injuring themselves without any human input lol!

I agree, proper rest, xrays, farrier and vet chat...

You WILL get him right I am 100% sure!

Thinking of you though x
 
Oh bless you, the time off will fly by though, glad to hear he's in a proper resting area now. I think if it were me and he hadn't managed to rest it before I would try turning away first as well.
 
Nah I do know its horrid seeing him lame. I can remember ages ago before you owned him you videoing him on one of your walking hacks and people suggesting he looked a bit squify then. Can you remember if that was same leg, I just wonder if that was start of something brewing for him? IMO get him worked up, if for example it's arthritis a steroid injection could really help him but you won't know that unless you work up iirc I think u do have him insured? I also wouldn't rush to take shoes off where feet are not the problem. IME if they are then feeling their feet at all they use their bodies differently to compensate and can make themselves muscle sore.
 
Oh nah I am really sorry to hear this and I do know how you feel! I bought dizzy 9 months ago and we had around 5months of box rest and lameness! Finally accepted we needed X-rays and it cost me 290 for all four legs. We discovered flat pedal bones and typical tb feet. My vet being the slight drama queen she is suggested that dizzy would never come right and that I should be preparing myself for the worst! How ever my farrier who is much more level has been amazing! 2 sessions of remedial shoeing and she has stayed and is improving but she had around 2 months off and we have really just focused on walk and building up to trot now! Get the X-rays done!!! I can not stress that enough I was at my wits end with dizzy and with an over active imagination it was the worst combination!! You need a full diagnosis and in my opinion your vet hasn't done that. Proper rest will also make a difference and hard as it is stay positive. I actually found all of dizzys time off strengthened our relationship!
 
Poor Ned, and poor you. I'll reiterate what others have said - I really think you should get him x-rayed. He can be sedated if neccessary, so you don't have to worry about him being a fool. When I bought Alf, I knew there were issues with his hocks and stifles, but he had never had any investigations, so the first thing I did was book a full work-up with x-rays, scans, nerve blocks. I couldn't decide how to manage the issues without knowing exactly what was wrong. Although I was pretty sure it was arthritis related, I needed to be sure. Very glad I did, as the work-up not only confirmed what I suspected, but also highlighted proximal suspensory desmitis, which requires very different management to the arthritic stuff. For your own peace of mind, I'd recommend getting xrays/scans done, and sooner rather than later
 
If your vet is 100% sure it is knee then that is kind of good news. The most infuriating (and expensive) lameness are those where its not immediately obvious where it is from.

Sedate him. X-ray the knee and ultrasound the check ligament, top of the suspensory and any other accessible soft tissue areas!
 
As someone who did 5 weeks box rest with controlled walk work at the beginning of this year to help with a minor lameness I hadn't got the vet to see/diagnose, please get your vet out to diagnose the problem. Without knowing exactly what the problem is you cannot possibly (unless flukey) give ned the correct rehab. I thought my 5 weeks box rest had fixed my horse, 2 weeks following turning out he was lame again. Now I'm into week 13 of full box rest (no exercise for 6 weeks, walking in hand for 4 weeks, now into week 2-3 of ridden walk) to rehab tendonitis in his near fore.

If I had done this earlier I would now be back riding properly and would not be 6.5 months pregnant trying to rehab a horse to a good enough stage where he can be turned out for when I pop, plus I would have been able to enjoy hacking in the nice weather instead of long reining! Hindsight is a wonderful thing, I honestly thought at the time I was doing the best conservative measures, but these were no good enough without a diagnosis. :)
 
I almost lost it a bit at work :'( I just can't believe this has happened, he's never been properly lame before...6 months into owning him and I've broken him :(

I know this feeling well my girl is 'broken' and i was months into owning her. Underlying issue though, arthritis that didn't show on vetting, she was doing all sorts util it showed now faced with an uncertain future as she didn't take to steroids and not sure if another drug is working, too advanced now for commonly used ones as she has progressed in one leg at a fast rate.

It really isn't your fault though, these things happen as my yard has found out over the past week. As others have said time, rest, r&r can do wonders. Once you manage to get a diagnosis you can go forwards. I know it's hard not to but try not to worry until you know what's wrong.

Oh and IMO vets can be a bit doom and gloom try not to let get to you too much, it's good to be realistic but positive too.
 
I would also suggest your vet and farrier discussing his feet before you whip his shoes off etc. They will also be able to review the xrays together to ensure a correct shoeing/trimming plan is put in place for the future.

Sound advice. Sorry to hear he's off games for the moment, but hopefully you can get him xrayed sooner rather than later & then at the very least you'll know what you're looking at. Might not be as bad as you think :)
 
Sorry to hear this, poor Ned bless him :(
I cant help but agree with the others...the sooner you can get him x-rayed the better. Once you have a conclusive diagnosis you can start sorting it.xx
 
Unless there is a specific reason to keep him shod (and I can't think of one from the information you have given), then I would take his shoes off if he was mine. The reduction in the concussion alone could help his knee (although it might only be a tiny effect - every little helps).
 
This has been trickling on for too long for my liking - Id want MRI +/ X rays of the knee and feet.

Id also be getting a qualified BF professional in to asses his feet, how he uses them etc etc and comparing their view with the farrier before deciding what to do re shoes. Removing the shoes would def reduce concussion to joints however you dont need other lameness issues atm!


My mare has also recently been in a pen on 'box rest' she stressed for a few days then I began brushing powdered lavender into her coat and doing Masterson Technique on her a couple of times a day, making sure I was very chilled almost horizontal in my handling of her and she has coped really well. She also had her friend next to her and I was able to leave the electric fence off between them so they could groom over the fence by day 3 which helped.

You can add chamomile or valerian to his feed to help and some drops of rescue remedy to help him cope.

I do think you need to know what you're dealing with though.
 
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