Feeling a little 'meh' after lameness work up this moning...

StormyMoments

StormyMoments

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So Rio had a lameness work up this morning... it wasn't because his leg was falling off or anything but he was showing an odd movement and wasn't stepping under himself like he usually does.

The vet watched him trot up and said that he was ever so slightly uneven behind but unless you were really looking for it, you wouldn't notice. She asked to see him on the lunge and he worked out of the slight unevenness and stepped under as you would expect on both reins showing no lameness or stiffness at all. She tried to do flection tests on him but he wouldn't allow her to do them so she decided to have a feel about.

He has slight fusion on both stifles but more on the left, again slight fusion in his hocks but more so in his left and a slight swelling in the hock on the left. Very sore on center of spine on palpation and tight through the hind quarters and slight reaction when palpated through the hips.

Watched him ridden and said that he was more visibly lame when ridden/tacked up and that he walks away lame when I get on. Checked his back again and said that it isn't significantly worse after being ridden but he was only ridden for 5 minutes so longer may make it worse.

So obviously its his back... he only had physio at the start of July so its not something that will just be fixed with a click of the fingers and in all honesty I'm gutted. If he has fusion on the hocks and stifles then this obviously isn't a new thing and I feel awful for not noticing. She said that the lameness was so slight that really not many people would have noticed without actually looking for it but that doesn't make me feel much better about it. His back I'm surprised about as nothing was mentioned about his back on the last visit by my physio, but again this doesn't excuse my ignorance.

He has been referred to a different physio who will be seeing him next week with my vet so he can have physio under sedation so they can do deeper manipulation. He will then have physio again in 2 weeks and then be re-assessed in 4 weeks to see if he is any better and can be brought back into work... if he comes back into work but then goes back to how he is now he will be going into Liphook for a bone scan of his spine, pelvis and hocks to see what is going on.

Until then he is on two bute a day. She said he could have turnout if he was sensible but then proved that he wasn't going to be by rearing and spinning in the field... he is now on box rest much to his disgust.

All of this came about as I noticed him twisting out his near hind hock out when in walk :o

This also came about just as his insurance is coming up for renewal (I'm having a slight panic!) and I'm not supposed to be taking time off work!

Anyway enough of my moaning! Any ideas how I can keep a very bored stoopid stallion entertained in the box without giving him anything with sugar in? Also, anyone seen anything similar?

Here's a photo of a very smug looking Rio who doesn't believe that no work is a bad thing at all ;)
031.jpg


I need a glass or rather jug or wine!!

Sorry for the moan!

SM x

Also I have just noticed my mistake in the title - I'm sorry, I will be better next time ;)
 
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I am surprised that after such a basic examination the vet has concluded the primary cause is the back and not the hocks, back pain in isolation is unusual, it is normally caused by compensating from pain elsewhere, I hope the physio helps but I would be looking at a proper workup if there are ongoing problems not totally resolved by physio fairly quickly.
I am not sure how accurate her assessment of his hocks and stifles can be without xrays and would be suspicious of the swelling being related to his lameness, it may be that there is more going on than expected, without nerve blocks it is difficult to tell if the lameness is bilateral, if your insurance is due soon beware you may get a lot of exclusions following this report, it may be worth looking into it now while you still can.
 
How did the vet diagnose fusion of the stifle and hock? Did she xray?

Be positive is quite correct; most back problems have their root cause in other parts of the body, most often the hocks. PSD and kissing spines have a strong correlation as does bone spavin in the hocks and kissing spine. Hopefully the problems Rio is experiencing are easy to fix and his back soreness is superficial.
 
I am sorry but that sounds like the most ridiculous "work up" I've eve heard of. No flexions....what did he do that wouldn't let her do them? Diagnosis of "fusion" with no X-rays? No nerve blocking? Im sorry but I'd be wanting a better vet out for a proper work up before going down the line of Physio etc. Re the odd funny step...may sound odd but did you check his testicles? Worked with a horse one time that was held at an international trot up for throwing a funny step. None of us could figure out what was up till a comical Italian vet went for a feel and found a fly bite on his nether regions rubbing when he trotted! I like the above poster would be surprised if the back wasn't secondary
 
Can only echo be positive.
If this was my horse he would be shipped to the nearest referral unit pronto for a proper work up & diagnosis.

I do wonder whether you mean effusion rather than fusion as I'm sure your vet doesn't have X-ray vision
 
Sorry - to clarify - me being a numpty it is effusion of both hocks and stifle. She couldn't do a flection test on him because he wouldn't let her hold his leg up for long enough and when she tried for a 3rd time he objected by rearing up... by this point he was getting quite upset by getting prodded and poked and was quite het up, she didn't want to force the issue and I'm glad she didn't as he panics and we wouldn't have got near him after if she had pushed it. She couldn't do nerve blocks because there is no specific place that the lameness is coming from. When I say his lameness is very slight I mean it's not even 1/10. The lameness doesn't look to me to be coming from the hock because he's his twisting from higher in the leg - it shows in his hock because as he walks the point of his hock is turning out but his hock isn't the problem as it's his entire leg turning out...its difficult to describe... I will have to see if I have a video of him doing it. Also - all underneath is fine I checked him yesterday when he was being groomed. And my insurance is due on the 28th... I don't think I will get much out of them now! :( god I'm having a panic now!
 
Take a breath.

And another.

The insurance first - I would inform them straight away that your horse has been seen by the vet. You usually have 12 months of treatment, notwithstanding when the date for renewal is.

The "condition" will probably be excluded from the next year's policy, but as long as you renew you will still be able to have 12 months of treatment as the "occurrence" happened in THIS insurance period, while he was covered for all his body.

Another breath...

He is hardly lame at all. Bursal enlargements do not go completely away as a rule, but they do settle down. He could have been a hooligan in his field, he has aggravated the joint, and it is sore. Once it settles it will probably be a lot better, and with physio to take off the back cramps from holding himself he will improve again.

It is so hard when they are injured, good luck and chin up.
 
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