Go with your gut or go with the vet?

[saddlesore]

I have a 4yo h/w cob living out in this soggy and muddy Scottish winter! He's barefoot. All well until around a week or so ago when he came in 1/10 lame (at worst, very occasional short stride behind) he has had time off but no change. No heat/swelling etc. Vet said need to start nerve blocking. However I'm not happy having needles in his joints unless totally necessary. My gut is to leave it longer and see if it resolves itself. Thoughts?

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Ask the vet if there is risk of contamination leading to infection.

 

[Greylegs]

I'm no expert in these things, but I've always tended to be a gut reaction sort of person, so I think I'd give him a bit longer. Have you had someone look at his feet? Or he might just have slipped in the boggy ground and given himself a bit of a strain. I agree that nerve blocks are a last resort.

 

[saddlesore]

If they nerve block?

 

[Charlie007]

I always listen to my vet but in your circumstances I would possibly consider leaving him for a little while longer. He may have pulled something in the mud and it's taking a little longer to sort itself because of the ground. Perhaps give him another week and review x

 

[saddlesore]

Thanks GL. My gut is a deep bruise or a pulled muscle somewhere from a slip in the mud. I'm going to ask my farrier to pop by incase there's a deep abscess or something brewing. Just find the vets want to jump to blocks/X-rays these days 😧

Charlie 007 that's my plan, although will give him a couple of weeks unless the farrier finds something or he gets worse.

 

[Charlie007]

Hope it resolves itself quickly x

 

[be positive]

I don't think nerve blocks are that risky or a last resort but I certainly would be giving a bit longer to see if the lameness resolves, which it may well if he has just bruised or tweaked himself, or gets worse which it will if it is an abscess, I think many vets have lost the ability to examine and find where the problem is without the use of blocks, in the old days most could take a quick look and usually know what the issue was, obviously diagnostics have improved but they should not replace common sense, feel or experience.

 

[saddlesore]

Me too- I've just maxed out my insurance over another non- related issue! Thought cobs were meant to be cheap to keep lol

 

[saddlesore]

I don't think nerve blocks are that risky or a last resort but I certainly would be giving a bit longer to see if the lameness resolves, which it may well if he has just bruised or tweaked himself, or gets worse which it will if it is an abscess, I think many vets have lost the ability to examine and find where the problem is without the use of blocks, in the old days most could take a quick look and usually know what the issue was, obviously diagnostics have improved but they should not replace common sense, feel or experience.

I agree with this. I've had horses 24 years now and only recently have I found that every vet bill is in the 100s if not 1000s due to all the tests that apparently need to be done. Maybe I'm getting cynical but ...

 

[gunnergundog]

. However I'm not happy having needles in his joints unless totally necessary. My gut is to leave it longer and see if it resolves itself. Thoughts?

It is the nerves (afferent and efferent) that are blocked, not the joints themselves per se.

 

[PorkChop]

If it were me I would get my farrier out before nerve blocking, but I wouldn't be worried about having the nerve block done - hope it all resolves itself quickly.

 

[Orca]

For any lameness without an obvious cause (and for some with!), I would definitely involve the farrier.

Regardless of whether he found anything, a week seems like a short time and I would usually wait to see what happens next. Maybe he will come right or maybe the reason will become clear and you will have a better idea of appropriate treatment options.

I hope he's better soon ��.

 

[saddlesore]

Thanks guys- my gut was to get farrier and wait to decide on further vet action so you've all put my mind at ease 😊

 

[rara007]

Nerve blocks don't go in joints Joint blocks do but it sounds like your vet is pushing for nerve blocks first.

 

[saddlesore]

Tbf they just said 'we need to start blocking' which I took to mean nerve blocks. I'm admittedly ignorant in this area however I had to have a horse pts due to joint infection (amongst other things tbf) after nerve/joint blocks so I'm VERY wary of them now. 😔

 

[gunnergundog]

Tbf they just said 'we need to start blocking' which I took to mean nerve blocks. I'm admittedly ignorant in this area however I had to have a horse pts due to joint infection (amongst other things tbf) after nerve/joint blocks so I'm VERY wary of them now. ��

Talk to your vet.....understand precisely what it is that they are proposing and, if happy, take your horse into the surgery so that the procedure can be performed under asceptic conditions, thereby minimising any risk.

Nerve blocks, in my view, are very low risk; anything that goes into the joint capsule however is in another league, but you have to evaluate the pros and cons and make an informed decision.

 

[paddi22]

its prime season for abcesses and pulling muscles in the mud. i'd leave it a bit longer too and get farrier to have a look first

 

[gnubee]

I wouldn't have called vet for 1/10th lame after 1 week. Their (apparent) over reaction may be due to them wanting to offer something beyond just wait and see because you had them out. Unless there is a reason to suspect otherwise I would be thinking bruising (feet softer in winter from wet ground so stones do more damage), abcess, slipped in mud and pulled something, or maybe even mud fever for that level of lameness in a week. Would rest and monitor and if no improvement in a fortnight or so (prob another week for you) call the farrier to look for abcess/. Bruising before you get the vet again. There may be circumstances I'm not aware if that change this but if not in clear pain and no visible wound where infection could be an issue I wait and see for my horses the same way I would if I wake up a bit sore one morning. No way nhs would be doing expensive diagnostics in me because I've had a bit of a lump for a week.

 

[cobgoblin]

I'd leave it a bit longer and get the farrier too. Tbh I'm a bit shocked that your vet has suggested nerve blocks so early.

 

[Goldenstar]

They don't put the needles into the joints to nerve block .

 

[Illusion100]

I don't like to nerve block unless absolutely necessary, purely because it's not the most pleasant experience for them and I wouldn't be convinced nerve blocking would be the appropriate next step for 1/10th lame after such a relatively short period of time.

 

[peaceandquiet1]

Seems a bit early, more likely a bruise or abcess or strain as others have said. No way i would be nerve blocking at this stage. I would be looking in that foot very thoroughly and asking my farrier for advice too. Good luck.

 

[saddlesore]

Thanks guys- sorry should've said I didn't get the vet out for the lameness. They were out anyway to give him his booster jag and I asked as they were out. I think it's a big overreaction and agree it's likely to be a bruise/sore muscles from a slip in the field or similar.

 

[MrsMozart]

If it were me I would get my farrier out before nerve blocking, but I wouldn't be worried about having the nerve block done - hope it all resolves itself quickly.

This ^^

 

[Kezzabell2]

if its only 1/10 I would give him a couple of weeks! maybe do a bute trial to see if that helps!

I've had £6k of treatment in the last year for a horse who started 1/10 lame, ending up 6/10 lame due to changing his shoeing, was recommended by the vet! we've ended up going shoeless and self trimming and he's been sound since the day the shoes came off! if only we'd done that at the beginning, it would have been less than £2k

 

[Honey08]

One of mine has been slightly lame for about a month now. He hooned around big time in the field when a new horse arrived, I suspect a pulled shoulder muscle. The farrier has had a good look and can't find anything obvious, so he's just going to have some time off for now. He's barely lame for more than a couple of strides when he comes out of the stables in the morning, then he's 99% sound wandering around the hardstanding all day. Mine aren't insured, so as he's not aimed at Badminton or anything and can have as much time off as he needs, I'm not going to pour money into tests and blocks for now. It would be different if he were in obvious pain, of course.

PS, I'm actually enjoying having an excuse to only ride one of them in this awful weather!

 

[saddlesore]

Mine is the same, it's an odd lame stride here and there. He's perfectly happy and whilst he's insured, I'd rather just see if time will do the same job!

 

[Honey08]

I had a long chat with my old instructor and her response was "would it be the end of the world if he had half the winter off?"

 

[Goldenstar]

One of mine has been slightly lame for about a month now. He hooned around big time in the field when a new horse arrived, I suspect a pulled shoulder muscle. The farrier has had a good look and can't find anything obvious, so he's just going to have some time off for now. He's barely lame for more than a couple of strides when he comes out of the stables in the morning, then he's 99% sound wandering around the hardstanding all day. Mine aren't insured, so as he's not aimed at Badminton or anything and can have as much time off as he needs, I'm not going to pour money into tests and blocks for now. It would be different if he were in obvious pain, of course.

PS, I'm actually enjoying having an excuse to only ride one of them in this awful weather!

Personally I think leaving a horse lame for a month with no veterinary intervention is completely unacceptable .