Help! Horse has gone lame...

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Charla

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I last rode my horse Saturday and he wasn't himself, very on his toes, spooky, bucked and was constantly shaking his head. He didn't feel lame though. Sunday he was ok in the morning but by evening he was totally separate from the rest of the (large) herd which he never normally is and was stood by the gate looking very unhappy and apparently hadn't eaten for hours. I brought him in and realise as soon as we hit the stoney track that he was hopping lame. (it was pitch black so couldn't see very well but could see he was obviously lame.) carried on until we got to the yard and by this time he was holding up his back left leg and wouldn't put it down or put any weight on it. Yard manager looked at his feet and said they are very warn down and he must be sore from walking on his heels. Stabled him for 3 days, putting him loose in school for exercise and he seemed to come sound. Decided to put him back out on the field and he went lame on the road. Thought I would see how he is once on the field as the ground is so soft at the moment. He seemed ok once on the field. Next day someone up yard tells me he is standing very awkwardly separated from the herd again and when seeing him walk he is lame again. I rushed up there and he seemed ok in himself, was eating and had weight on all four feet. If it is sore feet would be have gone lame again in the field with such a soft ground? What could it be? Is it time to call the vet out? My farrier cannot come out until 15th to take a look at his feet. His shod on the front and bare foot behind. Please help!
 
Well firstly I would be finding a new farrier - if I phoned mine and described the problems you are having he would fit me in as soon as he possibly could - but maybe Im just lucky to have a decent farrier?

Call the vet out - pointless asking for many and varied opinions of what it might be from people who aren't even there to see the horse - could give you several differing opinions but would be pure guess work - call the vet is your most sensible and responsible option IMO.
 
Sorry about the poor spelling, that was done from my phone.
Yes you are right, I do need the vet out. I think in all honesty I was hoping on here people would put my mind at rest and tell me he is just very foot sore. I'm so worried about what it could be :( Will call the vet out tomorrow.
 
Well don't panic It might be something as simple as a bruised sole - but will only say this - I had a gelding showing almost the exact variable lameness you are describing - even my vet couldn't pin it down but my farrier managed to pin point a brewing abscess, after a little bit of digging and a few days hot tubbing with epsom salts all was cured.

It very probably is something quite different in your horse - but just wanted to re assure you that it could well be something relatively minor - I really hope so and will keep my fingers crossed for you and your horse.:)
 
If he is lame in m ore than one foot then he has LAMINITIS!

The autumn grass brings on a flood of cases. He is OK when not eating grass and lame on it? Get him off the grass now before he goes critical until you are sure what it is.
 
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grumpyoldmare said:
Cant see where OP said it was in more than one foot? Thought it was only his back nearside? :confused:
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Charla said:
I last rode my horse Saturday and he wasn't himself, (edit - not lame, but not himself, not a sign of an abscess usually.)


very on his toes, spooky, bucked and was constantly shaking his head. (edit - again, not normally a sign of an abcess unless the horse is lame)


but by evening he was totally separate from the rest of the herd which he never normally is and was stood by the gate looking very unhappy and apparently hadn't eaten for hours. (edit - unless this horse is a total wuss, stopping eating is not normal for lameness but it is normal for dietary upset causing laminitis)

Yard manager looked at his feet and said they are very warn down and he must be sore from walking on his heels (edit - worn feet do not cause sudden severe lameness, laminitis does. Yard owner thought horse was sore in both feet/heels ?)


Stabled him for 3 days and he seemed to come sound. Decided to put him back out on the field and he went lame ( edit - he came sound when stopped from eating grass.)

If it is sore feet (edit - plural used again by OP)
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My intention was to shock the owner into action.

All the above says laminitis to me, not an abscess. I hope I am wrong but in my opinion it would be very unwise to leave this horse eating grass until someone confirms what it is, because by then it could have gone critical. Laminitis is often felt in one foot first, and in a horse shod only on the front it will often be in one of the unshod feet. This time of year is the peak for laminitis cases. Common things are common.
 
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If he came sound from being stabled, I would box rest him and get the vet out.
Is the foot warm? Is he overweight? What do you feed him? It could be any number of things but the Vet would be my first port of call for this, ring them in the morning :)
 
It is not laminitis I know that much. It is in just the one back foot/leg. I guess it could also be caused from something higher up? He once put his hip out which made him go lame on his back end. That's interesting you say about the abscess, this has also already been suggested to me. Vet it is.
 
Charla I am glad that you know it is not laminitis, but for other readers of this, laminitis can occur in one leg first and should not be ruled out if a diet change has brought the horse sound.
 
cptrayes said:
Charla I am glad that you know it is not laminitis, but for other readers of this, laminitis can occur in one leg first and should not be ruled out if a diet change has brought the horse sound.
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Thanks cptrayes. Laminitis is always something to consider. After having a pony who suffered from it I Know just how awful it can be :(

Someone asked a couple of questions...he's not fed anything at the moment, just out on grass (or hay when he was in) his weight is ok, he's not under weight and he's certainly not fat. He's never ever been overweight in his life, he is a very slim line type horse but is well covered still. It's usually more a case of feeding to keep weight on him.
 
cptrayes said:
Charla I am glad that you know it is not laminitis, but for other readers of this, laminitis can occur in one leg first and should not be ruled out if a diet change has brought the horse sound.
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^5 my mare is suffering from Laminitis u can see changes in her other 3 feet but its only REALLY effected 1 foot only , only one foot she is lame on .
 
Sorry to say it but it sounds like laminitis to me!! The horse was sound when you kept him in (off the grass), the lameness is showing in an unshod back foot?? Why don't you try keeping the horse in (not on box rest as someone suggested) but in an area where the horse can move around but avoid eating grass? Not always easy on a livery yard but, maybe in a school?? That would be my first port of call - if the horse becomes sound then you have your answer, expensive vet bills avoided.
 
kittykatcat said:
Sorry to say it but it sounds like laminitis to me!! The horse was sound when you kept him in (off the grass), the lameness is showing in an unshod back foot?? Why don't you try keeping the horse in (not on box rest as someone suggested) but in an area where the horse can move around but avoid eating grass? Not always easy on a livery yard but, maybe in a school?? That would be my first port of call - if the horse becomes sound then you have your answer, expensive vet bills avoided.
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Actually it's typical clinical signs of an abcess too.
 
amymay said:
Actually it's typical clinical signs of an abcess too.
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Got to disagree Amymay, sorry. It has not happened with any of the many abscesses that I have dealt with in the last 30 years that box rest has brought the horse more sound. Abscesses can come and go in lameness as they make more space for themselves, and it is possible that in this case it co-incidentally found more space at exactly the time the horse was taken off grass and brewed up again and caused pain the exact moment it was allowed grass again, but it isn't typical abscess behaviour to disappear when a horse is restricted to its box. In fact if you do that, the leg usually swells behind the cannon bone, often dramatically enough to suggest a severely damaged tendon, if the horse's movement is restriced.
 
cptrayes said:
Got to disagree Amymay, sorry.
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No need to be sorry - different experiences give different opinions. My experience of abcess in the feet are clearly different from yours.

Either way, as I said earlier - I'm sure that the OP has had the vet by now, and will update us shortly.
 
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