help required re lameness and bute test

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clairefeekerry1

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my horse had been intermit lame so had the vet out and flexion tests/lunged on hard surface and was 100% sound. she said no point to nerve blocking as he wasnt lame. vet suggested physio if he didnt feel right. got physio out, she said he felt very tight all over but nothing specifically wrong, she did her thing and for a few days he felt okay again then this week he's gone lame again. it is only when ridden and only on one rein in trot. had a friend watch tonight and she said it was more like his leg was jarring and looked very uncomfortable to the point where on that rein when you come on to a circle he almost stops. again, fine in hand/lunged, trots up sound. where do i go from here? i'm really struggiling as to what this could be? i've put him on some bute tonight, i presume if it is pain related at all, whether muscular or foot lameness this will dissapear on bute??? what if it doesnt? i've also had teeth and saddle checked as precaution.
 
When we get a lameness issue that can't be diagnosed, our vet refers us to the Animal Health Trust at Newmarket, or similar.

I had one horse that was intermittently lame for seven-ish months before we sent her to the AHT, I'm not doing that again. Not knowing and then when we did know, knowing that she had been in pain for that time.

I would get him referred for a lameness work up.

Just had a pony on a Bute trial - over 4mg a day made a difference, but a normal sachet is no-where near that. Can't keep it up for more than a few days because their system can't take it. His action was better on the high dose, but we can't match it on even three Bute a day.
 
As Mrs M says you need a referal to a fully equiped equine hospital for a full work up. I am afraid I would not have much faith in a vet who could not see what you can feel ridden, but did nothing about it. Our vet (who was fab) said our lad looked sound but listened to my daughter when she said he felt wrong on one rein in trot. He simply nerve blocked anyway and lo and behold a complete change in action. He never did look lame - just much better when blocked! He then went up to Liphook for a full workup.
 
I had a horse that was lame/not right for 8 months.
We were referred to Leahurst for a full lameness work out.

They said he wasn't lame enough to do further tests (nerve block, scintigraphy) and sent us away.
 
I had a horse that was lame/not right for 8 months.
We were referred to Leahurst for a full lameness work out.

They said he wasn't lame enough to do further tests (nerve block, scintigraphy) and sent us away.
 
i'm pretty sure the packets are 1mg so maybe i wont notice a difference. does any practice take them in or are there specialist ones? would it be covered on my insurance or would i have to pay for it?
 
quirky said:
I had a horse that was lame/not right for 8 months.
We were referred to Leahurst for a full lameness work out.

They said he wasn't lame enough to do further tests (nerve block, scintigraphy) and sent us away.
Click to expand...

Q - how frustrating! When Dizz went last year, she'd come sound between the 'Oh yikes! She's lame!' (the Yikes! was due to her pelvis issue) and reaching the AHT a week later. They kept her for the week and worked her quite a lot to see if the lameness would reappear.
 
My experience of lameness whatever level of investigation you have the main 3 solutions are box rest, but and time.

My two major experience. One was intermittently lame and it was a DDFT, eventually and expensively confirmed by MIR. I still believe if I had box rested the horse immediately it showed the slightest bit of lameness it might have been OK. Horse still marginally lame after 5 years.

My other experience is with another needle phobic horse, who I box rested immediately for 2 week and then put in a field. Came sound after a few months and then
 
he has had 2 weeks off and actually seemed worse when i got back on. do you think he should be on box rest even tho he is fine in hand/lunged and in the field and seems fine to hack out? its just in the school on one rein
 
My experience of lameness whatever level of investigation you have the main 3 solutions are box rest, bute and time.

My two major experience. One was intermittently lame and it was a DDFT, eventually and expensively confirmed by MIR. I still believe if I had box rested the horse immediately it showed the slightest bit of lameness it might have been OK. Horse still marginally lame after 5 years.

My other experience is with another needle phobic horse, who I box rested immediately for 2 week and then put in a field. Came sound after a few months, still no idea of what the problem was. Went maginally lame when it came back into work and worked too hard, but after a couple of months more rest and then gradually bringing back into work is now 100%.

So, if you are not insured and cannot afford to go the whole investigation route (maybe with a new vet?) then great, if not try box rest with bute then field rest giving it as much time as you can.

The bute on box rest is good as it can stop the horse getting into the habit of limping!! But I don't use it in the field unless following a definite pain management programme.

Good luck.
 
I'm going through something similar at present with my boy.
He's not lame as such just stiff on one hind leg (physio says). Had vet out who watched him lunged and ridden and advised I contacted physio. Physio was out this week and said he is tense in his pelvis and did her thing. Again she watched him on the lunge and being ridden. He's fine on the lunge but wont work in one rein ridden. She has referred him back to my vet who coming out on Monday to check his pelvis and hind legs.
Physio advised the work him in walk for 3 weeks to try and strengthen up his hind so got on today and he was definitely sore and finding it hard to work in the school. We havent really hacked out but I'm going to have to try and see if he's better that way once I get hind shoes put back on.
Contacted my vet who said bute him tonight but no more for the weekend as it will affect his findings when he out on Monday and I'll see what comes back from this.

Sorry not much help but I do hope you get to the bottom of things :) Let me know how you get on
 
hi, ye that sounds kinda similar to me. its not an obvious lameness, more a stiffness/jarring of the leg. i'll see if the bute makes a difference then back to the vet i think
 
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