Hind leg shortness...

[MrsMagoo]

Ok, i'll try and explain as good as I can - basically when my mare was vetted the other week, she passed everything but the vet just pointed out that her stride coming downhill was upto 50% shorter on left hind then right. He wasnt sure what it could be and we know its def not in her back as shes already had a full body bone scan!!

Vet said to carry on with work and it will either get better or worse..personally I think shes getting better. She was very unbalanced to begin with. We lunged her in a Pessoa for first time last night and another person on the yard noticed her funny stride then. She said it looked like she was tracking up her left hind to her right front instead on left front.
Shes not lame at all so we are all quite stumped as to what it could be...any ideas???

 

[aran]

it could be lots of things.
does she drag her hind toe at all? does it improve with exercise? if so it could be stiffness in the hock or stifle. they are commonly the site of problems resulting in the horses not tracking up. if she is not evenly tracking up with one hind limb then that constitutes lameness. often a horse can be upto 2/10ths lame behind without being noticed - its common.

if she was fully scanned - did that include her legs too?

 

[MrsMagoo]

the only thing which was found were slight 'hotspots' in each hock and one stifle but they said they are often redherings and not to worry about it...
Obviously this could be somthing to do with it.....I'd say she is tracking up equal on the flat but as I said her someone said her left tends to swind over to right front??? Only really notice it when coming downhill, which till now i've also just thought was her unbalanced....if it is stiffness in hock etc, what could help that??

 

[vicijp]

I had one which moved similarly. Turned out to be soft tissue damage in the hock, along with the onset of ringbone all round. What does she do if you push her backwards?

 

[MrsMagoo]

hmm interesting...what did you have to do about it then?? Urm she goes backwards slowly, i'll have to see tonight....

 

[vicijp]

Well he was pretty much knackered when he came to me. Gave him 6 months out in the field, brought him into work very slowly. Magnetic boots, ice boots, equissage (basically the full works) and managed to get him a week off a run. He then went pretty badly and he is now off for 12 months, I doubt very much he will ever come sound. Bizarrely, his back was never out anywhere the whole time I had him, and I had a strong suspision towards an old knee injury - very odd.

 

[MrsMagoo]

Hmm that doesnt sound very promising...maybe i'll have to get my vet to scan the muscle/tissue etc....

 

[H's mum]

[ QUOTE ]
slight 'hotspots' in each hock and one stifle but they said they are often redherings and not to worry about it...


[/ QUOTE ]
hmm have I read this wrong? You had a horse vetted - it was considerably shorter on the hind leg - and when it was scanned it showed hotspots?

...and you've still bought it?

Is that right?
Kate x

 

[MrsMagoo]

haha..no shes my horse which i've owned since a baby! We had the scan at the beginning of year, as she has quite a sensitive back, so had scan to rule out any back/spine problems. Thats when it showed up the hotspots, but at the time, we didnt have this hind leg problem, or at least it was noticable...

x

 

[aran]

hotspots could have indicated early arthritic change in the joint and so he seemed fine. arthritis develops over time so at the start they are fine, then you occastionally get the odd stride (more noticable down-hill or on a turn) or an off day, this becomes more common until they are constantly low-grade lame and in some develops until they are seriously lame. I'm not saying that she has joint trouble - however with hot spots and occastional joint stiffness it is a possibility. I'd get a referral to a vet specialist and have a full lameness work up done with xrays and scans to work out where the stiffness is coming from.
Just my view having had a competition horse who developed bone spavin (so I'm paranoid!)

 

[H's mum]

oh thank heavens for that - my brain isn't working very well - don't know WHY I thought you had just bought her!

what breeding is she?
if it's hocks and stifles it could be something sinister like OCD - i'd get her checked over for a second opion

Kate x

 

[MrsMagoo]

sorry being thick - OCD?? Shes only 7yrs and DWxTB...

 

[aran]

OCD = osteochondritis dissecans. OCD is one aspect of a syndrome of degenerative joint disease.
they form cartilage flaps and as an osteochondral defect which can lead to arthritis.