Hopping lame on near hind - possibly slipped in the mud

Orchardbeck

Orchardbeck

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Hi, I found my mare in the field after this horrific rain holding her off hind right up under her belly, then standing up and lying down - at first I thought she had colic, but when I got close up, it didn't look like it. I thought she was trying to protect herself from the midges as she has sweet itch so plastered her in fly spray.

Anyway it was neither of these things and she is really lame on this leg, but I can't find any swelling on the fetlock, cannon, or hock. I'm assuming she has slipped in the paddock and hurt herself, (her paddock has no grass to hold the mud as she is a laminitic) but I can't see any sign of sprains. Could it be possible she has hurt her pelvis somehow, and how can you tell?

She is inside now, on Danilon and spent a few hours yesterday lying down, she can put weight on it but when she moves you can see she is struggling.

She has had a bout of laminitis for the first time in May - what is the likelihood of an abscess?

Any ideas?
 
Please call the Vet out straight away. My mare went from being fully sound one min to hopping lame the next, turns out she has a torn tendon in her left hind. We find out tomorrow is she has to have surgery or not and there is a 30% chance she will never be sound again.

Please get it checked out ASAP.
 
Agree with the vet immediately.
My old mare did this a week after weaning, nothing to see but mud on her thigh; vet thought it was her hip; said box rest, bute assess in a few days; no better in box, he suggested turning her out see if that made it easier; it didn't, she just stood there by the gate not even moving with her friends. Gave it another week with bute but just felt I had to put down, she had died inside. PM showed she had smashed the underside of her hip bone which would never have got better in a year of Sundays so always glad I made that call. Hope you have better news than I did but please don't delay, time is of the essence when they're in pain.
 
Hi and thanks all for your quick responses - the vet is coming out this afternoon, but sometimes they don't consider all the possible causes of things when they are general animal practitioners so it is useful to have some additional information.

I'm going out of my mind, which is why I came on here in the meantime. We've only just got over the laminitis, and now this - she's only 5. I can't help but think she's been being daft in the field with my other mare - she's a little protective over her food and hay, and perhaps lashed out at her and slipped and done herself a mischief.

She is standing on it normally in the stable now, but when she walks you can see she is in considerable pain. I didn't know whether to give her bute at first - I was worried that if she stood on it it might make her worse, but I couldn't bear for her to be in pain so I gave her Danilon.
 
I would not give her anymore danilon till the vet has been but if there is any heat or swelling coming out you could cold hose.

As for a vet not being a specialist equine vet - I am sure there are some good non specialist vets but I would not consider using one. Is there no equine practice local to you? Even if they are more expensive it would probably be worth the money.

Hope you get to the bottom of things.
 
Hi all - an update

Vet came out this afternoon and after a thorough examination (it was a different younger vet than the one who usually comes out) she checked the pulse above she found a tiny crack in my mare's hoof, and when she dug in, pus came out. So she has an abscess - mystery over. She's all poulticed up now.

I'm so relieved, thank god it wasn't her pelvis.
 
I was just going to say we had a horse come in from the field like that last year. We seriously thought something was broken--he wouldn't put it anywhere near the ground. Vet came--abscess!
 
Thanks to you all, it's great that everyone is so helpful on here.

I can't believe how dramatic it was - I was convinced she had done something really nasty. I've never had a horse with one before in over 15 years of ownership (thankfully!) so it was very easy to panic!

Every day is a learning experience with horses!
 
There is nothing better than the sight of pus in a lame horse it is something you can see and understand. Happy poultising.
I nearly spelt pus puss which would be really weird having a puss in the foot!!
 
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