Hopping Lame!!

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Caritas

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I brought my horse in from the field a week ago to find that he had pulled a front shoe, this is not out of the ordinary so just put him away and rang the farrier. I got him out the following day and decided to put him on the lunge and see if he was sound to work on a surface, to my disappointment he was hopping lame behind, not infront where he had pulled the shoe and he could hardly put his foot to the floor. I contacted the vet who came out and we all thought that he was so bad there was a possibility of a fracture. He injected him with bute and gave me a few sachets for a few more days. At this point there wasnt and heat or swelling to be detected other than his usual lumps and bumps. I walked him out the next day and he was a lot better so the vet said to bute him that night but take him off the following day to see how he was off of it. As the day went on he got progressively worse and on tuesday of this week he was taken up to the clinic to be examined. The only swelling detected was his windgalls on that leg and some swelling at the bottom of the tendon sheath, he has had this drained only 6 months ago but was never unsound on it. The vet decided to treat that as it had came back up and xrays of the sesamoid were all ok and also a scan on the foot showed no tendon damage. I took the horse home but was not convinced that this was the problem and felt as he was so lame and in so much pain that I should be doing more about it. I rang the vet and discussed my concerns and he said to take him back up on the wednesday for futher investigations. We cant nerve block him as he has a history of being very nervous with that hind leg so the only other option was to scan and xray the obviously, likely places that he could have caused himself an injury. He had cannon bone, fetlock, hock and stifle x rayed, scanned suspensory, stifle and bottom of pelvis but nothing detected. Shoe was also removed as we felt that although the vet was certain form observation that there wasnt an abcess that we shouldnt dismiss it, nothing found there either. I tool the horse home and was advised to cross tie him incase of undetected fracture but declined to do this due to my horses temperament. I walked him out this morning, please bear in mind that his is on no bute, has hind shoe removed and has had tendon sheath drained, he walked out completely sound!!
Any ideas from you guys or any relevant experiences as I have never known a horse so lame with a slightly swollen tendon sheath?? He is to continue on box rest until early next week when I consult my vet. As stated before, the farrier did dig and try to look for an abcess but nothing was found. From my own observation there is slight heat in that foot now but still nothing else to show. I appreciate you taking the time to read my post and look forward t o receiving your replys, many thanks
 
When you say he has a history of being very nervous with this hind leg; do you know why?
Could it be that the farrier digging around has actually given an outlet for some puss and you just didn't see it immediately, him moving around on it could have caused an erruption in the night. Did you leave the foot naked over night or was it poulticed?
Could it have been nail bind (was it the hind hoof on the same side as the front pulled shoe? he could've slightly adjusted the lie of the other shoe when over reaching and made it very uncomfortable?) and removing the shoe has eased his pain and it just took a while to subside?
 
In my experience when they are hoping it is normally an abcess. A horse at my yard came in a few weeks ago and she was so lame we thought she had broke her leg and it turned out to be abcess.
 
Thanks for your reply, unfortunately we have never got to the bottom of why he is so nervous with that leg, it has been under intense investigation with my vet and after scans, xrays etc and complete soundness in high level of dressage no answers there. The shoe had not been moved atal the farrier said and there was no visual sign of an abcess, will double check today but im almost 100% there isnt, I did look this morning. I just dont understand how a horse can be so "fracture lame" for a week and then suddenly sound although I havent trotted him and am not going to until we are sure what is going on.
 
It is strange but cases that come and go so quickly and so drastically are 99% of the time puss somewhere (could be way up in the hoof) trying to force its way out, sometimes you don't even find it until the problematic site grows out with the hoof!
No harm in tubbing it with warm salt water if not sure I wouldn't have thought??
 
Ye my conclusion from what you've said would be abscess its just a bugger its not as obvious as most are!

Hmm....

maybe, he pulled his shoe off tonking round the field, and has twisted his leg which caused the tendon sheath to swell, its just that that is the only observable indicator of it (except the lameness) Im not saying this is right, just another possible explanation....
 
if he's using the tip if his hoof instead of his whole hoof to take his weight when at rest or at walk then it's most probably an abcess. it may actually be in the bulb of his heel rather than the hoof itself hence the swelling further up the leg. Have a go at putting pressure on the area with your thumb and see if you get a reaction and try tubbing as the ops have suggested to soften and draw it
 
A few years ago one of our horses came in from the field (it took nearly 20 minutes to get him in, normally a 3 minute walk). It seemed he was sore behind,got the vet out and he agreed he was lame behind in both legs, but as it was 8pm at night decided to give him bute and re-assess next morning, but he said he suspected he might have fractured his pelvis, in which case he would be pts next day. spent a sleepless night, vet came out next day and managed to lift one back leg and on more testing found bilateral abscesses on his heel - then found the same on the other back leg. Poor horse had 4 abscesses at once, no wonder he was so sore. He had gone out to the field the previous morning without any signs of soreness! Poulticed for a week and all was well, thank goodness. very wary now of any lameness!
Btw - our foal last year broke his leg at 2 days old and wasn't as lame as the horse with abscesses!
 
Well thanks for all of your replys, unfortunately my horse is still very oddly lame in trot. Infact he looks as though he is swinging from his hip!! I did get all excited yesterday thinking that I had found an abcess st the coronary band but after 4 wet, hot poltices nothing and it just looks like a bruise. Im sure there is something going on higher up what with this action but who knows. ANy other suggestions appreciated, thanks
 
I would be inclined to think that he trod on the shoe that he'd managed to remove. There may be a small hole that is intermitantly draining - and he goes sound but then closes up trapping the pus so he goes lame again.

I remember this happening to my horse many years ago - a hind foot too, the vet even told me that I may not be bringing him home from the Horsepital as he thought the pedal bone may be fractured. After X ray nothing showed so vet suggested we remove all shoes and turn him out.

Farrier cam about four days later removed remaining shoes and trimmed him allround. Started trimming the hoof on the lame leg and the pus exploded out of the foot. There had been no shadow on the X ray yet there it was.

I'd be inclined to poultice the sole of his foot for a few days and then get the farrier back out.
 
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