Horse hobbling lame- no heat or swelling???

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Molliex

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***Just like to start by saying I will be calling the vet tomorrow morning before you all start giving me abuse!!***
Brought my horse in from the field on Friday and he was totally sound. He’s been in since due to worming and upon fetching him out of the stable this morning I noticed (it was hard not to) that he was literally on three legs!! Totally puzzled as to how?!! He was reluctant to walk at first and he even struggled to walk a few steps and when stood still he was holding his leg in the air (front right) and pointing. Picked his feet out no stones or signs of any damage. As I say, no swelling or heat. I gave him some feed with some Danilon and when I came back up later on through the day he had eaten some of it but not all, was still so obviously lame that he wouldn’t really walk but there was an improvement and he was also putting weight onto it now. Just can’t work out how or what he has done. Anyone ever experienced a lameness like this before? I was thinking he may possibly have an abcess. The vet will Be coming ASAP when I’ve checked on him in the morning if he is still lame but was just wondering if anyone had any clue in the meantime as I’m compeletly stuck. He is 8yo and has no previous injuries, never been lame before but his legs usually swell up through the winter which causes Abit of lameness/stiffness which always subsided when exercised/walked.
 
An abscess does sound the most likely cause. I would avoid giving Danilon/bute as they are anti-inflammatories, so will stop the abscess bursting, which is what you need it to do but instead hot-tubbing with Epsom salts and a wet poultice to draw the infection out.
Fingers crossed you are right and that's all it is.
 
Thank you all! It’s put my mind at rest slightly, I’m just hoping it is just an abcess! I’ve never had a horse have one before so I wasn’t sure how to deal with what I thought could be an abcess, but thank you for the advice I won’t give him anymore danilon incase it is! Much appreciated
 
Chuffy99 said:
Hmm ‘just an abcess’there speaks someone who has yet to have the pleasure of dealing with one
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Your point being?? I’d much rather it be an abcess than anything else and I am allowed to say that. Don’t quite get the point of your comment to be honest.
 
Molliex said:
Your point being?? I’d much rather it be an abcess than anything else and I am allowed to say that. Don’t quite get the point of your comment to be honest.
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Usually they are no problem, farrier comes out, opens up, most of it drains and after a few days of poulticing and tubbing you are good to go, every so often you get one that does not go to plan and takes months to sort out, I have had many easy to deal with and 1 that took 4 months to clear which was no fun but not that common, you should be fine.
 
My pony was exactly the same. Came out of his stable on 3 legs.
He had fractured his pedal bone. Still no idea how he managed to do it in a well bedded stable overnight.
Vet asap
 
With these symptoms I would alway start with the farrier and my vet would second that. The farrier would check for the abscess and if it wasn’t that I would then have the vet. When I had a hobbling lame horse I called the vet, his first words were you should have had Peter ( my farrier) Often farriers are more skilled at finding and evacuating pesky abscesses then vets, also a lot blinking cheaper. Plus it releases the vet to deal with other emergencies. I would always keep in on a nice soft bed until seen anyhow , so if it turns out to be something worst a couple of hours are not going to make a huge difference.
 
be positive said:
Usually they are no problem, farrier comes out, opens up, most of it drains and after a few days of poulticing and tubbing you are good to go, every so often you get one that does not go to plan and takes months to sort out, I have had many easy to deal with and 1 that took 4 months to clear which was no fun but not that common, you should be fine.
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This my mare with the abscess that rumbled on for 4 months improved as soon as she was given Prascend. Unless there is an underlying problem abscesses usually clear up pretty well.
 
It is so hard when they are obviously in much pain not to give them something, but I'm afraid I agree with not. In my case a vet prescribed pain killers, even though I was doubtful and my poor horse (such a whimp) was very distressed and sweating. Then the abcess lasted a good 6 weeks with periods of lameness and soundness, X rays and numerous vet visits. The abcess had tracked round his foot and in the end the vet had to dig out a very large hole.
 
Most of the time I,would say abscess, however had a pony that was literally on 3 legs, he’s known to be a bit of a wuss but farrier couldn’t find anything. Got vet out next day and he’d fractured his pedal bone, no idea how as just came in from the field the next morning like it.
Depending on how lame and how soon thebfartier can get there i’d get a vet out to X-ray as well but either way keep box rested until you find out
 
I had one literally laying on the floor in the field. The vet had to give huge amounts of pain relief to get him in the horse box. X ray showed a nail from his shoe had somehow come out and gone through his pedal bone.
 
Chuffy99 said:
Hmm ‘just an abcess’there speaks someone who has yet to have the pleasure of dealing with one
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Had the pleasure of dealing with many. Much, much better than any other potential cause of sudden serious lameness.

Also, the poster said sounds 'just like an abscess', not the 'like just an abscess' that you quoted.
 
It’s most likely an abscess. I have one that has one brewing too I think.

It can’t hurt to poultice and see if anything comes out. I don’t necessarily call the farrier until I’ve done this. If you call the vet they’ll probably cut such a lot of hoof away that it’ll be healing for weeks. In my experience a farrier will find the problem much quicker and without digging so much away.
 
Sukistokes2 said:
With these symptoms I would alway start with the farrier and my vet would second that. The farrier would check for the abscess and if it wasn’t that I would then have the vet. When I had a hobbling lame horse I called the vet, his first words were you should have had Peter ( my farrier) Often farriers are more skilled at finding and evacuating pesky abscesses then vets, also a lot blinking cheaper. Plus it releases the vet to deal with other emergencies. I would always keep in on a nice soft bed until seen anyhow , so if it turns out to be something worst a couple of hours are not going to make a huge difference.
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Farrier can usually pinpoint the exact point to release the pressure, while vets, ime, make a hole that is far bigger than necessary and takes much longer to grow back.
 
One of ours has a reoccurring abscess that has basically wiped out the last 4 years of his ridden life. They can be a pain but I would still rather that than the alternative!
 
zaminda said:
One of ours has a reoccurring abscess that has basically wiped out the last 4 years of his ridden life. They can be a pain but I would still rather that than the alternative!
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Have you had a Cushings test doen? Do a TRH STIM test if ACTH comes back ok. My mare's recurrent abscess cleared up and never returned once she was established on Prascend.
 
Yes, get the farrier out, sounds very much like an abscess as everyone else has said, he/ she will have a dig around and fingers crossed he will be feeling much better. I've had horses refuse to put any weight on a foot at all before due to and abscess. Good luck!
 
my old mare came in from the field on 3 legs and she was fine the night before, she was sweating and puffing and i thought she had broken something. it was an abscess and as soon as a hole was made and the pus came out she calmed down and would put it on the floor. just had to poultice for a few days and it cleared up. yours sounds very much like mine so i would get the farrier a s a p to deal with it as he is probably in a lot of pain...
 
Interesting that you said you had wormed just before this. Can I ask what wormer you used? It might be completely irrelevant, but I used to ride a welshie who came down with laminitis twice before we made the connection that it happened within 24 hours of using a specific wormer.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Have you had a Cushings test doen? Do a TRH STIM test if ACTH comes back ok. My mare's recurrent abscess cleared up and never returned once she was established on Prascend.
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That's very interesting would never have thought of that! Doesn't seem to have any other symptoms and has now had a chunk of hoof wall removed that had an unbelievable amount of gunk behind it! Will have a chat when vet comes to do vaccinations.
 
How did you get on with the vet or did you end up with the farrier? Scanned through the thread but couldn't see an update, hope all is ok
 
Chuffy99 said:
Hmm ‘just an abcess’there speaks someone who has yet to have the pleasure of dealing with one
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My horse came in hopping lame back in April and not wanting to put much pressure at all on the leg that he'd fractured his pedal bone on back in July of last year.
Imagine my uttermost relief when my farrier told me it was 'just an abscess', like literally the biggest weight had been lifted in all honesty

There are cases where an abscess is a much better result that what the alternative could be (how I wish it had been just an abscess last July...)
 
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