Horse Lame.. Please help!!

[Bkane530]

Hi everyone,
So before I go into the problem ill give a quick background.. I own a 15.2 cob 9yo called Casper who i loaned out when i went to uni (2.5 years ago) as a happy hacker. I received him back about 2 weeks ago quite skinny and with really long hooves and really bad manners. Anyway, yesterday he seemed a bit lame (very slight) on the right front leg, and today when i went to feed him (i am still in uni) he could barely put pressure on it, and was SUPER lame, holding pressure off it when standing.

So obviously, I called out the emergency vet. Understand it is dark and in the field (couldn't walk him much at all), and the vet actually had to sedate him because he was freaking out at this stranger with a torch on his head trying to lift his legs. My friend said she thought she saw a nail in his hoof, but there was no nail. The vet was honestly a bit obnoxious and when i asked what could be making him lame he said he doesn't look lame to me, but he was sedated and barely awake! Anyway, he left and I stayed with Casper until he came out of his drowsiness and his right tendon felt SLIGHTLY hotter than his left, the rest of his leg had no swelling, heat, obvious injury etc. So am I right in thinking this is most likely a pulled ligament or tendon? Again I asked the vet if I would ring him in the morning if hes no better or worse, he gave me a course of Bute and said no, ring after the course if hes not better.

So I took it upon myself to box rest him tonight (he lives out 24/7 and is not happy about it! But he keeps trying to walk through the field like a duck!) and I will keep him stabled with a walk every few hours around the yard just to see if there is any improvement or if indeed he is getting worse.

Now my two problems. I am a broke broke broke student and have £600 set aside in savings for moments like this but I would imagine quite a chunk of that was taken tonight! What happens when I run out of money for these vets to come out? We grow all our own hay and our only real outgoings are farrier and vet (and worming etc). I really really don't want to put him down just for the sake of money, but I feel I might be stuck in that position. His mother, now 14, lives out 24/7 with him and they are inseparable, and she would genuinely die of heartbreak if he was either given to a charity or put down. I really really would die if I had to give them both up to a charity just to keep them together as they are family. I don't even care if he can never be ridden again, just as long as he can live in the field with his bestie. Do I call the vet back in a few days if he is no better or worse? Or do I keep him on box rest for a few weeks and see if there's any change?

Please no condescending comments this is extremely stressful as it is. I haven't eaten or slept since yesterday worrying. Thank you all so much in advance.

 

[AmyMay]

It doesn’t sound as if you got much help last night.

Did the vet test his hooves for any signs of an abscess?

 

[ihatework]

First step is to ask your farrier to come and have a look and see if there is an abscess that can be released

 

[SEL]

Sudden lameness is often an abscess - especially if they look really bad really quickly. Any pulses on that hoof?

Farrier would help or poultice the hoof and see if it bursts through.

 

[Bkane530]

Wow the replies on here are speedy, thanks!
The vet did say that other than long toes his hoof is in good condition, there were no obvious signs of a pulse or any issue with the hoof really. Took him out today for a walk and he started off a lot better (but he is on bute) and got a bit worse gradually. But there is no heat, no swelling, no sensitivity on any part of him except his hoof which he now wont even let me lift so I think you are all right in that it's an abscess! Whats your medicine?

 

[be positive]

It definitely sounds like an abscess, the lack of care to his feet and long toes will mean he is vulnerable to getting one, I would contact my farrier and ask him to come out ASAP, there is no medicine as such, it needs to be found, poulticed and should, if that is what it is, be resolved fairly quickly, stop the bute as that is counter productive with an abscess.
If it is a tendon injury, unlikely but needs to be considered, then he needs his feet attended to as long toes will not help, they often get some swelling and heat in the tendon when they have an abscess in the foot so that may be a red herring.

 

[Red-1]

I don't think your vet was very helpful, but then I guess in a muddy field, with no light and a reactive horse, it would not be easy to diagnose. No excuse for him not asking to bring the horse up to a stable if he didn't think he looked bad though.

Your farrier is the person to call.

He will likely pare the foot back to see any areas that look suspicious and pare a small hole to release the pus.

If not, he will at least be able to tidy the feet up that you say are over grown.

I would soak the foot in a hot solution of Epsom Salts in the mean time (having scrubbed it clean so you can see anything that may be obviously amiss). A poultice on the foot would not go amiss either.

 

[Finlib]

I would soak and poultice and phone the farrier it would do no harm to tub twice a day and poultice until the farrier comes as it cleans the foot up and helps to bring the abscess up to the surface and helps the farrier release it.
Sounds very much like a abscess.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Agree about getting your farrier to have a look could be an abscess, might be worth getting him to trim the feet while his there if they are very long that could even be making him lame, failing that call a different vet out during day light hours and for now I would keep him in until you know what is actually wrong.

 

[Carrottom]

Definitely farrier ASAP and soaking in warm epsom salts (from chemist). If the farrier doesn't find anything I would speak to an equine vet, find out charges first for visit and consult.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Hi everyone,
So before I go into the problem ill give a quick background.. I own a 15.2 cob 9yo called Casper who i loaned out when i went to uni (2.5 years ago) as a happy hacker. I received him back about 2 weeks ago quite skinny and with really long hooves and really bad manners. Anyway, yesterday he seemed a bit lame (very slight) on the right front leg, and today when i went to feed him (i am still in uni) he could barely put pressure on it, and was SUPER lame, holding pressure off it when standing.

So obviously, I called out the emergency vet. Understand it is dark and in the field (couldn't walk him much at all), and the vet actually had to sedate him because he was freaking out at this stranger with a torch on his head trying to lift his legs. My friend said she thought she saw a nail in his hoof, but there was no nail. The vet was honestly a bit obnoxious and when i asked what could be making him lame he said he doesn't look lame to me, but he was sedated and barely awake! Anyway, he left and I stayed with Casper until he came out of his drowsiness and his right tendon felt SLIGHTLY hotter than his left, the rest of his leg had no swelling, heat, obvious injury etc. So am I right in thinking this is most likely a pulled ligament or tendon? Again I asked the vet if I would ring him in the morning if hes no better or worse, he gave me a course of Bute and said no, ring after the course if hes not better.

So I took it upon myself to box rest him tonight (he lives out 24/7 and is not happy about it! But he keeps trying to walk through the field like a duck!) and I will keep him stabled with a walk every few hours around the yard just to see if there is any improvement or if indeed he is getting worse.

Now my two problems. I am a broke broke broke student and have £600 set aside in savings for moments like this but I would imagine quite a chunk of that was taken tonight! What happens when I run out of money for these vets to come out? We grow all our own hay and our only real outgoings are farrier and vet (and worming etc). I really really don't want to put him down just for the sake of money, but I feel I might be stuck in that position. His mother, now 14, lives out 24/7 with him and they are inseparable, and she would genuinely die of heartbreak if he was either given to a charity or put down. I really really would die if I had to give them both up to a charity just to keep them together as they are family. I don't even care if he can never be ridden again, just as long as he can live in the field with his bestie. Do I call the vet back in a few days if he is no better or worse? Or do I keep him on box rest for a few weeks and see if there's any change?

Please no condescending comments this is extremely stressful as it is. I haven't eaten or slept since yesterday worrying. Thank you all so much in advance.

Have a look on my post 'Any ideas what this could be?' in this Veterinary section of the forum. My horses on/off lameness turned out to be an abscess which I am now cold poulticing after my vets visit last night.

 

[[131452]]

Sadly I had to have my boy to sleep as sudden severe lameness turned out not to be an abscess but a terrible DDFT injury. Not wanting to alarm you but just wanted to make you aware. I would box rest him if at all possible and poultice as if for abscess but if the farrier can't find a mark on his hoof and there's nothing coming out after a week id get a more helpful vet out. Can your parents help with vet bills or is agreeing a payment plan with the vet an option? Charities are full to bursting with neglected and abused horses so I wouldn't encourageyou to rely on that option. Hopefully it is an abscess but if it is a tendon , then box rest is even more important. Which tendon did you say felt warm? And is he reactive to hoof testers? Again , mine was reactiveand had classic abscess symptoms but instead it was terrible DDFT injury under and at the back of the pedal bone. Long toes can predispose them for that hence I feel that if nothing comes out with poulticing, urgent veterinary care is likely in order. 😞

 

[holeymoley]

Sounds like an abscess if he's that insistent about not putting weight on it. I would've thought that would be the first thing the vet would have said to be honest. If his feet are long too that won't be any good for him long term.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Sadly I had to have my boy to sleep as sudden severe lameness turned out not to be an abscess but a terrible DDFT injury. Not wanting to alarm you but just wanted to make you aware. I would box rest him if at all possible and poultice as if for abscess but if the farrier can't find a mark on his hoof and there's nothing coming out after a week id get a more helpful vet out. Can your parents help with vet bills or is agreeing a payment plan with the vet an option? Charities are full to bursting with neglected and abused horses so I wouldn't encourageyou to rely on that option. Hopefully it is an abscess but if it is a tendon , then box rest is even more important. Which tendon did you say felt warm? And is he reactive to hoof testers? Again , mine was reactiveand had classic abscess symptoms but instead it was terrible DDFT injury under and at the back of the pedal bone. Long toes can predispose them for that hence I feel that if nothing comes out with poulticing, urgent veterinary care is likely in order. 😞

You would have thought my horse had done a tendon as the tendon area on the inside of the leg was quite warm which is why I did three tendon tests over a couple of days as I wasn't convinced. But when the vet came out he noticed slight swelling above the knee and even as high up as the top of the leg by the chest, very minute swelling but noticeable when he pointed it out. So he could appreciate why I was so confused! It was all due to pressure and swelling from the abscess.

My mare is on the mend, last night. When I got to the yard I found out she had untied herself from outside her stable when staff were mucking her out and pegged it across the field at a nice brisk trot to stuff her face with grass and looked 'quite good' and that was with a big clodding foot with vetwrap and a poultice on! Can't moan - just glad she's ok!

 

[Bkane530]

Hi everyone, sorry I am only getting replying now. Thanks everyone, he did have an abscess which is now 99.9% gone and he is now off box rest and not lame at all. Lucky really, counting my blessings now!