Intermittent lameness.. hock injections etc. Suggestions?!

Torrie

Member
Joined
9 June 2012
Messages
28
Visit site
My 11yo horse has been having intermittent lameness. It appears to be his left hind, however changes between both hinds and occasionally the left fore. Sometimes he moves lovely, the next minute he is unlevel, then fine again. He is also avoiding flexing on bends (we assume to keep some weight off the inside hinds).

Vets are puzzled and suggested..:
- bute.. with no difference
- continuing work as normal (as lameness wasn't severe, was more unlevelness than lameness),. however continued and interfered with training
- xrays.. xrayed hind hocks.. slight changes but nothing worth noting
- nerve blocked the left fore.. made no difference.

a few days ago he had his left fore cannon injected (i've just had a mental block, but think it was with some kind of anti-inflammatory/painkiller..) and had both hind hock joints steroid injected and he is now on box rest for a few days before being brought into ridden work (walk only) next week to see if they have made a difference. They have also suggested try to have shod differently in front and have heel extensions on his hinds (which are currently barefoot).

Has anyone else had a similar experience? or have any theories/suggestions. Hopefully the latest attempts from the vet will be the answer, but would be interested to hear from others, as the vets are stumped. He was only doing normal work, ridden 3/4 times a week, either dressage lessons or some jumpwork in the sand school. He's always had a short almost shuffly movement behind for the 2 years i've had him (described by a dressage trainer as a tart in a mini skirt), but was put down to conformation and has improved through proper schooling.
 

special_k

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 January 2011
Messages
54
Visit site
I would suggest you have the hind legs nerve blocked too. Sounds very similiar to my lad and he was diagnosed with proximal suspensory desmitis.
 

toomanyhorses26

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 October 2007
Messages
2,652
Visit site
Please ask your vet to check back and si - my mare started off like this and when we had her worked up she had suspensory issues ,kissing spins and supraspinous ligament damage along with ddft issues in a front foot
 

Torrie

Member
Joined
9 June 2012
Messages
28
Visit site
The original plan was to do hind leg nerve blocks before xrays, but with the lameness being so intermittent/only an unlevelness the vet didn't think his lameness was severe enough for a nerve block to show a change. Sespensory is a possibility that has been suggested seen as the xrays showed nothing.

I was also suggesting it might be something further up/back related.. however this idea seems to have been ignored for the time being, with vets focusing on his legs.

It's now been a week since his hock injections and during turnout he's been acting like a crazed 2yo, haven't seen him move this well in a while. He's due to go back into work tomorrow (walking only) so will be able to let you know if there is any noticable change, if not will push for vets to look further up.

Toomanyhorses26.. how was your horse when not ridden? And when ridden was it a noticable pain? My horse is still very willing to work when ridden, other than when asked to flex. He was even jumped a few weeks ago (on the vets orders ready for a lameness test the next day) and he was keen as ever. Hoping these injections are the end of all this!
 

toomanyhorses26

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 October 2007
Messages
2,652
Visit site
to tack her up I had to saddle her up do the girth up and then shut both doors while she did her rodeo act :( *this was all under vet advice * Tight and tense but she was like this when I got her a couple of years previously so my thinking was that her loan home hadn't ridden her particulary well and she was a mare who was very very sensitive to her rider to he point where I wouldn't ride her if I had had a bad day as she would pick up on this and I would normally end up face planting - I sent her to her loanhome capable and winning novice dressage tests. The first thing they found was change sin her hocks which given her character pointed to being the issue but with small paddock rest,joint supplement and bute she didn't really show any improvement so she went for a bone scan which found the hocks,si and kissing spines - the ultrasound confirmed the ligament damage in her back and her legs. Her personality changed - wouldn't be part of the herd,protective of herself and generally not my mare
 

Torrie

Member
Joined
9 June 2012
Messages
28
Visit site
Been phoned today (i'm back at uni and the yard manager is looking after him) and she rode him for the first time since the hock injections and was like a crazy thing to ride to the point she had to plant him in a hedge (this is very unlike him, even after rest). Still unlevel but she can't tell on what leg/s because he was being such an idiot.

Toomanyhorses26, mine doesn't sound too much like yours, he doesn't mind being tacked up, he can occasionally be a bit naughty to mount but that's all, to ride he is generally an angel nowadays although can occasionally be a bit sharp. Definitely starting to think this is more back related than legs though, as after nothing was shown in the hock xrays and these steroid injections have done nothing..

Just want this to be sorted now :(
 

Torrie

Member
Joined
9 June 2012
Messages
28
Visit site
UPDATE; Horse is sound! 4 weeks after the hock injections and 2 weeks after he was shod behind i lunged him and he was sound. The vet came out to assess him a few days later and he was sound to lunge, then i rode him in walk and trot and still sound! So vets given us the all clear to bring him back into light work and see how he progresses. So far it's been two weeks of walk and trot and he's still okay so looking good! Thank god for that! Thanks for all the suggestions guys, still not 100% of the reason as the xrays were clear but the injections seem to have helped, fingers crossed it stays that way!
 
Top