Lame - can anyone identify the problem for me?

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cpendle

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Horse lives out, I go to feed him on Friday morning and he is hopping lame on the off fore. He has a ranging pulse and a hot hoof.

Abcess I think - but get the vet out the next day to doublecheck. She thinks its an abcess as well, but digs around and cant find anything or any sore spot. I poultice for X3 days - nothing comes out.

Day 4 I call the vet out again - she arrives to find the horse about 90% sound!? Thinks he must have renched something - but whatever problem over.

BUT today, I go and feed and he's hopping lame again!!!!!

Help, any ideas?
 
Sounds very similar to my horses current injury - severe collateral ligament damage in right fore. She was lame on and off for a few weeks, very lame one day, sound the next etc, heat and strong pulse in foot. Vet initially thought abcess, then foot soreness and then finally referred her for an MRI scan which showed the damage.

Hopefully this is not the case for yours!!!
 
I'd go with abcess every time on this one - sounds right.

We have a horse at the moment who is on off lame - and have had several of the others at the yard with the same problem (all out 24/7).

I'd get your farrier rather than the vet...
 
As the other feet aren't affected- It could possibly be an abscess that is taking a while to drain or infected coronary band maybe-

If it were one of mine, First, I'd get the Farrier to check the foot over and search it and if he can't find anything I'd either get a different vet out again for a 2nd opinion/ get the foot x-rayed to be sure. I'd get the Vet and Farrier to work together to find a solution... Good luck!
 
I would go with abscess. They can grumble for a while causing lots of discomfort & as you were poulticing it, it is probably why it settle down for a few days. Now you have stopped poulticing, it is starting to build up again. I would get the farrier out as they are often better than vets in my experience at finding the seat of the abscess. As K27 said, if that doesn't work then it is time to x-ray.
 
i would say its between an abcess or an injury i would get the farrier to have a look he may beable to dianoses the problem as they deal with the shoulder downwards
 
Sounds to me like a typical absess. Get your farrier out to have look. Spike was like this sound then hoping lame then sound againa dn we found huge absess in his foot.
 
The main treatment is rest, as with most ligament/tendon damage. Think the length of time depends on the severity of the injury - Lottie's is pretty serious.

The suggested treatment for my mare is IRAP treatment followed by 3 months box rest but we can't do it at the moment as when she was in hospital for her MRI scan she had colic which induced stress related laminitis.

Have to wait for her to recover from the laminitis before we can decide what to do.

I'm sure its not the case for your horse, but it may be worth mentioning to your vet if they can't come up with anything else. Only problem is that they can only be diagnosed with MRI which cost about £1,000.

Good luck and fingers crossed it is something simple like an abcess.
 
My horse has a similar problem. He threw a shoe and trod on it. Vet and Farrier think its a bruised sole. He was getting better - enough for me to gently hack him up the road, but he threw the shoe again in the field and is hopping lame again. Vet is sure its still a bruised sole so does the farrier so its box rest for a week or two. It can take a long time for a bruised sole to heal. There is no sign of abcesses.
 
Thank you all for your help. This is today's update...

He's still hopping lame but the heat has gone out of his foot. INSTEAD there is heat and puffiness/swelling his fetlock running up the inside of the leg to just under the knee. This is tender even to the slightest touch.

There was no sign of this yesterday. Could it be that the infection/abcess has tracked up his leg?
 
Possible. some farriers have some kind of temp guage that they can just point at the foot and leg, and it idenfies the hot spots, mine had one which located a deep abcess we would never have found otherwise
 
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There was no sign of this yesterday. Could it be that the infection/abcess has tracked up his leg?

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Yes, quite possibly. My horse presented about 4 weeks ago with very non typical abcess problems. My vet and I were almost convinced that he had done a tendon. But he asked for my farrier to inspect the foot the next day. Hey presto one cut of the knife and the foot absolutely burst with puss.
 
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