Lame horse for 14 months

[kbrecken]

Hi I was wondering if anyone had any ideas what to do next with my lovely horse. Last Feb 2013 she came in from field lame (right front) her hoof looked like it had become misshapen. Called vet and she was put on bute for a week no different. Vet then nerve blocked and she blocked to the foot (abaxial sesamoid nerve block). Vet thought she had DDFT / colaterial ligament damage sent her away for MRI. On MRI these were fine the findings were There are several potential causes for the RF limb lameness in this case and further diagnostic analgesia is advised to determine which, if any, of the finding seen during MRI are significant. I would advise the comparison of the response to the abaxial sesamoid nerve block to that of a palmar digital nerve block. Depending on the result of this I would then advise the comparison of a response to intrathecal anaesthesia of the DIP joint, navicular bursa & digital tendon sheath.
and I was advised remedial farriery, with attention to foot balance and to "hope for the best". I then started googling like you do anyway ending up sending her away to a barefoot rehab farm. She came back ok but has on off lameness since. I have had her teeth back checked. Last month I had her feet trimmed and back done on same day, the next day she was lame even in walk, when she had been sound for a number of weeks. So I got a very good farrier out who said she was sore on all 4 x feet she was ok again, but now lame again in trot front right???. Farrier coming back to look again. I really dont know what else to do. I feel like I'm running out of options. Do I carry on and ride her in walk. When she walks out the leg to me it doesnt look right but she is tracking up. Any ideas?? how long do you go on??.

 

[dianchi]

When you say she was sent away to a rehab farm, are you following the directions for when she came home? Do you have track ways etc set up?

 

[ester]

afaik there is only one bf rehab - have you spoken to them again? what has changed? presume farrier is trimming - is he used to trimming barefoot working horses? it sounds like the trimming being done isn't helping?

 

[Booboos]

Did you pursue the investigative avenues suggested by the MRI vet? What was the outcome? What was the remedial farriery suggested and did you try it out before going barefoot (I have nothing against barefoot, and some of mine are like that, but if you were prescribed a specific treatment and did something else you may not have corrected the original problem). What does your vet say? Has he repeated the nerve blocks?

 

[Ronalda]

Let's see, you have vet who reckons it's a flexor tendon, collateral ligament, coffin joint, navicular bursa, tendon sheath or something else and advises remedial farriery.

You have a farrier who thinks your barefoot horse has four sore feet; lets just ponder a moment on why he came out with that one.

You will never get anywhere unless you sort out the feet first and then if necessary work your way up.

Stick to barefoot (at least for now) make sure she is moving with correct biomechanics and engaging the heel.

Turn her out on a surface that will self trim, if that's not possible trim her correctly with short toe, short wall with roll, heels down to widest part of frog, do not take off toe sole; allow to callous, and so on. Low sugar, high fibre diet.

Infact everything that would have been done at your friendly bf rehab farm.