Lame horse, no heat , no swelling and no injury .

It's a crappy situation, and one in which I would be having strong words with the vets, and if they didn't pull their fingers out immediately, I'd be changing to a practice that will make things happen.

Physios are not allowed to diagnose -they must work with veterinary referral. If your physio doesn't, get a different physio. And as for the people on your yard - they should be ashamed of themselves. It sounds like a very unpleasant environment - I'd be looking to bring the horse home to a new yard after the MRI trip. Horse ownership is supposed to be enjoyable!
 
Sounds like you've a few fellow liveries it is best not to talk to too much, most yards have them sadly. Can't believe the lady telling you to PTS due to sidebone! At this point you don't even know for sure if the sidebone is causing the lameness, many horses have sidebone and it never makes them lame. Your vet's advice and comments all sound very sensible, shame they are now dragging their heels so much over the MRI.

In the meantime I would be reading up on how to make your mare more comfortable out of shoes, i.e. boots and pads like wagtail suggested, in the meantime you can use nappies and gaffer tape, something like this - http://www.examiner.com/article/diapers-and-duct-tape-the-perfect-horse-boot, review diet. Ignore all the people trying to diagnose and suggest treatments. If it is navicular then that is not a death sentence and the MRI will find it, remedial shoeing is certainly not a cure-all - particularly if the farrier doesn't actually know the problem they are trying to fix.

Personally from what you have said I would not be using the same farrier again just in case (vet suggested may be bad trimming, farrier defensive about feet being x-rayed, bad reviews). I would usually suggest word of mouth to find a good one, but it sounds like that is not a great idea at your yard since they suggested the original physio so maybe ask on here?
 
OP have you spoken to the vet again? I would just nag them to be honest, until you get the MRI and hopefully some answers. Some useful advice from Wagtail and others. I'm sorry some people have been a bit rude and patronising on here, don't let them or your fellow liveries put you off. Keep speaking to your vet and meanwhile it's definitely worth looking at the Rockley blog and a book called Feet First. They will arm you with some useful background info.
 
Didn't want to post as this is not what you want to hear and hopefully you will have different outcome but ........ My mare went lame 14 years ago, xrays showed enormous side bone (you can feel an egg sized lump) she is OK grazing in field or uphill but doesn't do well downhill, on hard ground or oddly if really hot weather. I could still hack her round block at first but made decision to retire her. Vet thinks most of lameness is mechanical as side bone is so large is interfering with normal movement of foot.

Things that definitely helped, 24/7 turnout on flat ground, joint supplement and most importantly shoe removal.

Nearly all side bone cases settle down and they are fine, fingers crossed for you x

Also meant to say we tried shoes with pads, the pads almost crippled her, had pads and shes removed and immediate improvement.
 
Hi there

I am having the exact same problem as you described. My horse has also been lame since February on and off on the right fore, and there is no heat, swelling or anything like that. My vet came out to X-ray her feet and fetlocks and said it could be a cyst but isn't completely convinced it is, and we are now being referred for an MRI scan - waiting on insurance as that seems to be taking the longest! He also nerve blocked initially, the foot, then the fetlock and she was totally sound - couldn't believe it! Like you, it started gradually and is now everyday. She's been consistently lame for 2 weeks now but somehow seems to be worse in the hot weather. Have you noticed a change in your horse's lameness from weather fluctuation? Would be really interesting to hear what the problem is, when you do find out.

Emma
 
Emma Smith said:
Hi there

I am having the exact same problem as you described. My horse has also been lame since February on and off on the right fore, and there is no heat, swelling or anything like that. My vet came out to X-ray her feet and fetlocks and said it could be a cyst but isn't completely convinced it is, and we are now being referred for an MRI scan - waiting on insurance as that seems to be taking the longest! He also nerve blocked initially, the foot, then the fetlock and she was totally sound - couldn't believe it! Like you, it started gradually and is now everyday. She's been consistently lame for 2 weeks now but somehow seems to be worse in the hot weather. Have you noticed a change in your horse's lameness from weather fluctuation? Would be really interesting to hear what the problem is, when you do find out.

Emma
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WHy are you waiting on insurance, don't you do the MRI then claim, the vet is the one to diagnose not the insurance company. I can't see any reason to wait, its not the NHS..............
 
Bonkers2 said:
WHy are you waiting on insurance, don't you do the MRI then claim, the vet is the one to diagnose not the insurance company. I can't see any reason to wait, its not the NHS..............
Click to expand...

It's because the vet wants to be sure it will be covered by the insurance as I can't afford to pay for it.
 
How good is your grazing and your cob overweight? If you have a good doer cob out 24/7 and not being worked on good grazing a bit overweight could this recent about of lameness in both front feet be the start of laminitis?
 
Emma Smith said:
It's because the vet wants to be sure it will be covered by the insurance as I can't afford to pay for it.
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Have you removed the shoes and changed the diet .......... hi fibre lo sugar, boosted minerals such as pro earth or forageplus, add some salt, this may be what you decide on later anyway, so best to start now. see Rockley Farm re hab blogs.
It may be easier to reduce weight if you stable for part of the day [thick shavings bed] and feed well soaked hay. Use a weigh tape weekly, average over two weeks.
Send a letter to the vet of the insurance, get anything in writing. I hope it is not E&L or other associated companies.?
 
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Hi OP

You have had some great advice on this thread so far, but there is a limit to what anyone can recommend without a solid diagnosis.

The foot is a very complex structure and a lot of things within it can cause pain, and hence, lameness. There are about 15 different diagnoses for a horse that "blocks to the foot". This used to be THE test for navicular syndrome but it is now recognized that that term is fairly useless and that anyone who looks at a foot lame horse without imaging it and pronounces that they know exactly what it is should not be trusted.

The route your are taking by getting an MRI is the best possible way for you to get an answer as to exactly what is causing the problem in your horse's foot. And when you have that answer you can work with your vet to develop a specific, targeted treatment plan.

I hope the news is good, and I wish you all the best with getting your horse sound again
 
Hi just wanted to update people on this . My girl has hairline fracture on her pedal bone ! All this time she's had it and it would only get worse in time . So she's got a hoof cast on . She's had an painkiller injection and she's on box rest for 6 weeks! the vets seem very positive at this will work for her . The switching of lameness she said is because she's held a lot of her weight on her front left leg to avoid the pain and has caused a small amount of bruising in her foot . This should heal on time .:)
 
Thanks for the update, often we are left in the dark, I hope it all works out for you, make sure you ask vet if she will need sedation when turned out, as you don't want her to go bonkers.
Keep bedding immaculate, as you want to keep her feet healthy. Good luck.
 
Hi, how did your vet diagnose this?was it seen on X-ray?im going through a similar thing, I've had X-rays done but although they ruled out most things were not conclusive. Vet is also thinking hairline fracture. What prognosis have you been given?
 
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