Lame horse - when to get the vet out

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CharlesMax

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Hi all, I am hoping some people more experienced than me can advise:

I have had my 7y/0 for a year and have had no issues until now. A friend suspected slight lameness while I was away 2 weeks ago, and against others' opinions that he was fine, I called the vet out for peace of mind. Vet came and said the horse 1/10th lame (right fore) on first trot up but 100% sound after and fine on lunge/tight circle - told not to worry and to crack on as normal and so i did!

I started schooling him on Saturday and noticed he was definitely lame on the right rein (right fore) and ok on the left rein. Trotted him up and v slightly lame on right but more pronounced on lunge. (friend says 1/10th lame trotting up and 3/10ths lame on lunge)

There is no heat, no swelling or lumps that I can feel so not quite sure what to do. Cannot feel any heat or sensitivity in feet either. Would you leave for a few days or call vet out again straight away? Would anyone get a good physio out before going the vet route?

Hoping its just soft tissue or something minor but any advice on steps to take would be much appreciated for an inexperienced owner!!
 
CharlesMax said:
Would anyone get a good physio out before going the vet route?
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No, and anyway, any good physio worth their salt would tell you that the horse needs to see a vet if it was 3/10 lame with something undiagnosed when it was presented to them :wink3:

If I was to call anyone other than the vet, it would be the farrier in case there was something brewing in the foot. Can you give him a call and see if he can come and pop the hoof testers on him quickly, like today or tomorrow? if not then a horse that has been 3/10 lame since Saturday really needs some attention so I'd give the vet a call again and see what they want to do next.
 
It sounds like one possibility could be a slight suspensory branch sprain on the near fore which is making him appear lame on a right circle due to the fact that the outside leg is pushing away on the circle. This would be why he is worse on a circle.

There is not always swelling or heat present in a suspensory branch sprain, especially if it is slight.

I'd be inclined to get a diagnosis because then if it is a suspensory branch or similar you can treat the problem with rest/ice/anti-inflammatories and limit any further damage and help maximize any chance of healing.
 
Thank you for your comments. He has been boxed since Saturday and, if not sound tomorrow, will be calling the vet so we can treat the issue correctly. Thank you!
 
Be aware, if a horse isn't more than 2/10ths lame - and thee is no visible or palpable heat or swelling, you're probably wasting your money. I know - I had a horse to my consultant vets (on the advice of the regulars) for 2 days. £1,000 bill and still no idea where or why the lameness is - apart from off hind. Not lame enough to nerve block, x-rays showed nothing. To say I was slightly annoyed is an understatement. I would be inclined to try a week of box rest on bute, then cut the bute and see if he's still lame. If no improvement, work him a bit until he shows at least 3/10ths lame.
 
Totally agree with JG above. I would get farrier to check feet first, then bute and box rest, come off the bute and work. So often they can just tweak something and it just needs rest and bute and is then OK. Equally unless lame enough just no point in doing investigations.

Whilst I do not advocate riding a lame horse, there is lame and there is, well a bit unlevel. Most horses, like us, have issues and sometimes it is about being realistic.

When taking horses to Rossdales in the past I was told that there are very few 100% sound horses.
 
Hmm if the op felt that the horse was lame when schooling and a friend said it was 3/10 then I think that's too lame to ride ... that's more than a bit unlevel.

As the horse was lame then sound, then more lame I'd say there's something worth paying attention to. . Hopefully just an abscess. I've had a horse which was occasionally 1/10 lame examined before because I knew it was not right and found a check ligament injury so I think it's not really responsible to advise an inexperienced (self confessed ) owner not to get the horse checked for fear of a big bill. Sorry JG I usually agree with you but not in this case.

Sounds like you're on the right track op. Better safe than sorry Imo.
 
JanetGeorge said:
Be aware, if a horse isn't more than 2/10ths lame - and thee is no visible or palpable heat or swelling, you're probably wasting your money. I know - I had a horse to my consultant vets (on the advice of the regulars) for 2 days. £1,000 bill and still no idea where or why the lameness is - apart from off hind. Not lame enough to nerve block, x-rays showed nothing. To say I was slightly annoyed is an understatement. I would be inclined to try a week of box rest on bute, then cut the bute and see if he's still lame. If no improvement, work him a bit until he shows at least 3/10ths lame.
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I am surprised that they could not nerve block a horse that was consistently 2/10ths lame, I took one in that was barely 1/10th lame on a circle, fine on the straight, the vet blocked that successfully, we did have a fair idea it was the foot as a starting point and it did take two days to get a full picture, if we had waited until he was 3/10ths lame we would have done rather a lot of damage and treatment would have been extensive, as it was he had a quiet month in remedial shoes and came back to full work over the following few months.

For the OP I would look at the foot first it could be something like a corn or an abscess so getting the farrier to check is often worthwhile before getting the vet out, 3/10ths lame is fairly significant, on off lameness more often than not comes from the foot and that does not usually improve with box rest unless it is just bruising.
 
Considering you know you horse best, you do what you feel. My horse was not lame, but i knew not right, so i took him to the vet despite a lot of people saying it was my riding, or he needed shoes on etc etc. Turns out he has a life long issue he won't ever fix, but i can ride him as a normal horse just can't do a circle on the right in canter...its easy enough achieved as we don't do anything other than pleasure anyway.
 
Did they not offer bone scan or inertial testing? I'm surprised anyone at that level was stumped by a unilateral 2/10ths tbh!
 
Also, just to throw into the pot, some quite significant injuries may not always show heat or swelling, depending on where they are.

I would be tempted to do a weeks bute and rest and see what you have at the end of that and then, if still not happy and nothing obvious is showing itself, then I would send horse in for investigations.

I'm saying this as someone who has dealt with 2 very severe leg injuries in the last 10 years (one tendon and one ligament), neither of which had any outwards signs. The ligament horse never came sound, the tendon one did, but i was much quicker with the second one and demanded him in and scanned within 2 weeks. I do truly believe this is why he recovered. The ligament one, in my opinion, was failed by the vets at the time and by the time he was diagnosed, far too much damage had been done.
 
As the vet has already attended, I'd call and ask their opinion. Has the horse already had some rest / a few days off during the couple of weeks this has been going on?

To be honest, all of us on here will relate it to our own experiences - two of mine have been bilaterally lame behind, but it has shown most obviously as lameness (compensating) in a front leg. It could be anything: we can only guess and as above a good physio will want the lameness investigating. I'd go with the vet opinion - it may be rest, it may be hard work, it may be another visit. Can you get video to send your vet if you think it's worse now than it was when they attended?
 
dont get a physio out without the vet- only cowboys will come without the vet.
A weeks small paddock rest might be prudent but if you don't have the experience to identify tendon injuries etc yo'd be best calling the vet
 
Hi all,

thanks for your comments. I am pleased I got the VET out. He agreed that the horse has got worse over the last two weeks. Checked Hoof - all good. Blocked Pastern area - 80% improved; blocked higher up aroudn hock - 100% sound. Suspects soft tissue injury at back of the foot so not looking great. X-Rayed Hock and coffin joints - all fine. MRI booked for next week to see where the issue is. Was given the choice to try remedial shoeing and 4 weeks rest. I'd rather scan and get to the bottom of this incase its potentially something worse that can be sorted right now.

Thanks again
 
well done OP, you did the right thing :) you know your horse well, so you are best placed to feel when he's not right. Hope the MRI finds something that is easily treatable. Sending best wishes for his recovery.
 
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