Lame - where, why, what to do

JanetGeorge

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A nice 6yo gelding, brought on quietly. Been 2/10ths lame for about 8 weeks now. Has had 2 weeks box rest on bute, no change. Been seen by own vets - plus 2 days wih the consultants. Nerve blocked, x-rayed etc. Nothing! Physio has checked him out thoroughly - couldn't find anything. So he's coming home today to try another 2 weeks box rest! It's his near hind - that's ALL we know. Any ideas?? I've NEVER had a lame horse before that didn't get better, or worse, or who showed NO indication of what the problem was.
 

PorkChop

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Having had a similar problem recently all I can do is offer you my thoughts!

I am using a Vet at the moment, who is well thought if, that is adamant that hind leg lameness with no obvious trauma always stems from the back.

I presume you have had back x-rays done? Have you had the back scanned? Mine turned out to be problems with the facet joints, only really shown by scanning.

But you know how it is with horses, it could literally be anything. I still occasionally do a bute trial, however it is often not very conclusive at all.

If back comes back completely clear I would be looking at hooves.
 

Cowpony

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Yep, second this. I've had two horses with mild lameness which the vet couldn't get to the bottom of. One had kissing spine, the other a SI problem.
 

JanetGeorge

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lol, I've had two with KS, one with an old SI - my physio found them all at first go. She went over this one with a fine tooth comb and couldn't find it. Vets think no point in looking at back at present - and I tend to agree. The wierd thing was Wednesday was 'end' of w weeks box rest (wouldn't have DARED try and transport him without the 30 minutes in the manege when he bucked and galloped pretty much non-stop the whole time - and was hardly lame after. Next day, an hour on the trailer. And did lunging and trot-ups for the vet. Next day more of it - and he didn't get any worse!
 

ycbm

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A one sided pressure on the spinal cord in the neck vertebrae could possibly cause exactly what you're seeing Janet?

The nerves for the hind legs are in the outside of the bundle and if he's got pressure on one part maybe it would affect only one leg. That wouldn't get any worse with him having a hooley, or any better from box rest, and bute would not touch it.

I'd be looking at neck and back x rays and then a whole body scan. Hopefully the horse is insured!
 

Exploding Chestnuts

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I think you will need to turn him away for three months, rugged to keep everything warm. Maybe long reining up gentle slopes for two weeks before trying again.
But if there is someone with expertise in the head /neck technique [I forget the name], I would have this done asap.
 

only_me

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Is it possible it's a soft tissue injury deep in sacroiliac? Can be hard to find, even woth physio. Might be worth putting him out in field for couple of weeks, see if the constant movement loosens things up.
 

Slightlyconfused

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I have two or three thoughts on this.

One chuck out in feild till after Christmas to see if just time off and gentle movement helps.

Two Get a bone scan to see if there is any hot spots.

Three how are his muscles? Is he tense in his work? I have known pssm to cause lameness (through my research on my own horse after he tied up and he felt tense behind before that) and once on the right vit e and balancer/ diet has come sound.
 

canteron

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Another one for chucking in the field for a bit - I have a mare who had a similar thing on the off foreleg. 3 months in the field 24/7 helped a lot. I sometimes think after the initial week or so of box rest, if it isn't clearly helping, then it is possibly hindering?
 

tristar

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i`ve had two like this, never found the cause of the one, the other did something kicking out whilst in mid buck at 100 miles and hour, and was lame same day, i box rested for 1 day then kept in a yard on restricted movement, he was lame walking and resting it most of the time, he was sound two weeks later, the other had the vet who could find nothing, he was sound later, i neither case could we see or find anything.

but they are both fine now
 

paddi22

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id 2 similar, one had si and the other had sciatica.


id agree with goldenstar, the inflammation tests are well worth doing. i had one that was a complete mystery what was wrong with him, the inflammation tests were the only thing that showed an issue was somewhere. we tracked it down eventually but he had to go to a hospital to get a full work up.
 
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paddy555

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Three how are his muscles? Is he tense in his work? I have known pssm to cause lameness (through my research on my own horse after he tied up and he felt tense behind before that) and once on the right vit e and balancer/ diet has come sound.

there are several comments in your posts which point to PSSM/muscle as something to rule out. Horse is 6, unsound for 8 weeks, (in those 8 weeks it has got a lot colder) box rest is the worst thing possible for them, galloped in the manege and sounder, movement at vets and no worse. PSSM is often misdiagnosed as several other things or as in this case vet's cannot find anything.
To try and get an idea I would get him off box rest, let him wander as much as possible (day and night if you have the facility for it) , put a 450g rug on (or make up to 450g),
and exercise daily preferably at least 1.5 hours a day on walking exercise (ridden or led) and use at least 2 exercise sheets. Whilst the diet and high dose vit E may not be in place I would expect this to give you some indication if PSSM is worth considering. They need to be warmed up very slowly and cooled out equally slowly. I would expect the first 45 mins of ridden walking to be rubbish, horse barely sound, on the forehand and horrible to ride. After a hour I would expect a reasonable walk and for progress as the ride progresses. On the second day of ridden exercise I would expect a decent walk much more quickly and progress after than. I would leave him in a 450g rug for 24 hours before ridden or led exercise starts so he can just wander in it and loosen up. I would expect an answer within about 4/5 days from trying this.
Not all PSSM horses need this amount of heat but some do, mine do and this is the optimum weight of rugging and exercise sheeting I have found. 250g on one of mine is not enough. 450g and he cruises along!
 

JanetGeorge

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A one sided pressure on the spinal cord in the neck vertebrae could possibly cause exactly what you're seeing Janet?

The nerves for the hind legs are in the outside of the bundle and if he's got pressure on one part maybe it would affect only one leg. That wouldn't get any worse with him having a hooley, or any better from box rest, and bute would not touch it.

I'd be looking at neck and back x rays and then a whole body scan. Hopefully the horse is insured!

But why would it just start - at 6 years of age with no known injury? And no, I can't afford to insure all mine (I AM down to 58 - but still insurance would be totally pointless.)
 

Slightlyconfused

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there are several comments in your posts which point to PSSM/muscle as something to rule out. Horse is 6, unsound for 8 weeks, (in those 8 weeks it has got a lot colder) box rest is the worst thing possible for them, galloped in the manege and sounder, movement at vets and no worse. PSSM is often misdiagnosed as several other things or as in this case vet's cannot find anything.
To try and get an idea I would get him off box rest, let him wander as much as possible (day and night if you have the facility for it) , put a 450g rug on (or make up to 450g),
and exercise daily preferably at least 1.5 hours a day on walking exercise (ridden or led) and use at least 2 exercise sheets. Whilst the diet and high dose vit E may not be in place I would expect this to give you some indication if PSSM is worth considering. They need to be warmed up very slowly and cooled out equally slowly. I would expect the first 45 mins of ridden walking to be rubbish, horse barely sound, on the forehand and horrible to ride. After a hour I would expect a reasonable walk and for progress as the ride progresses. On the second day of ridden exercise I would expect a decent walk much more quickly and progress after than. I would leave him in a 450g rug for 24 hours before ridden or led exercise starts so he can just wander in it and loosen up. I would expect an answer within about 4/5 days from trying this.
Not all PSSM horses need this amount of heat but some do, mine do and this is the optimum weight of rugging and exercise sheeting I have found. 250g on one of mine is not enough. 450g and he cruises along!

It was warmer this morning so I dropped mine down to his medium with no neck but when I rode him this evening I could tell I should have left him in his heavey weight as he was stiff/shufflely behind for the first twenty minutes of his walk tonight.
 

paddy555

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It was warmer this morning so I dropped mine down to his medium with no neck but when I rode him this evening I could tell I should have left him in his heavey weight as he was stiff/shufflely behind for the first twenty minutes of his walk tonight.

yes it is just soooo noticeable the difference it makes.
 

ycbm

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But why would it just start - at 6 years of age with no known injury? And no, I can't afford to insure all mine (I AM down to 58 - but still insurance would be totally pointless.)

Because you don't know what he's done when you haven't been looking. I have a friend whose horse was found dead in the field with a broken neck.

OMG 58!!! No, insurance is pointless on more than two, imo.
 
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