Myotto
Well-Known Member
Does anyone have any experience of horses with long term intermittent lameness where the cause was eventually found to be a foot abscess?
My horse started with intermittent front lameness about 10 months ago. Nerve blocks isolated the lameness to the feet but it was difficult to know which one as the lameness kept shifting from side to side. The lameness was often worse on the left rein. I've had him for 18 months and he has always shown sensitivity to the nails being hammered in.
Xrays didn't show much apart from him being a little broken back (which is being corrected with shoeing), some moderate side bone, and a coffin joint spur.
We didn't MRI but coffin joint injury/arthritis was thought to be the problem. Steroids didn't work for long.
He has seemed much better after a few months of rest, with just the occasional sign of lameness when back in light work. However, last week he went suddenly very lame and could barely walk. The farrier found an abscess in the left foot which drained out of the nail hole. He is improving day by day.
I'm now wondering whether the abscess has been there for a long time, i.e. the cause of the ongoing intermittent lameness. Has anyone had a horse that was lame for a long period of time until an abscess surfaced. I can't help thinking that a year is too long for it to be festering there!!!
My horse started with intermittent front lameness about 10 months ago. Nerve blocks isolated the lameness to the feet but it was difficult to know which one as the lameness kept shifting from side to side. The lameness was often worse on the left rein. I've had him for 18 months and he has always shown sensitivity to the nails being hammered in.
Xrays didn't show much apart from him being a little broken back (which is being corrected with shoeing), some moderate side bone, and a coffin joint spur.
We didn't MRI but coffin joint injury/arthritis was thought to be the problem. Steroids didn't work for long.
He has seemed much better after a few months of rest, with just the occasional sign of lameness when back in light work. However, last week he went suddenly very lame and could barely walk. The farrier found an abscess in the left foot which drained out of the nail hole. He is improving day by day.
I'm now wondering whether the abscess has been there for a long time, i.e. the cause of the ongoing intermittent lameness. Has anyone had a horse that was lame for a long period of time until an abscess surfaced. I can't help thinking that a year is too long for it to be festering there!!!
