Lameness caused by skin infection.

maw

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Hiya
I was just wondering if anyone had had any experience Of a horse with a skin Infection. Sorry for the novel but so much has happened and i dont want to leave anything out, if anyone can help me. Back in Febuary my horse got a puncture wound and ended up going very Lame, would not put foot on floor at all.Went to Equine hospital got diagnosed with celluliltis course of antibiotics, and he went sound. We did 5 hunter trials hacked out jumped no problem, however he favoured that leg constantly always resting it, and he never used to. then i took him to another hunter trial, which was a little soft going but nothing happened that i could feel. Then 48 hrs later he was lame in trot. Got vet out tested his pelvis, as previously upto 2 yrs ago he had had a sacriolic joint problem, but was never lame with it and it has been fine for 2 years. Vet gave his back etc the all clear, and my vet does specialise in that area. he did find a splint however just below his hock on same leg he had infection in before. It is the the left hind. however it was a very small splint. Vet said that could be causing the intermittent lameness. I gave him a week off, and he was sound in trot. Then in the field 3 days later he was lame again in trot. gave him another couple of days off and he was sound again. Then i lunged him and he was not sound, so vet suggested riding him in straight lines for a week then see. He was fine for the rest of the week then i tried lunge again still not sound. i had even cantered him under saddle and he was sound. vet came out to see what he was like on the lunge. i rode him first to show he was sound under saddle, and he was lame. Vet suggested another week off, and i was going on holiday I moved him to a yard where they could take care of him. The girl that runs the yard started a treatment program for his splint, however his first night of being stabled, as he had been out 24/7 till then, he came out lame in walk, this was the first time he was lame in walk. He got progressively worse, so she ruled out splint and looked at foot abcess being the cause. poulticed for 5 days and infection burst out of foot. Blacksmith came and dug some more out, but then nothing came out after a couple of days but he was still lame not putting heel done. He has lots of folds at back of pastern, and scar tissue, as he is a cob, and had feather mites relly bad before i got him. Any way took him to the hospital, where they ruled out cellulitis again, they nerve blocked the bottom of his leg through the scar tissue. It didnt work first time as they tried the pen test and he wouldnt even let you near his leg. They then tried again, but didnt try the pen again to see if it had worked, he was still lame. they then nerve blocked at top of leg, but i wasnt there when they walked him out as i was in waiting room and they didnt come to get me they just said he was still lame. He is now booked in for a bone scan to try to locate where the pain is coming from and what is causing it. I am really frightened as dont know what they are looking for, actually neither do they. My questions to anyone that can help, is a) Can nerve blocks fail, 2) I can't see that the original infection in the skin was hiding a secondry problem, cos once the infection had gone, the other problem would still have been there, making him lame. does that sound right.3) The fact that he continue to rest his leg when skin infection had gone, suggests to me the infection was not completly gone. it wasnt hurting him it was probably uncomfortable when stood for any length of time. 4) fact is he had infection cos it burst out, is it possble that the infection has travelled further up, and untill hospital know what is is they cant give antibiotics to clear it as if it is still in his foot they would supress it. anyway I so hope i am right and it is nothing really serious as i dont think he would have gone lame then sound then lame, please help if you can and thank you for listening. Sorry forgot to say he is 15 years old and a very fit cob, not overweight either .:(:(:(
 
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