Lameness diagnoses

[Menolly]

Just after some views and any experiences please

Its a long one! ....

Horse has only ever had front shoes on so decided to take the plunge and have them taken off 5 weeks ago. As soon as they came off he was sound on concrete, field and on gravel/stony tracks.

I had been taking him on in hand walks around the gravel paths and as he was still happy I took him out for a hack in walk and he was fine on a stony track however over the last week (2 days after the hack) he started to become noticeably lame on the gravel on the yard but sound in the field however yesterday he became lame in front on all surfaces.
I have had the vet out this morning who advised that his heels are low, he has very thin soles and a digital pulse in both front feet.


She did a small scraping but could not find anything obvious and gave two possible diagnoses;
A touch of Laminitis or an Abscess

Initially she suggested doing nerve blocks to isolate the pain which I thought was extreme for the diagnoses she gave and we agreed to keep him in with pain relief on a thick bed with soaked hay and she advised to have the farrier put his front shoes back on.

I also asked if it could be bruised soles as although there is no visible bruising is it too much of a coincidence that hes had his shoes off so his feet are adjusting and the ground is rock hard. She also agreed this could be a possibility.

No history of Laminitis - He is 6 and over the last 6 months he has finally filled his frame - agreed he is now carrying a little excess weight. He is not fed any additional feed and this has been the case for the last 3 months.

I do have a lamanitic pony who has not had an attack for 10 years however my alarm was that she would get very quiet, lethargic and generally not herself. - He is still very much his boisterous self and was last night still trotting around with a limp and is now happily chasing his empty treat ball around the stable.

If this is a touch of laminitis is it ok to put the shoes back on now or am I best leaving him barefoot until lameness improves?

Also would soaking and poulticing his hoof to cover the abscess/bruise and softening his feet be harmful if it is in fact laminitis?

If the lameness is persistent then I will have the nerve blocks but would appreciate any views on what the diagnoses could be and any experiences of similar.

Thank you in advance x

 

[MrsMozart]

Bump


And adding my two pence worth, it could be the grass changing - sun then rain equals more sugars, which in turn affects feet. My mare is shoeless all year round, but come this time of year and she goes footy. I gave in last year and had shoes back on for a period.

If your horse is bruised, then the deep bedding (I'm assuming deep shavings type bed), should offer a smooth and supportive base. I've only once wrapped hooves for laminitis, having found that the bed did the trick (along with catching early and the other bits n bobs).

Having read a fair amount about laminitis, I don't believe weight or age make any difference - as in being under/right weight.

 

[touchstone]

I'd be sticking with the possibility of laminitis, there seems to be lots of it about at the moment and seeing that he has raised pulses in both front feet it seems likely.

As for putting shoes on, personally I wouldn't, it may give temporary relief but won't fix the underlying low heels and thin soles and any laminitic symptoms are much easier to spot when unshod. There are plenty of hoof boots on the maket that provide a viable alternative if the feet need protection.

Just my take on it, I hope your horse improves and is comfortable soon.

Ps- Don't know where the thumbs up icon has appeared from in my title, but don't know how to get rid of it so I do apologise!

 

[Menolly]

Thank you both - Appreciate your views/advice.

The more threads I am reading on here I am inclined to agree with the laminitis diagnoses.

I willl leave him in with soaked hay for the rest of the week hopefully if it improves I can strip graze him with a muzzle and then get advice from the farrier in respect to shoes/boots.

Thanks again x