LAMENESS - Horse sound in straight Line, Lame in a circle?

horsegirl101 said:
Defo not a troll!!!! My pony is lame!
Only slightly though, and it is getting better so I don't see why I should call the vet out as it is already getting better.
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Yes, I said I didn't think you were a troll. I'm not one to call out a vet for any little thing either, but I would just ring the vet for a chat :) no harm in doing so, so that if your pony gets worse then the vet is already up to speed. Good luck, I hope the pony is fine and is sound again soon.
 
And niether do I call the vet out for every little thing .
But since Op in this case did not know that it's perfectly normal for a horse to be lamer on a circle than on a straight line and felt the need to post a rude reply about how E-x-p-e-n-s-i- v-e it is to call a vet I felt no obligation to treat her with kid gloves..
 
This is the problem with forums. I did not read anything rude in that reply and I doubt very much if it was intended to be rude. Now that you have said that you took it that way, I can see why, but I think the poster was simply bemoaning the cost of a vet, not having a pop at anyone.

OP, if you have a stream near you, stand your pony in it for as long as you can. Works a treat on bruises :)
 
cptrayes said:
This is the problem with forums. I did not read anything rude in that reply and I doubt very much if it was intended to be rude. Now that you have said that you took it that way, I can see why, but I think the poster was simply bemoaning the cost of a vet, not having a pop at anyone.

OP, if you have a stream near you, stand your pony in it for as long as you can. Works a treat on bruises :)
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Well I found it very rude.
 
I didn't read it as rude either.
Although I find other replys on here verging on so .
Not all of us can afford to throw away a £ 40 plus call out charge on a vet when it is not necessary!
 
That's where you and me differ, if my horse is lame and in no excrutiating pain in the first case I will box rest it , if the next day it is Better I continue , if worse I call the vet, if no better I would leave it another 24 hours and reasses.
If on the 3rd day it is still getting better but still lame at that stage I would not call the vet!
 
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lannerch said:
That's where you and me differ, if my horse is lame and in no excrutiating pain in the first case I will box rest it , if the next day it is Better I continue , if worse I call the vet, if no better I would leave it another 24 hours and reasses.
If on the 3rd day it is still getting better but still lame at that stage I would not call the vet!
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I don't disagree with you at all. But the initial post didn't actually say anything about the horse improving. Just that it was lame and help and advice were welcome.
 
But yes it does all be it very badly put , the horse was hopping lame at first, 3 days later it was almost sound, and only showing lame on a circle.
No mention of box rest granted ( to limit any more damage whilst the cause of lameness is unknown ) .
.......Bracketed explanation for the more inexperienced posters here like I suspect the op, and certainly not amymay
 
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Personally, I objected to the reason for not calling the vet being cost. Not because she didn't think the horse required immediate attention.

I doubt anyone likes paying for the vet, but if it needs doing then we do it.

If I knew why my horse was lame, I would give it a couple of days to see if there's any improvement (unless it was severe). If I didn't know what was wrong, I would just get the vet out...

Vets' bills are part and parcel of owning animals. Don't want the bills? Don't get the animal. You can't do it fairly any other way.
 
MrsD123 said:
Interesting comment from this farrier............
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but MrsD123 we only have OP's word for exactly what was said. The farrier probably tested for sensitivity and an abscess and may have commented it could be a bruised sole. OP clearly does not want to call the vet out yet and I have no opinion whether that is right or wrong at this point so even if farrier said you need to consult your vet OP may not be telling us that.
Timing for calling a vet is all a matter of opinion and preference - some folk have the vet for the tiniest of symptoms - others will leave a horse unchecked for months for something serious and in reality I think common sense should prevail with lameness - we all know that a minor injury can easily be sustained in the paddock which will disappear in time. Now eyes and colic and hopping lame are a different matter.
 
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lannerch said:
That's where you and me differ, if my horse is lame and in no excrutiating pain in the first case I will box rest it , if the next day it is Better I continue , if worse I call the vet, if no better I would leave it another 24 hours and reasses.
If on the 3rd day it is still getting better but still lame at that stage I would not call the vet!
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It's certainly where we differ on my yard box rest is only a last resort when the vet requires it . I would certainly happily pay for a call out to avoid a horse spending unecessary time on box rest which is very bad for them .
 
it might be low grade laminitis, your vet should be able to tell you, esp if he is footy on hard stony ground but fine on soft ground and it can occur in one foot...good luck
 
Box rest is not very bad for them goldenstar don't preach to me like I'm clueless or naive , boring yes, but couple of days it does no harm, it rarely means the horse does not go for a walk.
My poor horse knows he has had to have long periods ( over 5 months ) of box rest all under vets advice.

But I cannot afford to pay for a vet for every slight ailment , on time or money, nor do I trouble the dr for anything other than potentially serious problems with myself.

Yes my horse cannot physically talk but he's quite capable of telling me when something is seriously wrong.
 
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lannerch said:
Box rest is not very bad for them goldenstar don't preach to me like I'm clueless or naive , boring yes, but couple of days it does no harm, it rarely means the horse does not go for a walk.
My poor horse knows he has had to have long periods ( over 5 months ) of box rest all under vets advice.

But I cannot afford to pay for a vet for every slight ailment , on time or money, nor do I trouble the dr for anything other than potentially serious problems with myself.

Yes my horse cannot physically talk but he's quite capable of telling me when something is seriously wrong.
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I am not preaching .
I could have listed all the physical reason why horses are not supposed to send twenty four hours a day standing in but I did not.
Is it ok for you to say you box rest your horse when it's lame and you don't know what's wrong with it but it's not ok for me to say I would never do that to one of mine .
I have no trouble whatsoever dealing with minor lameness myself , I so all the time when I know wants going on , if I don't I get the vet.
 
I found your tone very condescending and anyway every time I have called a vet out for lameness they have recommend a couple of days box rest and if no better give them a call.

How many times be honest has a vet however good, been able to tell you exactly the cause of lameness, with no obvious swelling , heat, pressure points on the hoof, by just examining it.

I did not criticise your claim that you called the vet out every time to avoid box rest, and I did not speak down to you like you did me.

You are entitled to do what you think best without ridicule as am I , as is the op.
 
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Let's try this one out.

Horse treads hard on a stone causing a nasty bruise that temporarily makes it hopping lame. Lameness rapidly reduces but owner has panicked and kept it in just in case. Blood circulation to foot is now severely reduced by lack of movement, and dead cells in the bruise can't now be cleared into the bloodstream and out of the body. An abscess forms, resulting at best in ongoing lameness and at worst in serious damage to the foot.

I am not advocating that every lame horse should turned out, but a horse where a farrier has checked out the horse and thinks it has a bruise? Of course.

For those saying that it is illegal for a farrier to diagnose, would you really trust a vet to know better? And who do you think is going prosecute the farrier anyway? They diagnose abscesses and bruises all the time.
 
I agree with you totally cptrayes except that when my horse had a deep solar bruising for the first few days both my farrier and vet ( yes I called both ) recommended bute and box rest.

The same with an abscess , poultice until dry and a couple of days box rest.

But totally agree Farriers are professionals of the hoof though and like a pharmacist can't officially in the legal sense diagnose but are a great source of information , :-)
 
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lannerch said:
I found your tone very condescending and anyway every time I have called a vet out for lameness they have recommend a couple of days box rest and if no better give them a call.

How many times be honest has a vet however good, been able to tell you exactly the cause of lameness, with no obvious swelling , heat, pressure points on the hoof, by just examining it.

I did not criticise your claim that you called the vet out every time to avoid box rest, and I did not speak down to you like you did me.

You are entitled to do what you think best without ridicule as am I , as is the op.
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I never ridiculed you .
I simply posted what I do which is I would not put a horse on box rest with out a vet seeing it or of course when it's waiting to be see which is always the day I call or the morning after if I called it in late in the day.
And I would never ever consider calling a farrier to a lame horse .
Cptrayes ,My vets very good at diagnosing lameness it's her speciality .
 
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