Lameness on Rough Ground

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alfieharry

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My horse has been lame on roungh ground for 5 days now and not quite sure what it is.....had my farrier to check him out but no sign of any abcest's..... any experiances of this? don't want to call the vet as of yet. Sorry about the spelling!!!
 
Miss L Toe said:
If you don't know what is wrong [it could be a number of things], you will have to call the vet. Most horses get Danolin for four days, and possibly box rest, it all depends on the problem.
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Its Impossible to say why a horse is lame based on the imformation given however five days is a long time to leave the horse to 'see what happens' and you need to call the vet ASAP.
 
mine has been lame for 3 1/2 weeks now with this but i did get the vet straight away. we still dont know why at the moment she appeared lame in one leg then got worse (hopping) xrays, nerve blocked, bute, box rest then she went lame on the other leg! just been turned out today (vets advice) came in with puffy tendon just below knee on original leg :confused: i rang vet again expecting him again in the morning but she isnt that lame now but puffy tendons always worry me so far my bill is £410 but my horse is worth far more than that too me so will keep going until problem is found, she is insured on a value vet fees so i pay £500 excess but max payout on vet fees is £1400 will be changing policy after this as didnt realise it was only £1400! lameness is normally diagnosed by elimination (unless obvious) in my experience and the vet and farrier are vital people to find cause, my advice would be get vet, mine is really good and lets me pay him off £200 a month maybe yours would if money is stopping you
 
Hey thanks for everyone's constructive advice, don't worry money is not an issue and he is insured, vet is being called tomo do fingers crossed I'm overreacting :)
 
Hey thanks for everyone's constructive advice, don't worry money is not an issue and he is insured, vet is being called tomo do fingers crossed I'm overreacting :)
 
You are not over-reacting, the problem needs to be sorted as different problems need different treatments.
I have just had my boy diagnosed with an abscess, it is now draining and it will take 10 to 14 days before the sole has healed up.

There also was pus from a tiny bit of frog, but this was cut back and was only superficial,
Due to him "hirpling" he is sore in shoulder muscles and along the ribs.
 
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Yea had the vet out, he has had shoe of and poulticing his foot he has had x rys the abcess must be very deep seated either that or sore bruising just a matter of sitting back and wait apprently.... I'll give it till Friday. They don't wanna keep digging apprently so hopefully itll be fine soon. In the mean time pain killers
 
alfieharry said:
Yea had the vet out, he has had shoe of and poulticing his foot he has had x rys the abcess must be very deep seated either that or sore bruising just a matter of sitting back and wait apprently.... I'll give it till Friday. They don't wanna keep digging apprently so hopefully itll be fine soon. In the mean time pain killers
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I think you are a bit confused, my interpretation is "the vet has asked you to poultice the hoof in order to try to make the abscess come to the fore".... therefore he has diagnosed "an abscess" which needs "time to mature"
They needed to X-ray err, why?........... they were not sure what the problem was,, an X-ray will not show up an abscess [as far as I am aware] because this is a soft tissue thing, and an X-ray shows skeletal tissue [ie bones].
Bruising is usually in the hoof / horn or sole, and is easy to see, just like in a human, it is red/purple.
From your comments, I think the vet considers the problem is in the hoof area, and not in the leg.
The vet will only dig when he is sure he has identified the source of the abscess, which is not always easy, but I have never had an X-ray on a hoof problem, well not yet, and not at this stage.
 
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He does not know what it is as of yet, he x ray'd to check the pedal bone and look for gas bubbles from an abcess but no your right you can not see an abcess, no bruising is showing and bruising should be better by now, he has not nerve blocked as he is 99% sure it is in the foot. So yes sit back and hope it matures and finds its own way out, but if not Tom my farrier will have another check for me. I hate seeing him in pain so I'm hoping it finds it's way out soon!!!
 
I have just had an abscess cut back today, horse was intermittent lame over eight days, in spite of looking closely I could see no bruising.
In desperation, I poulticed the sole and the lower limb. He is unshod so I was able to tap the sole with a rasp, and he did flinch a bit on one side, the vet had a problem as well, but his hoof testers also showed pain at same site, so he shaved the sole until a tiny bit of pus appeared. then he opened up the abscess, which is now poulticed, it will take 10 to 14 days before he is back to normal. the hole is pretty large, but it is essential to prevent the sole to closing up before it has healed.
A lot of blood, and horse refuses to put foot in a bucket to soak it.
My vet is a no nonsense guy, my bill is for a call-out, plus a bit of time £60.00, materials extra. He is very efficient and does not waste any time.
 
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I'm just a horseowner, so don't have any professional advice. However, I'd be keeping a good check on digital pulses and any sign of the leg swelling from the hoof up (more likely to be an abscess) or from below the knee down (more likely to be laminitis I'd also be gently pressing just above the coronet band regularly in case there had been any slight sinking.

Laminitis can appear as a lameness in a single limb before it progresses to more limbs, and so especially this time of year, I'd make sure I was managing as though it was laminitis until it was proved to be something else. It's just so much easier to catch it early and do something about it than wait til it progresses to have caused more damage.

I'd be extremely cautious of allowing anyone to dig holes in my horses' feet in search of an abscess. My opinion is that when an abscess is ready to burst out, it will do, perhaps aided by some poulticing.

If it has to be dug out, it's not ready to burst, and there's a greater chance of infection remaining in the hoof.

Hope he's soon much better, whatever the cause.

Sarah
 
I'm an owner too but second flintfootfilly's advice.

If it is the hoof/hooves apart from lamina inflammation consider:- thrush, especially with a deep central sulcus or any sooty blackness, thin soles and poorly developed internal hoof structures.
Lamina inflammation, thrush and thin soles are often dietary related especially excess sugars/carbs and mineral deficiency and or imbalance. Thin soles also need protection so don't go on stony ground while he's sore anyway, other wise you risk bruising and a definite abscess.
 
flintfootfilly said:
I'm just a horseowner, so don't have any professional advice. However, I'd be keeping a good check on digital pulses and any sign of the leg swelling from the hoof up (more likely to be an abscess) or from below the knee down (more likely to be laminitis I'd also be gently pressing just above the coronet band regularly in case there had been any slight sinking.

Laminitis can appear as a lameness in a single limb before it progresses to more limbs, and so especially this time of year, I'd make sure I was managing as though it was laminitis until it was proved to be something else. It's just so much easier to catch it early and do something about it than wait til it progresses to have caused more damage.

I'd be extremely cautious of allowing anyone to dig holes in my horses' feet in search of an abscess. My opinion is that when an abscess is ready to burst out, it will do, perhaps aided by some poulticing.

If it has to be dug out, it's not ready to burst, and there's a greater chance of infection remaining in the hoof.

Hope he's soon much better, whatever the cause.

Sarah
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I disagree, if the vet had not cut out the abscess my horse would still be in severe pain.
There had been intermittent lameness over nine days, he was turned out on Saturday morning, sound, and in the evening was hobbling, his pain got worse on Sunday when he was in his stable, on a deep bed and on three Danolin.
The vet did not dig around in a random manner, he spend considerable time examining foot, shaved very cautiously until he found the source, then he pared the sole to form a hole which allows the absessc to drain before it heals up. He is fully qualified and experienced, I would not have allowed a newly qualified and inexperienced vet to deal with it.
Yes I could still be up there twice a day poulticing and hoping that the abscess would miraculously appear, why would I keep an animal in pain for longer than necessary.
I know people go on about abscesses coming out through coronet band, I have never seen this, and have seen several opened up through the sole, giving immediate relief.
The sole on my horse is quite thick and strong, I don't see how the abscess could "burst when it is ready" though quarter inch of hoof material.
At no time was there any heat or swelling, and only a minor flinch when the hoof testers were used, nothing in comparison to the pain the horse was in, he was almost non weight bearing, and extremely sorry for himself.
PS any vet, experienced or otherwise can identify laminitis, but again the owner needs to call out the professional.
 
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amandap said:
I'm an owner too but second flintfootfilly's advice.

If it is the hoof/hooves apart from lamina inflammation consider:- thrush, especially with a deep central sulcus or any sooty blackness, thin soles and poorly developed internal hoof structures.
Lamina inflammation, thrush and thin soles are often dietary related especially excess sugars/carbs and mineral deficiency and or imbalance. Thin soles also need protection so don't go on stony ground while he's sore anyway, other wise you risk bruising and a definite abscess.
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I assume the horse is now on box rest.
 
Miss L Toe said:
I know people go on about abscesses coming out through coronet band, I have never seen this, and have seen several opened up through the sole, giving immediate relief.
The sole on my horse is quite thick and strong, I don't see how the abscess could "burst when it is ready" though quarter inch of hoof material.
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Abscesses will burst wherever there is a weak point depending on where in the hoof they are located. Some at the coronary band, some at the bulbs and others in the frog. It is very unlikely (impossible) an abscess would burst through hoof wall or good thick sole.
Whether to have them opened is a call depending on the owners and the length of time the pain is severe... imo there is a danger in trying to open them too early and opening the hoof capsule is always accompanied by the risk of introducing further infection. The hoof is a sealed structure for a very good reason.
I have only had one opened on a horse and tbh it was a nightmare and took months for the hole to grow out in the sole. One or two I haven't even known they've had until the slit grew down in the hoof wall.

Is laminitis suspected if he's now on box rest? I'm sure your vet will keep you right.
 
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