lameness?stiffness? after box rest

[kez1001]

Advice please, my 4yo had a very nasty leg cut to his back hind on the outer aspect. It was xrayed and scanned to checked for bone and ligament/tendon damage. The vets said that everything was ok and the main concern was keeping deep tension stitches intact and to prevent wound infection.

The stitches were removed after 2 weeks and i was given advice to start working him lightly five days after stitiches out. So he is 4yo so light working is an interesting idea in any horse who has not been turned out in 3 weeks let alone a four year old! So we started with walks in hand and to be honest he was a very good boy, so began to hack him out gently under vets advice who at this point made a strange comment as not to be surprised if he is a bit lame to start off?? what does she mean by this? she didnt want to trot him up, there is a bit of a language barrier as she is french but i am slighlty confused.

I added in a little bit of trot on tuesday and his ears were pricked and he was covering the ground well but seemed to be dragging his toe every couple of strides, no head dipping or feeling of his quaters dipping. Repeated the trot again for around a minute and he did it again. tried one last time on the gentle slope up before our yard and he didnt do it all?? bit stumped am i over reacting? was going to see how it goes over the next week and see if any changes. Vet bills are already around the £1500 mark for this wound!

I have been told i can turn him out now and he trots around the field no problem. He has been on the lunge and he tracks up well if not nearly always over reaching. In the arena he can get unbalanced but feel he was like this before the accident and just a training issue due to his age etc especially when he rushes - he is quite sharp at the moment!

So general advice please? why would vet say he could be lame if no damage? anyone elses horse stiff after box rest? is it possible muscle wastage is why he is dragging the toe in trot? anyone else had a similar situation? the wound was very deep but clean and is very nearly healed? small area of proud flesh approx 1cm long last night 0.4cm wide so hopefully last bandage change will be this weekend.

choco digestives and tea for those who got this far

 

[cptrayes]

Adhesions form in deep wounds. Bits of healing flesh and soft tissue can stick together and cause soreness. For long term soundness these adhesions need to be broken, and that's why you've been told to work him. He may come out unsound where an adhesion is sticking. The work will free it up and he should come sound again. The work is essential, keep going if your vet tells you to. A friend of mine did not work her horse as she was told and she struggles to keep her horse sound two years later, due purely to adhesions and not to the original injury at all.

 

[ImogenBurrows]

why would vet say he could be lame if no damage? anyone elses horse stiff after box rest? is it possible muscle wastage is why he is dragging the toe in trot? the wound was very deep but clean and is very nearly healed? small area of proud flesh approx 1cm long last night 0.4cm wide so hopefully last bandage change will be this weekend.

choco digestives and tea for those who got this far

OOOOO biscuits and tea - nom nom nom

I assume that the lameness is on the same leg at the injury??
The wound may be a red herring to a point and he may have injured himself at the same time but in a different mannner that wouldn't have been detectable at the original examination.

I personally often don't trot up a horse with a wound too much if the horse is comfortable at walk as I often check the wound first and decide based on location and depth etc how to progress. So if this was also the case, she may not have seen he was lame at trot at the start and it may not be directly from the wound but from another simultaneous injury - does that make sense?

I agree with her - it is NOT usual esp for a 4yo to show lameness after this rest period. £ wks should not have caused a significant of muscle wastage on ONE side (required to really create an asymmetry/lameness).

In usual problems with the wound it'd not be looking so healthy IMO.

TBH I think you'd be best to get the vet back or take the horse in for investigation....

Sorry, no magic wand but is there still a chance of tea?
HTH
Imogen

 

[kez1001]

thanks for replies

tea still on offer Imogen!

cptrayes- she did actually say something about the reason for starting work was in case of adhesions i will give her a phone and see what she thinks.

Though i think i may have over reacted as he was trotted up when he injured the leg originally as he was not lame in walk and he was 2/10 lame in trot. He has been resting the leg a lot since he was injured. I have discussed this with the vet also and she thought it was normal as he would be able to feel the stitches. Also i havent actually had him very long so i dont know what he is normally like i.e he did rest his back legs before the injury but i cant remember how much or how often?!

i will work him again today and see how we get on, thanks again guys

 

[Orangehorse]

After mine was on box rest I got the physio to give him a treatment (vet agreed it would be a good idea). Mind, he had been in a lot longer than yours and he was a total prat when allowed out and had been throwing himself around lots so I thought I had better get him straightened out!

The adhesions thing sounds very logical. Good luck.

 

[kez1001]

orangehorse - i was thinking along those lines myself to be honest. even just to put my mind at rest as my vets although very good are very quick to xray scan etc and she did warn me he could be lame. One of the girls at the yard has a physio so will ask for a contact number.

today when i worked him he was sound trotted up in hand and on the lunge, scuffed his toe a few times when trotted up but only when slowing down if that makes sense. horses eh why do we bother!?!