Lameness work up result? Soft tissue?

Jim Bob I echo the others who think you are getting poor advice from your vet for this horse and would be seeking a second opinion. Low grade laminitis is a possibility, but a toe first landing is known to create ddft problems in the foot and you need to address that pronto if you want him sound again.

I still don't understand why your vet has given you the impression that they should MRI the pedal bone. The foot, maybe, but not the pedal bone by itself which has already been x rayed.

Foot quality, lgl and skin issues can be caused by copper deficiency (which can be caused by iron overload). Has the horse had any blood analysis done?

Please consider getting another vet.
 
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If he is landing toe first something hurts at the back of his foot, as there isn't a whole lot of bone back there it is likely he has a soft tissue issue that would previously have been diagnosed as navicular - did the vet block the whole hoof straight off or start with the back as would be normal. Is the plan for him to be I steroids long term?
 
Jim Bob I echo the others who think you are getting poor advice from your vet for this horse and would be seeking a second opinion. Low grade laminitis is a possibility, but a toe first landing is known to create ddft problems in the foot and you need to address that pronto if you want him sound again.

I still don't understand why your vet has given you the impression that they should MRI the pedal bone. The foot, maybe, but not the pedal bone by itself which has already been x rayed.

Foot quality, lgl and skin issues can be caused by copper deficiency (which can be caused by iron overload). Has the horse had any blood analysis done?
Yes he has had many when I say skin disorder j mean he has an immune disorder. Bloods all come back clear. My horse is with one of the best vets in the north east.

t.

If he is landing toe first something hurts at the back of his foot, as there isn't a whole lot of bone back there it is likely he has a soft tissue issue that would previously have been diagnosed as navicular - did the vet block the whole hoof straight off or start with the back as would be normal. Is the plan for him to be I steroids long term?

The vet did a palmar? Nerve block to confirm it was in the foot. Nope . He would be on them another 2 months if that.
 
So yes he did block the back of the foot (palmar) so while he might have some lami grumbling I think it is much more likely his main issue is to do with the tendons and ligaments in the back of the foot, this is good news IMO as barefoot and getting a heel first landing has every chance of resolving it.

Re the multiple things wrong I was a bit concerned we might be dealing with a horse that needed to be on pretty long term steroid use and reacting badly to that with lami in his feet
 
Jim Bob vets aren't infallible. I have saved a horse from being put down by 'one of the best vets in the north west' and another from being retired as a paddock ornament by 'one of the top two university hospitals in the country' and I have cheaper/less painful/less scarring results on treating sarcoids than the best man in the world at sarcoids. I'm not especially clever, I just know a couple of things that they won't even consider. Some vets are VERY closed minded on foot lameness.

I agree completely with Esters last post.
 
I think a lot of keyboard warriors need to step back here - I agree there are potential further investigations to do - although the op clearly says the vet has offered mri.
nobody on here has ANY idea what is actually the problem nevermind if a management change such as removing shoes will resolve the issue - so telling someone to ignore their qualified professional eyes on the ground is a bit ignorant..

As for treating sarcoids well that should never be done based on internet research only - they are known to have a tendancy to suddenly grow ridiculously large if given something they don't like ...
 
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I think a lot of keyboard warriors need to step back here - I agree there are potential further investigations do - although the op clearly says the vet has offered mri.
nobody on here has ANY idea what is actually the problem nevermind if a management change such as removing shoes will resolve the ilossue - so telling someone to ignore their qualified professional eyes on the ground is a bit ignorant..

...

The suggestion from several posters has been to get a second opinion from another vet Susie, not to ignore vets advice. And the OP did post asking for advice, so I'm not sure what your game is in posting to tell people not to give it if they think they can help.
 
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Aside from the steroid issue, you horses lameness sounds exactly like mine. Suspected lami and bruising, blocking the 'lame' foot only to discover its just the lamest and in fact the horse is lame in both.

If you could post some good hoof shots, and maybe even a slow mo video of his landing that would be really helpful for the knowledgeable 'keyboard warriors'. My horse was walking on the outside (lateral?!) side of his foot in his bad foot. Which was something that was only really made clear to me once at Rockley, this was after 3 vet visits and two referred vet lameness work ups. How the horse is using its feet and body can really help diagnose IMHO. And if you've not got insurance for an mri, what have you to lose by posting a video? Some bright spark might be able to help. And whilst barefoot rehab isn't necessarily cheap, it can be done at home with the right support.
 
So yes he did block the back of the foot (palmar) so while he might have some lami grumbling I think it is much more likely his main issue is to do with the tendons and ligaments in the back of the foot, this is good news IMO as barefoot and getting a heel first landing has every chance of resolving it.

Re the multiple things wrong I was a bit concerned we might be dealing with a horse that needed to be on pretty long term steroid use and reacting badly to that with lami in his feet

But my horse will happily charge around the field when upset etc surely if he had done any ligament/tendon issue then this would be painful and it would show or he just wouldn't charge around?

Aside from the steroid issue, you horses lameness sounds exactly like mine. Suspected lami and bruising, blocking the 'lame' foot only to discover its just the lamest and in fact the horse is lame in both.

If you could post some good hoof shots, and maybe even a slow mo video of his landing that would be really helpful for the knowledgeable 'keyboard warriors'. My horse was walking on the outside (lateral?!) side of his foot in his bad foot. Which was something that was only really made clear to me once at Rockley, this was after 3 vet visits and two referred vet lameness work ups. How the horse is using its feet and body can really help diagnose IMHO. And if you've not got insurance for an mri, what have you to lose by posting a video? Some bright spark might be able to help. And whilst barefoot rehab isn't necessarily cheap, it can be done at home with the right support.

I could maybe do hoof shots but not the video.. though I could try. He is due for shoeing in around 2 weeks.
 
It's amazing what adrenaline will do. and a softer surface. Also they are prey animals, they are usually pretty good at being able to run/covering things up unless catastrophic. Frank was only 3/10 lame trotting a small circle on a hard surface, and was only lame in one foot, if he had been sore on both that amount he would have looked pretty sound until you blocked him.
 
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