Lameness

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ALO

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Wondering if anyone can help/has suggestions?my horse went lame RF about 3renths in trot approx 8weeks ago,with rest no improvement so vet called,advised bute, no improvement. x-rays performed of foot and fetlock,nothing really seen,thought maybe a little bit arthritis in fetlock (hes 19).2weeks later much worse,quite lame in walk,vet called again,shoe removed to check for abscess, no reaction to hoof testers,booked in for nerve blocks and more x-rays and advised box rest in case of lami. Nerve blocks localised to foot,x-rays look exactly the same.
Farrier called out to check foot balance,all fine,removed shoes and placed frog supports as per vet,1week later,horse still really lame,heart bar shoes put on, slight improvement but still very lame.
I am now 8weeks on,have spent a reasonable amount of money and feel like I'm not really any further forward,and no one seems to be able to give me any sort of a diagnosis :-((
Thanks for reading,sorry if I missed anything out and it's a bit long and rambling!
 
If nothing shows on xray it is either ligament/tendon injury or most likely an abscess If he has good feet it could be very hard to find.
I would get the farrier back and get him to really test and see if he can find one.
I have a pony that took 4 months for an abscess to come out,we were treating it but it was so deep in the foot,above the pedal bone,it just wouldnt go up or down.
If it was anything else he would probably improved with bute/rest.
Try tubbing the foot to soften it .
Good luck
 
Thanks for posting,did you see anything on x-ray?I too am suspicious of an abcess,the horses feet are very hard,I think anything would struggle to come out on its own.think will try rubbing and poulticing,can't do any harm!Farrier did suggest doing this,vet was quite skeptical as said probly wouldn't be able to soften enough to do so.
 
If it's an abscess, soaking in hot water and Epsom salts will likely help. The problem is that box rest won't. Your horse will need to move after soaking in order for the pus to find it's way out. Is there a small area you can turn out in?

There is a wonderful product here which is an epsom salt poultice and that works really well to draw a bruise or an abscess. Is there a similar product in the UK? I've used this poultice with great success. Put a big 'gob' on the bottom of the foot, packing the collateral grooves and sole. Cover with a nappy and vet wrap and then a boot. Leave on for up to 36 hours.
 
Has your vet mentioned anything to you about MRI scans?

This happens quite a lot.... A horse blocks out to the foot, no abscesses, nothing on x-ray. Remember that you can't see soft tissues on x-rays and I know horse feet are quite small but trust me there is quite a lot of soft stuff in there!! MRI scans can identify problems with tendons or ligaments in the foot. If your vet hasn't already suggested this to you then it is unlikely your local practice has a scanner but they might be able to refer you to one that does.

Only problem with this is that foot MRI scans cost around £1200 plus you have to travel, pay for a catheter/sedation etc...... But you might end up with the answers you are looking for.

Hope this helps :)
 
That's for your reply!we have discussed MRI,I'm reluctant due to cost (he's no longer insured due to age) although if it would dramatically change what we did I would afford it somehow.
Cluck what is the name of the Epsom salt poultice you mentioned??
 
Hi, I'm having this problem too (see post sudden lameness) if it was an abcess would it not have heat in some part of hoof/leg? my girly is 16yrs and was really fit and after shoeing went lame on FR, after bute/box rest/farrier nothing found???? I really thought abcess but she lets you dig about feet while cleaning out and never flinches when feeling all around leg? The farrier did a really thorough check as well.
 
Sounds a similar story!I thoughthis regarding the heat and swelling but farrier thinks that if it is completely encapsulated it could take a while to come out! Siam jack have u x-rayed and blocked yours too???how long has yours been lame??mine too was fit and in work before this happened :-(
 
No we have'nt x ray/nerve block yet, she has been lame for about the last 4-5wks and we have just now got to that stage, although I have a back man coming out hopefully end of this week just to make sure. Previous owners said she has been nerve blocked and x rayed before but nothing found then, she said she was not lame then only "not right" ? this was 2yrs ago and the vet told her for her age her joints etc were in very good nick!
 
i had the same problems with my horse, we went down the cheaper option of nerve blocks and x-rays, at least then we could rule out boney changes/problems. the nerve block told the vet it was in the foot area. after discussing with 2 vets the opinion is that my horse tore his DDFT or it's just been 'stretched' beyond elasticity so that's why he is lame intermittently. they couldn't be 100% sure as obviously the x-rays didn't pick up on soft tissue or ligaments but with everything else going on they were fairly certain that's what it was.
we have treated it as such and although he's retired as he can still have off days (18 months later) he still manages to have a blast with his mates in the paddock and do 'pony rides' for my kids!
 
My horse was lame on her HR and after scans & x-rays i was told is was only ligament damage. After treatment and 13 weeks of rest she was still on/off lame. Ended up getting bone scans and x-rays of her back, hips, pelvis and hind legs and it turns out the problems and lameness were coming from elsewhere. Maybe you should widen the search.
Hope everything goes well x
 
Thanks for replies,I had thought about ligament damage,he seems to get a bit better when walking around (vet has agreed to try a few hours of turnout in a small paddock) and I would of thought would get worse with movement if was a soft tissue injury!these horse are such a nightmare!only good thing is that he's quite easy to do and is tolerating the box rest quite well.
 
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