Mysterious lameness..in 3 different legs over 3 weeks..HELP!

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Foxfolly

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About 3 weeks ago our big boy had a really nasty reaction to fly bites, all 4 legs were up like balloons and he was really sore, very shuffly on both fronts especially, had the vet out, she gave steroid injection and also A/B's as we insisted as I was concerned he could get celulitis. Advised to leave him out as it would be better to keep moving.

The swelling took a good 5 days to start going down then he went quite badly lame on a front leg, which was swollen round the fetlock and up the lower leg, bought him in and put him on box rest, bandaged and hosed, as I suspected he may have twisted his fetlock or somthing while he was sore from the fly bites...and therfore shuffling awkwardly around the field... within a couple of days the sweeling went down.

But he then he went lame behind quite badly (Whilst on box rest) Had the vet out again he couldn't find anything obvious but thought he still might be slightly lame in front too but difficult to tell as he was more lame behind, so advised bute for 5 days and box rest, for 2 weeks.

That was about 10 days ago, he has been looking sound since he came off the bute but got him out of the barn saturday and his other front leg (Not the one he was lame on before) is now really fat, up the inside in the leg and he seem really tender all the way up the tendon but he's looking sound and not obviously lame!! (He's difficult as he is a bit of a wimp anyway about having his leg touched from having bad mud fever as a baby)

I will also add he has recently lost a bit of condition but I think that was from the fly bite reaction as he has been looking better since he's been in and recovered from that! He is only 4 very chunky and over 17hh.

Any ideas?

We are getting the vet out today anyway but I just though I'd pick you brains before the vet gets here, OH is asking them to bring scanning stuff!!
 
Help anyone please???

Now had vet out who can't get near him with the clippers clip his leg to scan it, he went into one big time, so tried to sedate him and even with a twitch on couldn't get the sedative in the vein.

So has prescribed more bute and more box rest!!

Not too amused as I really think we need to be finding out what is going on, rather than just pumping him full of bute!!
 
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Can that happen? What would the symptoms be... Same as 'typical fat pony' laminitis? Been years since I had to deal with laminitis!!

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It can happen - yes. Laminitis can manifest in a few different ways. But my first reaction on reading your post was laminitis.

I'd have the vet back as an emergency personally.

Good luck.
 
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Laminitis???? Brought on by the steroids?

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Foxfolly sorry to hear about your lad, AmyMay is correct in that Steroids (especially high dosage) can bring on severe laminitis in horses. Maybe you should ask your vet about it. Fingers crossed that you get to the back of it and your lad makes a full recovery.
 
I've heard of laminitis from too much hard feed in horses etc. but not from steroids, it hadn't even crossed my mind it might be related to them.....

I'm just not sure if the latest symptom... 1 fat leg around tendon and he's sound is really sugestive to laminitis? Please correct me if I'm wrong.....As I said long time since I dealt with laminitis!!

Wouldn't he be reluctant to put weight on his feet, be standing back to take the weight off etc?
 
No the swelling is not sugestive itself. But the way you descrive the sudden onset of lameness is.

I'm probably way off the mark - and it's certainly a bit of a puzzle. But if he's lame in three legs - then there is no where for the weight to necessarily be shifted too - which in turn could cause swelling in the other legs if he's constantly shifting.

I've never seen a horse with laminitis do the 'typical' laminitis stance. If the leg that he's not lame on is the one with significant swelling - then it's possible that a lot of weight is going on that leg - hence the swelling.

Mystery - let us know what happens.
 
Lymphangitis or cellulitis? It's very hard to say without seeing . . .

Does he have any mud fever? I've seen spectacular "rotating leg" reactions to even very small lesions.

Bites are a possibility but I don't know about the lameness. I had a horse get bitten by what we suspect was a spider and his leg swelled from hoof to into his shoulder. But he was only stiff as you would expect from that much swelling, never "supporting leg" lame.
 
Hi thanks for all the advice and suggestions.

He is now on bute 2x daily, his near fore is still up this morning, I have hosed and bandaged, but he looks sound on it walking around, vet also thought he may have a bit of swelling in a hind, but I can't see it! I wasn't there when the vet came, O/H was!)

We are planning on seeing how he is tomorrow then if its not improving asking for a referral to the local Equine clinic, I am not really 100% impressed with the we can't scan or sedate so lets just give him more bute and box rest attitude, we're not getting to the bottom of the problem and finding out what is wrong! I am worried that if it goes down and he's sound but has torn or pulled somthing mildly we could end up making it worse bringing him back into work or turning him out!! he is a big horse and only young so there is a lot of weight on an imature frame so there is every chance he could have tweaked somthing!!

He has no obvious lesions on his leg so I'm pretty sure its not its not mud fever, also he has been in on box rest for the last 2weeks anyway. Cellulitis is a possibility I suppose but the vet didn't advise A/B's so we'll see what its like tonight and tomorrow.

I'm really at a loss to finding a reason for it to suddenly come up swollen like that unless while he was in the barn on box rest he has banged it or pulled something. As this leg was only swollen previously when he had the fly bite reaction which went down nearly 2 weeks ago!
 
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