Mystery lameness/sidebones etc no better

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Ranyhyn

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Looking for some more veterinary geared advice here.

Short summary for those who can't be bothered to look back through my drivel
:(
May 2011 - bought
June 2011 - lame suspected kick
July 2011 - moved home
Nov 2011 moved to livery - came in hopping lame after being ridden once
Jan 2012 - workup, nothing on xray apart from gigantic sidebones. Vet advised treat as soft tissue damage (but again, nothing on xray)
April - After a full 5 months off games, she was brought back into work. She was ridden once, in walk for around 45mins by a friend. Rested and now lame again.

Videos posted on here in my last thread suggest now perhaps shoulder, so we're looking at another vet visit, but given the previous one didn't actually find what was wrong...?!:confused: Where can we go??

My question is this. As she is not insured (stupidly I worked under the idea that she hadn't done anything yet so would get insured once I started riding, how naive and thick of me that was) how far down this road could you/would you go?

Based on previous work-up/xray findings where would you go from here? Obviously we need to keep costs down but it's getting to a crux point now. The horse doesn't belong to me, ultimately her future isn't my decision (though I know what I'd do) so just looking for some ideas/thoughts and advice from those who maybe have been here or who have better knowledge of the process again.

Link to videos of lunging/trot up here if interested:
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=527801
 
Has she had nerve blocks done? An an axial sesamoid block to confirm the idsue is in the foot region should not be too expensive and will rule in/ out foot issues and sidebone
 
Sorry should say, at point of work-up she had NB done. Located the pain to the foot. Back block still left her lame on both. Front blocks on both (so whole foot) left her sound.
Xrays showed only sidebones.
 
Are x-rays showing the sidebones as fully ossified? Mine would go lame during this process but once all the sidebones (he has them in both front feet!) fully ossified he has not had any lameness issues at all for (fingers crossed almost a year).
 
I am just bring a mare back into work that has had soft tissue injury in the foot.Heel pain cause unknown.

Has your vet given you a anti inflammory such as Rheumocam. Has he suggested egg bar shoes to protect the heels.
 
Did the x-rays look like these? These are ossified.

http://www.thenaturalhoof.co.uk/13.html

If the cartilage is still soft then you have time to sort it out. Once the cartilage has become bone then thats it, the horse has to live with the extra bones. They are ossifying in response to some imbalance which you can now tell where, as you have the x-rays.

Did you get top view as well as side view?

If you have then you can show your farrier, so he can see how he needs to rebalance the foot i.e. possible widening of the quarters to allow more room for the coffin bone to sit inside the hoof capsule. You said she shows caudal heel pain so perhaps there are signs that there is contraction at the heels which will contribute to the pain.

The hoof simply needs to be bigger for the bone to fit in, a bit like wearing shoes two sizes too small. Where to go from here is up to you but the solution is so very simple and affordable.
 
Thanks for that site Tally Ho, the before pics are exactly what V-mans feet were like a year ago and the afters are what he is like now, he is also fully sound and has been for the best part of 10 months and is now happily schooling and hacking out 5 days a week.

And his side bones make that case study look mild
vardirightfront.jpg

vardileftfoot.jpg


OP can you maybe post the x-rays?
 
Vet felt they were full ossified yes.

He suggested special shoes (a natural balance type shoe was suggested, good heel support, bringing the breakover back)

However, he also suggested if that doesn't work we look at joint blocking.

I will email the practise and ask for the xrays - is that a standard request? Never had xrays before.
 
My money WAS on that too AM (though so far it's been on every conceivable problem possible in turn), I sincerely hope it turns out to be that. Just the not knowing and having no positive diagnosis that's killing me to be honest.
We're now at the stage of taking her to hospital instead.
If I get there and find out it was the sidebones all along, I will probably combust.
 
Chavhorse said:
Thanks for that site Tally Ho, the before pics are exactly what V-mans feet were like a year ago and the afters are what he is like now, he is also fully sound and has been for the best part of 10 months and is now happily schooling and hacking out 5 days a week.

And his side bones make that case study look mild
vardirightfront.jpg

vardileftfoot.jpg


OP can you maybe post the x-rays?
Click to expand...

To have been sound for the past 10 months, what was the treatment he received?
 
Oberon said:
To have been sound for the past 10 months, what was the treatment he received?
Click to expand...

A fantastic farrier who said no way to the special shoes and rollover and gel pads as suggested by my Dutch vets. Trimming to open up the heels initially then as Nic at Rockley puts it a complete "celery trim" the majority of the time he turns up looks and announces V-man is self trimming and leaves him be. he also suggested Linseed oil be painted inside and outside the hooves daily.

He was put on a non sugar diet with addittional ACV, Brewers Yeast, Micronised linseed and a good joint supplement. Freechoice soaked hay. He goes into a paddock with minimal grass.

Work wise he has just been taken very very slowly, starting with 15 mins in walk then slowly building up in the school, no tight circles to start with, hacking out at walk in hoof boots.

He is now happily schooling in all three gaits with no soundness issues and hacking out for an hour and is working 5-6 days per week.

I think we have been very lucky and he is one of the horses that once the sidebones have fully ossified he as settled down.

OP have you tried speaking with Nic at Rockley? She was a mine of information for me and spoke at length to my farrier.
 
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BVD what was the date ish when she was reshod by the better farrier (and how long did the other one shoe her for?) am I right in thinking that was novemberish time when you moved to livery?

I am wondering, given that she has been lame/off about the same time as Frank ;) how much of the lameness in her case is due to foot still and how much might be due to her using her body differently due to the lameness (the source of which might still or not be there!)

When we took all round photos of Frank a couple of weeks ago you can see that the shoulder of his sound leg has become over-muscled and the shoulder on the lame leg is quite tight at stiff so I wonder how much that affects them still.

I am hoping that plenty of stretching and massage (about every other day atm) will help resolve that now he is moving sounder (post injection) in addition to walking in long reins for straightness (although that works less well in driving rain! :p)

Just some ponderings!
 
Yeah reshod by new farrier in Nov - so 5 months in new feet (some 3/4 trims). We have been planning to get an osteo out to her anyway as she's due, maybe something I can ask her to look for?
 
Chavhorse said:
A fantastic farrier who said no way to the special shoes and rollover and gel pads as suggested by my Dutch vets. Trimming to open up the heels initially then as Nic at Rockley puts it a complete "celery trim" the majority of the time he turns up looks and announces V-man is self trimming and leaves him be. he also suggested Linseed oil be painted inside and outside the hooves daily.

He was put on a non sugar diet with addittional ACV, Brewers Yeast, Micronised linseed and a good joint supplement. Freechoice soaked hay. He goes into a paddock with minimal grass.

Work wise he has just been taken very very slowly, starting with 15 mins in walk then slowly building up in the school, no tight circles to start with, hacking out at walk in hoof boots.

He is now happily schooling in all three gaits with no soundness issues and hacking out for an hour and is working 5-6 days per week.

I think we have been very lucky and he is one of the horses that once the sidebones have fully ossified he as settled down.

OP have you tried speaking with Nic at Rockley? She was a mine of information for me and spoke at length to my farrier.
Click to expand...

No special shoes?
eek.gif

No special diet?
eek.gif

No special, 'scientifically proven' supplements?
eek.gif

No special medication from the vet?
eek.gif


So basically....you gave him a basic diet and left his feet alone to sort themselves out
lol.gif
.

Magic!
hurray.gif


Now you've mentioned Dutch....I remember your boy from the UKNHCP forum. I remember seeing your Xrays and thinking there was no hope.....I'm so pleased to be proven wrong :)
 
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]No special shoes?
eek.gif

No special diet?
eek.gif

No special, 'scientifically proven' supplements?
eek.gif

No special medication from the vet?
eek.gif


Wish mine would do the same!!
 
Oberon said:
No special shoes?
eek.gif

No special diet?
eek.gif

No special, 'scientifically proven' supplements?
eek.gif

No special medication from the vet?
eek.gif


So basically....you gave him a basic diet and left his feet alone to sort themselves out
lol.gif
.

Magic!
hurray.gif


Now you've mentioned Dutch....I remember your boy from the UKNHCP forum. I remember seeing your Xrays and thinking there was no hope.....I'm so pleased to be proven wrong :)
Click to expand...

That's about it in a nutshell:-)

He is going great guns to the extent that he is currently being used as one of the horses for the people taking their stage III riding exams and as the lunge horse for someone taking their BHS I examinations.

UK vet says he could well stay sound till he drops and farrier normally moans about the fact that the wretched ungrateful animal is doing him out of a monthly trimming fee:-)

Long may it continue he will never be a world beater now but is having a useful and enjoyable life.
 
I was originally open to that, but some 4months without shoes and I just can't ignore my lame horse. Vet suggested try boots/shoes but in his heart I feel he wants to pursue the joint tjing
 
I think you need to resolve whether at this point it is just the feet or whether something else is going on as if its not the feet shoes off won't necessarily help. Has she had shoes back on now? is she any different with them on? (just being nosey really :p)
 
Not yet, my farrier comes to our area on a Weds :) the first thing he said when he saw here wayyy back when in Nov was that he'd had a similar case of chronic imbalance and lo and behold, it was the shoulder all along...
 
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