Navicular bruising or coffin joints perhaps? I need your experiences.........

Horseowner123

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Hi all,

I know this should go on the vet forum but there are more people in here and I need as much inspiration and optimism as I can get.

My competition irish cob is currently at the vets undergoing investigation for unsoundness on both his right fore and right hind. I noticed he wasn't a 100% as he wouldn't take the contact very well and always wanted to canter, I am assuming that trotting is difficult for him at the minute. This came on all of a sudden, never any previous issues or worries.

So fast forward to yesterday and he arrived at the vets for flexion tests, blocks, scans etc and is waiting to undergo a further xray on his back. The blocks and scans have shown the issue is within the feet but the navicular bone doesn't look too bad however even when blocked and sound he still didn't want to trot on the lunge.

The vet has suggested an MRI for both hooves to see exactly the issue but he is suggesting it may be bruising of the navicular bone but says this is very unusual in hind limbs, it could be ligament damage or coffin joints even though the front hoof didn't react that great to the coffin joint blocks but I understand the difficulty of diagnosing issues in the feet just off xrays.

Now, I am just looking for anyone who may have had the same issue and what exactly was the diagnosis, I feel that it's all very doom and gloom so any success stories would be fab but equally reality needs to hit home so anyone who has suffered post any of these conditions your input would be very useful too.

Many thanks
 

be positive

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I had one that was less than 1/10th lame on one front foot, it only showed lunging on the hard, blocks showed it was in the foot and xrays showed nothing, the next step was MRI but the advice given at the time was to wait, treat and to MRI if he did not respond to treatment as it was thought to be deep bruising rather than anything more sinister. He did respond to treatment, bute, a week off then light exercise only and he had bar shoes on for two cycles, he was back in full work within 4 weeks and was fine, as expected.

I think it depends on whether you need a diagnosis in order to start treatment, my question to the vets was will initial treatment be any different? the answer was no, MRI in two feet will take a huge chunk of your insurance, if it is just deep bruising he should improve within a month or so although I would be rather concerned about it being in the two feet on the same side rather than bilateral which would be more in line with bruising.
 

Horseowner123

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Thank you, I think the concern is if we treat and it doesn't work then we definitely will not have enough for the MRI. The xray doesn't show navicular which is great but the vet is also concerned it's both feet on the one side. He has said it could be a few options, ligament damage, navicular (slightly), bruising.

The blocks on his hooves did make him sound but he still had a funny gate on the lunger
 

ohmissbrittany

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What were his angles like from cannon bone to ground? Do you have the x-rays, or even good pics of his feet from the front/sides/bottom? That can give some clues. A tipped back coffin bome (negative palmar or plantar angle) can stretch and damage the DDFT.

With one side totally affected my first guess would have been a fall/pelvis type issue.... but if the feet blocked makes him sound that's even stranger.
 

Horseowner123

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9 June 2015
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What were his angles like from cannon bone to ground? Do you have the x-rays, or even good pics of his feet from the front/sides/bottom? That can give some clues. A tipped back coffin bome (negative palmar or plantar angle) can stretch and damage the DDFT.

With one side totally affected my first guess would have been a fall/pelvis type issue.... but if the feet blocked makes him sound that's even stranger.

We now have the following diagnosis:

* fore - slight fluid next the navicular bursa
* hind - collateral ligament damage from wear and tear,

Read more at https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/...ar-bone-any-ideas.775473/#6joSF1ISBXD17IoT.99
 
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