Odd lameness dilemma continues...

[Ranyhyn]

Ok will try to give as much info as possible. For those who weren't aware..

Firstly horse is under my vet and my farrier for this issue. I am just looking for thoughts from outside the box really!

Mon 21st Nov 5.30pm
I arrive late at the yard to find mare on 3 legs. Get her into the stable. Am told she was seen hooning 30mins before.
Turnout paddock - wet/muddy with compacted stone entrance.

8pm
Vet comes, suspects abscess as raging digital pulse. Poultice 3 days wet, if nothing - they will come back.

Poultice yields not very much, some greyish smelly gunk, which I'm told isnt pus.

Sat 26th Nov 11.00am
Different vet comes back, hoof tests - not much. Finds some bruising on medial(?) inside hoof wall close to nail hole. Poultice again, bute given if no better in 5 days get them back to nerve block/xray for fractured pedal bone.

Weds 30th Nov 10.30am
New farrier. Takes last shoes left on, off. Hoof tests VERY little response. Declares not much wrong with foot, no bruising (in his opinion) certainly no broken pedal bone. Has her trotted up, is happy enough that its more to do with badly done feet.
Asks me to take her OFF bute for a few days and have him back this Weds.

So here we are, the horse walked out in hand nicely, Thurs/Fri/Sat (could bute still be in system???)

Yesterday and today she seems very withdrawn, sullen, disinterested and totally NOT coming out of her stable - even for food and this is a mare who would walk through the fires of hell for food!

So I am really confused now where to turn. Farrier is due back in two days.

Does anyone have any thoughts/advice?

Thanks so much if you can help

 

[wattamus]

cant really help with the lameness but i know I was always advised to leave 48 hours off bute to see a true representation of pain. Maybe get a second farrier opinion too. Won't go into detail but a friend of mie's horse came in lame one day, farrier said it was nothing to do with her feet and that she needed the vet- friend could not afford vet treatment so was considering pts. Vet came out and identified an abscess in the foot which farrier missed so may always be worth a second opinion

 

[OWLIE185]

I would doubt that their would be much bute left in the system and it would not hide any lameness/stiffness.

It may be something completly different that is causuing your horse to be under the weather. I would definately call the vet back in and get them to check the horse out again and possibly take bloods just to check that all is well.

Good luck.

 

[ElvisandTilly]

Not sure if this will be the same as your mare. My previous mare came in from the field hoping lame, no heat not swellings, nothing that was obvious. I left her whilst morning and was going to get vet to check if she was still lame. She came out completely sound.

She was fine for a week then again lame.... it was always on a Thursday she was lame??!!.... Thursday again and hopping lame. This time got the vet out for the morning and by time he arrived she was sound! This went on for 7 weeks. The vet could find no response to hoof testing, the farrier couldn't find anything, I was out riding as normal but every Thursday she was hopping lame!!

Finally sent her to the horse hospital for a full lameness workup and they nerve blocked and xrayed her and found a very large fracture in her pedal bone!!!! Shock!! They said although it was a bad fracture she had fractured it in the best part of the pedal bone for a good outcome. This was a mare who only came in lame once a week, no response to hoof testers, farrier fitting shoes and being ridden and turned out as normal!!

3 months box rest, an eggbar shoe and she was fully healed thankfully. Just wish the vets had requested her to be admitted for full work up sooner. It got them all baffled to the xrays made it clear what was wrong!

Good luck with your girl and hope you find out whats going on soon.

 

[Ranyhyn]

Thank you all.

That does sound interesting Carma, it's really very odd because three different professionals have all come out with different things. First one was instant abscess, second was bruising, third says nothing wrong with her on first glance and thinks it's down to bad shoeing!!

 

[SplashofSoy]

Brusing (if thats what it is) can be very funny. Mine had a brusied sole and was intermittently lame (going from sound to very lame and everything in between) for almost 2 months. X rays done all clear no symptoms very little on hoof testers etc. farrier and vet both of opinion it was brusing. He just one day was properly sound again and remained that way.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I suppose then I need to push for xrays to rule out a fracture before I consider my other options.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

X-rays sound like a good idea, particually for your peace of mind as then you'll know if she's fractured her pedal bone or not.

I was on the verge of booking my mare in for an x-ray after weeks of on-off lameness, when an abscess burst out of an old nail hole. So it is possible that she has a deep abscess, which would show on the x-ray.

I'm sorry that this is still going on. I hope that she gets better soon.