Okay, so we're getting a little stressed now and are running out of ideas...!

Kellys Heroes

Kellys Heroes

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So, where to begin...

Okay, so our 14.2hh mare went lame probably about 4 months ago - not consistently I might add, maybe every 4 steps or so. We thought maybe she had pulled something or was a little stiff or maybe even playing up (she's been known to fake lameness before - in front of the vet, no less!). After a few days we got the vet out to her he put it down to arthritis (she's 15), put her on Danilon and told us to ride her through it.
We continued to gently hack her out and things seemed fine.

However, a few days later she suffered from a seizure - she quickly recovered from this (about 30 minutes) but was very subdued for the rest of the day (we didn't ride her that day). A week later, she suffered another seizure, this time we called the vet out straight away as she was lay down, dog lame when we did manage to get her up and refused to eat (a sure sign in Kelly's case she isn't well!) with a glazed expression and she didn't seem to recognise us. At the time we weren't aware they were seizures as we had not seen the bulk of it I think we just got the after effects. (I'm not sure this is relevant to the current lameness but just for the full background :))

The vet came out and told us that they were indeed seizures and he didn't know what had caused them - just gave her more Danilon and said to keep an eye on her and she hasnt had any seizures since.
However the lameness continued - the vet eventually put it down to laminitis, due to the stress of the seizures, about 10 weeks ago (we weren't convinced) strapped her feet up and she's been on box rest for 8 weeks (hell!)

2 weeks ago, he came to check her and said she was moving like there was no lami in her feet (ie, dragging us everywhere :p), her hoof growth was fantastic and so advised us to have heart bars fitted mainly to cover his back (which we did), turn her out for an hour in the field (for our safety mainly!) and ride her the next day (which we did).
She's been brilliant, albeit very unfit - she has been having a maximum of 25min hack and 45 min in the field per day (with a grazing muzzle) and this suits her (apart from panicking in the field).

However today.....she's gone lame again!!!!!!!!!!! Unconsistent again and we're at the end of our tether with it now - she started to move easier after a while, but still every odd step it's there but I can't quite put my finger on it!
What can we do? Do magnetic boots have any effect as we thought we'd order some in - could it be stiffness? Or just due to the uneveness of our field, has she pulled something? Or does it sound like it wasn't ever lami in the first place??

Please help!! (Sorry for the essay!!!)
 
No they've just literally examined her (she can get a bit stressy with people she doesn't know and I don't think they wanted to upset her any more at that point) - its just that it seems to come and go she's been perfect on her feet for 2 weeks!
She is a lami prone horse but we did have a feeling it was something else as it has never come on over a matter of weeks before - her 1st and 2nd times she literally went down with it overnight :mad:
 
Has the horse been x-rayed at all? My mare had similar slight intermittent lameness and x-rays showed that her pedal bone had dropped slightly. She showed no laminitic symptoms as such. Not saying that this is what is wrong with your horse, but I think I'd be pushing for a definite diagnosis, just so that you know what you are dealing with.
 
Yeah I understand - our vet did say he was sure of no movement of the pedal bone but how he could tell without X rays I'm not altogether sure?
And we definitely need to know what we're dealing with - at first he told us to ride her through it as he thought it was arthritis, now for all we know we were riding her with lami!
 
Hi again, after reading your second post I think I'd definitely go the x-ray route if she's already laminitis prone. My farrier wouldn't fit heartbars without having regular x-rays to work from as he said that they can do more harm than good if not fitted precisely, so it might help from that point of view too. I have to admit that I found going barefoot beneficial for my mare.

I hope you get to the bottom of it, the not knowing is the worst!
 
I second the nerve blocks and Id have xrays done. I would want to progress from guessing at what it is and have actual tests done to get a firm diagnosis. I dont want to guess at why your horse had seizures but the lameness could be navicular, djd, ringbone, laminitis, really without proper tests your vet cant be sure.
 
Sorry to hear about your pony. When I read seizures, lameness (poss laminitus) I thought cushings?? Probably a stab in the dark but does your pony display any of the other symptons associated with it as in, pot belly, large pits above the eyes, shaggy winter coat or not losing summer coat?
Hope it isnt but just a thought.
 
Nothing like that - she's been gaining and losing her winter coat like a good'un but I think the weather is the cause as the rest of the horses on our yard are the same!
Her weight's been solid this time its not fluctuated at all this year we're really happy with it.
Thanks, I guess all we can do is when the vet comes out push for x rays and other tests - does anybody ever get a gut feeling the vets not right sometimes???
And has anybody experience with magnetic boots at all? Or anything to ease any pain for her.
 
Girl on the yard I used to be on used the Veredus magnetic stable boots, she swore by them, even the vet said he had recovered quickly. Cant remember what was wrong with him though, think maybe a tendon strain. They were expensive and her pony ripped the linings (which are removeable to wash). Hubby used magnetic elbow support as a last ditch attempt to help with his Tennis elbow, it def worked so I got one when I got repetitve strain from keyboard use and that worked too.
 
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