Please can you help with lameness diognosis?

I

INTHEGROOVE

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any ideas would be greatfully recieved:

3 weeks slightly lame as in 1 / 10th on front - farrier checked him and couldnt find anything. qulified equine physio called in as i thought he had pulled something. She said very tight in shoulders gave treatment including ultra sound. 5 days later second visit - trotted him up on the hard, he was intermittently lame but ok on the turn, lunged him on the hard - ok on one rein, lame on the outside front on the other rein. Had a second ultra sound treatment, 5 days of bute - then if still not sound straight to vets for x rays nerve blocks ect - with no messing around.

Any ideas what could be the cause?? i Know its like 'how long is a piece of string" but you know how us horse owners worry!! LOL x
 
Hi. You havn't said anything about the kind of work the horse has been doing up untill the problem arose or how old etc. I personally would have called the vet out after your farrier had done the initial check, not bother with the physio until the all clear has been given. It just prolongs any treatment the horse could have been having or healing. I always like to know what exactly is going on before I decide to bring in any physio's etc. That way I am sure I am not doing more harm than good.
 
Have to agree with the others that I would have called the vet after the farrier.

You won't be doing the vet any favours at all by giving the horse bute and then asking a vet for a diagnosis either.
 
Physio should not treat your horse without approval of your vet.

With mine, if the farrier is due and can't find anything in the hoof I would get the vet out to do a full lameness workup. I'm afraid I wouldn't let three weeks go by.

Could be something as simple as a slight knock or a pulled muscle or it could be a lot more serious like a tear in a tendon/ligament. Lameness on an outside leg on a circle could indicate soft tissue damage.

Your horse will need to be off bute for at least 48 hours before being seen by your vet.

Does your horse have a digital pulse?

Slight and/or intermittent lameness is a b****r to get to the bottom of.
 
Your physio cannot legally supply you with bute, so they either broke the law or you must have had a supply of your own. I agree, it was not right for your physio to recommend treatment of your horse with bute without the consultation of a vet. 3 weeks lame is well overdue for a call from the vet. If he has tendon damage and the bute has relieved the pain and kept him moving when he shouldn't , he could have done a lot more damage to it.
 
Abscess?? Mine had an abscess that took 3-4 weeks of on off mild lamness, vet farrier vet again, bute, box rest, bute then finally...........abscess Whoohoo! :) Symptoms were wierd and not screaming abscess and vet said that all the wet weather we've had over the bad winter has made lots of horses feet softer than normal and they have been dealing with untold abscess's.

Have you had him hoof tested? Just an idea.
 
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