Recurring/ intermittent lameness

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meganmayye

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Hi looking for some advice or if anyone has ever experienced the same thing- horse is currently being seen by vets but not sure whats wrong

My horse was diagnosed with arthritis and mild soft tissue damage in her coffin joints, so we medicated the joints (this was in may) and put pads on her feet to help her be comfortable. have rehabbed her and she keeps going lame, last month she went hopping lame and underneath her pads her entire sole and frog was rotting. so took the shoes off and waited until they dried out and put the shoes and pads back on and now shes gone lame again. massive pulse in her feet so have poulticed for a week (per the vets instructions) yet no sign of an abscess and the horse is still lame. not sure if anyone whose horse had pads on has experienced this but not sure how to survive winter if horse keeps getting wet feet underneath pads.

any advice appreciated as no idea what to do in this situation thanks x
 
Can you take her barefoot and rehab without intervention? Take a look at Pete Ramey's Hoof Rehab pages. She needs to be building a tough, thick sole with a properly working frog to help cushion the internal changes that need to happen. Boots and pads for gentle walking exercise, then barefoot with minimal trimming. Unless your vet has been involved with barefoot rehab, he/she may not be in favour, as it doesn't gel with current teachings. Good luck, I hope you get a good result.
 
meganmayye said:
Hi looking for some advice or if anyone has ever experienced the same thing- horse is currently being seen by vets but not sure whats wrong

My horse was diagnosed with arthritis and mild soft tissue damage in her coffin joints, so we medicated the joints (this was in may) and put pads on her feet to help her be comfortable. have rehabbed her and she keeps going lame, last month she went hopping lame and underneath her pads her entire sole and frog was rotting. so took the shoes off and waited until they dried out and put the shoes and pads back on and now shes gone lame again. massive pulse in her feet so have poulticed for a week (per the vets instructions) yet no sign of an abscess and the horse is still lame. not sure if anyone whose horse had pads on has experienced this but not sure how to survive winter if horse keeps getting wet feet underneath pads.

any advice appreciated as no idea what to do in this situation thanks x
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I literally could have written this. In the end, after pads (frogs rotting as I couldnt get to them to treat them for thrush and maggots thrown in for good measure) and a pottery horse, I took the shoes off, treated the thrush like a madwomen, bought some hoof boots for the fronts. Several months later my horse is perfectly sound, despite x rays showing coffin joint changes...*tried injections, he was even worse*.

So, now I am currently one of those barefoot converts (never ever thought I would be) and he is, after being unsound since March this year, going to a little intro test on Saturday to see if he remains sound on a surface. He has been sound in all gaits now for several months. Honestly don't understand it other than maybe his frogs and heel just needer a breather, literally and the thrush sorting out?!

As an extra bonus, my horse has only needed one trim since April! I vary with barefoot on flat roads and then use the boots when venturing into flinty areas/varying terrain etc. I am missing jumping, however, I am blessed to have him as sound as he currently is so I will take it. The pads really caused more issues for him, having very deep frog grooves etc as thats how he is built. Being barefoot means i can get to everything to treat any issues. Having said that, the thrush he used to get every winter with shoes is non existent so far this year.
 
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