Scared

[fuzzyp]

Had the vet out last week for big lad, lame in both front legs on a circle and ever so slightly on trotting up. Sound on flexion and hoof testers, horse is pigeon toed anyway and vet concerned about pedal bone. I have convinced myself its a mixture of ringbone, navicular and sidebone! Vet wants him in for nerve blocking, ultra sound and x rays...Am panicking, he's only 8 but is a large lad and didnt have the best start in life! Will be gutted if he cant be ridden anymore, fingers crossed please!

 

[reynold]

does he have to be nerve blocked ?
sorry but I just hate that procedure and mainly find it a form of horse torture and often as inconclusive as flexion tests on a pre-purchase vetting.

scans and x-rays first - but nerveblocking - yuck - I flatly refuse to ever have it done to any of mine

 

[fuzzyp]

Its just what the vet wants to do to identify where the lameness is exactly, i agree with you though its not a nice process of elimination. I dont know how brave i would be asking the vet not to do it, i dont know of there is a more accurate way of diagnosing the affected area?

 

[kimrichards]

this sounds like what i went through with my mare a few months back, we had to nerve block her found she was lame in the foot so then we x-rayed then and there basically my vet wasn't happy with the pedal bone allignment, it wasn't nevicular or anything like that, well after my vet and farrier chatting and farrier seeing the x ray and shoeing being done every 5 weeks and at the right angel they are happy with my mare is being ridding out hacking, schooling etc and totally fine, my vet said it could take between a month or six to be totally ok but just started her slowly on the soft ground and now we are out and about on the roads.

Try not to worry to much i made myself sick over worry when i was taking her to the vets i was convinced it was something like nevicular etc.

 

[Happytohack]

[ QUOTE ]
does he have to be nerve blocked ?
sorry but I just hate that procedure and mainly find it a form of horse torture and often as inconclusive as flexion tests on a pre-purchase vetting.

scans and x-rays first - but nerveblocking - yuck - I flatly refuse to ever have it done to any of mine

[/ QUOTE ]

Recently had our big heavy mare nerveblocked and xrayed. She had absolutely no problem at all with the nerveblocking (can't see it as a form of horse torture at all). The vets nerveblock to see whereabouts to xray. She was only slightly sedated for the xrays. As for sidebone - a huge number of heavy horses have it (mine included) with no problems at all. The whole process of nerveblocking, xrays and the vets talking me through the xrays took under 2 hours.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Reynold why do you hate nerve blocks? It's very well tolerated by horses and is an essential tool in pinning down difficult lameness problems. My previous horse started occasionally stumbling, especially on uneven ground and downhill. Nothing much, just enough to make me wonder what was going on. No sign of lameness. Then I read a veterinary article in one of the horse mags and was stunned to hear about BILATERAL lameness. My horse was referred to one of the UK's top lameness experts and was nerve blocked in one leg. The result was shocking. With the pain gone in one leg, you could see how much the other leg hurt. He could barely walk. With the pain as bad in BOTH legs, you don't see the usual unmissable signs of lameness. It was devastating and, sadly, his front feet were so totally trashed that nothing could help him and after a few more months in which he deteriorated and started to lose weight and get very anxious, he had to be pts. Nerve blocking is just a diagnostic tool and is invaluable in getting to the heart of a lameness problem. Cobscobscobs, try not to worry - thinking of you - ket us know please what happens x

 

[fuzzyp]

Well, the boy is home and i dont know if the prognosis is good or bad to be honest. He was blocked to his foot (was excellent and didnt seem botheres at all) and to cut a very long story short the xray showed that he has bone growth on his pastern, coffin joint and navicular. Blocked the coffin and he came sound. So although it is not navicular it is similar. They are going to remedial shoe him monday and inject the coffin with steroid. Have been told that the prognosis is guarded and that there is no way of telling whether he can be ridden until we see how he responds to treatment. They wanted him box rested for 5 days, this hasnt gone down well, in fact after much whizzing round his box and refusing to eat he smashed through the door this morning. Therfore i have decided he is safer off out with one quiet companion. He is bandaged to prevent infection on the joint and is rugged. Dont know what else to do, cant even begin to think about not riding him. Trying to stay positive, anyone had any success with something similar?