Severely rotated pedal bone

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doris2008

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Hi, my 18 year TB has been lame for several months. Initially bruised sole which developed into an abscess. This drained ok but continued, so was x rayed. Found pockets of puss which were released. Eventually dried out, but still lame. Farrier had a good look and it was decided that as he has such thin soles and weak feet that it was just a matter of waiting for new growth and it would settle down. Foot kept clean with hoof boot.
I went away for a couple of weeks which I couldn't avoid and booked farrier for today to check him. Still lame, and we discovered opening around coronet band. Suspected abscess had tracked up. However, on X raying today, there is no abscess, and instead his pedal bone has severely rotated. He has very thin weak soles. Shoe was still on when xrayed as couldn't risk removing without farrier being there so that is being arranged. However, suspected that it will have gone into sole. Vet & farrier to make joint visit to see if anything can be done to make him more comfortable, however has suggested we consider putting him to sleep.
Has anyone experienced anything similar and any recovery made? I just want him to be comfortable. He is mostly retired now, but otherwise healthy and looking really well. :(
It has thought to have occurred as a result of the trauma of the abscess putting strain on an already badly put together foot which has just pushed it over the edge. No laminitis. Other foot x rayed and fine.
He is currently in on a deep bed with frog supports until revisit.
Any advice or experience greatly appreciated.
 
A friend of mine had a similar scenario with her older horse, abscess was the start of things going wrong, he came to my yard to be barn rested but the pedal bone rotation got dramatically worse and he was pts. unfortunately I fear that whatever you do now will be much the same for your horse you will find that the weight of the horse, his age and already compromised weak soles will struggle to support the structures inside and however hard everyone tries the outcome will not be good, I would make that difficult call before you really have no option and have to do it as an emergency.

Sorry to be a voice of doom but I was the one that was caring for the horse the day he went from bad to worse and it was not something I would want to see again and I have dealt with a few nasty situations, he was under the best care and nothing could prevent the pedal bone sinking into the sole causing immense pain.
 
I'd go with the joint vet & farrier visit, getting more x-rays for them to look at together before making any decisions. If you decide to carry on then these will also give your farrier something to work to. What degree of rotation are you looking at, and is there sinking too? My ID had 12 degrees of rotation in both fronts - possibly more because we didn't x-ray again - & sinking with thin soles but he was virtually sound again with much thicker soles when he was pts for a completely unrelated issue. I had an excellent farrier who trimmed to keep him as comfortable as possible & we had him in styrofoams for support for a long time, then shoes with pads & putty. Each case is different though & there are no guarantees.
 
severe rotation I'm afraid I would consider euthanasia as the prolonged rest period and likely ongoing problems to me are not fair - sorry :(
 
Older TB with poor feet and this horrible issue I would not prolong the suffering if the horse were mine .
So sad for your friend .
 
Sadly there was a pony PTS last night at the livery yard I am on due to severe rotation and near vertical drop of the pedal bone in a hind foot. Again no sign of lami etc and was initially thought by farrier and vet lameness was due to a deep abcess. Only showed signs of lameness just over a week ago too. Will keep everything crossed for a more positive outcome for you.
 
Am really sorry to hear this. Get as much information from your farrier and vet before making a final decision. But bear in mind that if the horse is on long term box rest and this could include very restricted movement depending on what your vet says the outcome may still be the same. The only horse I know that put through treatment ended up with a rotated pedal bone in his good leg due to the additional weight bearing he had to endure for such a long time - but this is only one anecdote and you can only make a judgement on the information and advice given to you at the time...

A good question to ask your vet - to cut through the medical, covering their backs, not making the decision for you rubbish - is what would you do if this was your horse?

Huge hugs at this very difficult time xx
 
I think due to his age and the trouble he has already had with his feet I would have him pts, sorry your having to go through this I have had 2 horses with laminitis so know exactly how horrible it is.
 
I'd wonder if he had metabolic/cushings that set the abscessing off as it does affect their feet quite a lot.
I have to say that if the rotation is as severe as you say I too would consider calling it a day though :(.
 
There are a lot of examples of horses being rehabilitated from that, mainly after laminitis but the principle is the same. Have a good read of this site before you make any irrevocable decisions http://www.thelaminitissite.org/
I would say that to take the weight off the walls, and support the pedal bone while the soles recover and thicken hoof boots with pads is pretty essential. My horse always had thin soles and an episode of laminitis resulted in the pedal bone almost sinking through them. He had heart bar shoes on for a while but as soon as I could I got him out of those and into hoof boots, he is very comfortable in them, moves around a fair bit to stimulate hoof growth and his soles are developing well, now measuring 5mm thick instead of paper thin, after 8 weeks in hoof boots.
Also Read Pete Ramey's site Hoof rehab, he has rehabilitated very many.
The make your decision based on the horse's nature and age.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
For an elderly horse such as this, which is already retired, I would spare the trauma of treatment and box rest and pts before it gets any worse.
Click to expand...

I'm so sorry to hear this but I also agree with the above post. A horse with such bad feet will probably never make a full recovery and will be in agony which is not fair. Thoughts are with you x
 
Thank you for all your replies. It's been a delayed response.
Under vet & farrier advice we continued treatment and he did brilliantly for 5 weeks. Much improved comfort and good improvement in his sole. He always coped with box rest really well and very chilled.
Sadly last week he became uncomfortable and further X-rays revealed the pedal bone had started to dissolve as well as issue around coronet band.
Sadly we had to take the decision to put him to sleep on Thursday. He was such a soldier and never gave up.
I, on the other hand am completely shattered with saying goodbye. I know it was right thing to do.
 
Lucky horse to have such a brave owner - so sorry, I can tell from your post that you loved him very much. He will know that!
 
I am so sorry to see your news,
It is a really horrible condition. I lost a 6 yr old Shire made in similar circumstances, except that she had good feet and had never worn shoes. We worked out that she had a Cushing's related condition.

Try to remember the good times and take comfort from the knowledge that he is no longer in pain
 
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