Slight lameness - what would you do?

[maggie123]

Last Saturday I was having a canter in the woods when a massive dog leap out of the bushes towards us My normally very sensible girlie shied violently to the right and spun around, resulting in my coming off to the left and being dragged by the reins. I twisted my knee which hurt for a few days but other than that there wasn’t anything obviously amiss with either of us. The guy caught his dog, apologised and I hopped back on and walked around the short ride and back to the yard. I didn’t ride on the Sunday as I was a bit stiff but my sharer had a lesson in the morning.

Next time I went to ride on Thursday evening my girl was lame in trot on the right rein. I called my sharer to check what she had been like on Sunday. (As she had been shod on Tuesday I thought maybe the farrier had pricked something etc.) My sharer then said she had thought she was a bit off on Sunday on a tight circle to the right but that her instructor had said she thought she looked ok. Sharer only started a couple of weeks ago so not familiar with how my girl moves etc so trusted instructors view from the ground.

As there was no swelling or heat and she was sound at a walk and in a straight line at the trot I left her for a couple of days hoping it was a knock or strain from Saturday. Lunged her yesterday on hard ground and she is still definitely lame on the right rein at a trot, and doesn’t seem to be any better. She is still being turned out every day as she isn’t in any distress.

Yard owner has said to leave her for another week and reassess at the weekend. She has never been lame in the ten years I have owned her except when she had a nail in her foot or from a very obvious wound, so this is new territory for me and I don’t really know what to do for the best. One of the girls at the yard’s horse had the same symptoms and has now been diagnosed with bad ligament damage, which really worries me. What would you do in this situation – leave her another week? Keep her in? How long should I leave a mild lameness before calling the vet out?

Sorry for the essay and massive thanks for anyone who can advise

 

[animal]

bump

 

[LaurenM]

Call the vet for advice. My mare was lame last week so had the farrier up who found an abscess. I was so worried thinking her lameness was joint related so I know how you feel!

 

[Jesster]

If there's no obvious heat or swelling I'd do what the yard owner says. Re-assess next week. I have one that was the same. They usually mend themselves, it's probably nothing to worry about. I still don't know what caused him to be lame last week, there was just a tiny bit of heat behind the fetlock. I just chucked him back out to enjoy the rays and grass, week later he's right as rain!

 

[Marchtime]

I always go down the vet route but if your farrier is due up in the next couple of days you could get him to have a quick check for a bruise/abscess.

 

[Apricot]

To be honest, if it's mild and not getting any worse, I would leave her a week or two, still being turned out but not ridden, and then re-assess. If it turns out that she has just pulled something, and you get the vet out, they feel obliged to give a diagnosis and you can end up having nerve blocks/x rays ect when in actual fact all that is wrong is something as minor as a bruise or mildly strained shoulder.

Is there any heat in her legs or feet?

 

[Holly Hocks]

I think I would give it a few more days and see if there is any improvement. i jumped the gun and called the vet today after a weekend of a swollen leg - mainly because I was worried that it could be a tendon or ligament.....it wasn't - Mrs Spaghetti legs has been rolling round and appears to has probably clobbered herself as she doesn't appear to have any control of her legs....
Vet did notice that she was lame on one of her front legs (the callout was for a hind leg!) and ended up doing nerve blocks to check that it wasn't navicular....fortunately it wasn't as she was still lame with the nerve blocks, however he now said that if that doesn't improve in a few days, then he will have to do some more investigation - to be honest, she slipped down a hill on the concrete when we were out hacking last Thursday and I think she has probably jarred herself then - she hasn't shown any lameness whatsoever til today! But I'll end up with a huge bill for today for finding out nothing!
Don't call the vet yet!!

 

[Supertrooper]

We've got this at the minute, no swelling/heat just lame in trot but 100% sound in walk. My feeling is it's a combination of hard ground (can only ride in field and it's like concrete) and that he's pulled something. So he's having bute for a week and two weeks rest just out in field. Any unsound steps in walk and will get vet out xx

 

[maggie123]

Thanks for the replies guys no there isnt any heat and as she was shod on tuesday (so after she was lame with sharer although i wasnt aware of this at the time) i would have thought he would have notice an absess?

She prob has just pulled something youre all right, Im just being a worrywort! Yard owner will keep an eye this week while Im at work, if shes still lame next week ill get the vet.

Thanks again all, will update at the weekend x

 

[maggie123]

So shes still lame. In fact shes worse. Now she also looks stiff through her left hind Its really odd, no heat, no swelling, no pulse, no sensitivity in her legs or back. Still only lame in trot on a circle and sound trotted up on the straight. Think Im going to get the vet out this week as it hasnt gotten any better.

 

[kickonchaps]

Vet sounds like a good call! My previous horse had a mysterious lameness that lasted about 3 weeks, sometimes really severe, sometimes barely noticeable, sometimes heat and swelling in the leg and sometimes not... turned out she had a pus in the foot, and during the same time she got bitten by a snake! Hopefully you'll get to the bottom of it and it's nothing serious

 

[maggie123]

Thanks for the comments guys.

So, an update.

Vet came out today. He thinks she is lame in both front feet (although the right is much more noticeable) and that that is causing the funny action behind. Flexion tests made no difference. Still only really noticable on a circle in trot, and worse the smaller the circle is. He has given me Danilin (I think thats what its called) and said she should have two a day and can be ridden in walk and turned out as normal. The antiflamitories will have run out in two weeks and if she is still lame he will have her at the survery for nerve blocks / scans etc. What worried me was he mentioned the dreaded N word.... Im trying not to think about it and really hoping she come sound in the next two weeks...